My partner and myself are both pagans,so at Halloween we visit friends and do a saihmain ritual,for those that have gone on before us,we also do divination. We also buy lots of sweets to give to the trick or treaters we usually get them to sing for the treat, it is a lot of fun for all.
Ogunma --- In [email protected], ava...@... wrote: > > What do people do?Halloween is usually celebrated amongst family, friends > and, sometimes, co-workers. However, some areas hold large community events. > Parties and other events may be planned on October 31 or in the weekends > before and after this date. Adults may celebrate by watching horror films, > holding costume parties or creating haunted houses or graveyards. > > Many children dress up in fancy costumes and visit other homes in the > neighborhood. At each house, they demand sweets, snacks or a small gift. If > they do not get this, they threaten to do some harm to the inhabitants of the > house. This is known as playing 'trick-or-treat' and is supposed to happen in > a friendly spirit, with no nasty or mean tricks being carried out. However, > if your children take part, it is important to accompany them and to check > their 'treats' to make sure they are safe to eat or play with. > > Some families carve lanterns with 'scary' faces out of pumpkins or other > vegetables or decorate their homes and gardens in Halloween style. These were > traditionally intended to ward off evil spirits. If you are at home on > Halloween, it is a good idea to have a bowl of small presents or sweets to > offer to anyone who knocks on your door. This will help you to please the > little spirits in your neighborhood! > One cause that ties with Halloween is collecting donations for the United > Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF). As children > trick-or-treat on Halloween night, some of them might carry small cardboard > boxes with the UNICEF logo on them and collect coins instead of the usual > candy. The money collected is then given to UNICEF and used to help needy > children worldwide. > > Public lifeHalloween is not an official holiday. Government offices and > businesses are open as usual and public transit services run on regular > schedules. If you drive around in late afternoon or evening, it is important > to keep a careful lookout for children who are unaccustomed to being out on > the street after dark. If they are wearing dark costumes or masks, they may > be less easy to see than normal. They may also be excited and dart out > unexpectedly from between vehicles or behind bushes. > BackgroundHalloween originated as a pagan festival in parts of Northern > Europe, particularly around what is now the United Kingdom. Many European > cultural traditions hold that Halloween is a time when magic is most potent > and spirits can make contact with the physical world. In Christian times, it > became a celebration of the evening before All Saintsâ Day. Immigrants from > Scotland and Ireland brought the holiday to the United States. > > The commercialization of Halloween started in the 1900s, when postcards and > die-cut paper decorations were produced. Halloween costumes started to appear > in stores in the 1930s and the custom of 'trick-or-treat' appeared in the > 1950s. The types of products available in Halloween style increased with > time. Now Halloween is a very profitable holiday for the manufacturers of > costumes, yard decorations and candy. > SymbolsThere are various symbols associated with Halloween. These include the > spooks, ghosts and walking skeletons that represent the contact between the > spiritual and physical world and between the living and the dead. Human > figures that are often represented on Halloween are witches and wizards, who > are seen to have the power to contact the spirit world. Bats, black cats and > spiders are often connected with this holiday. These animals are associated > with the night and darkness and often accompany witches and wizards. > There are also a range of objects associated with Halloween. These include > blood, fire, gravestones, pumpkins, bones and skulls. They all have > connections with death, the spirit world or protecting property from evil > spirits. Many of these objects are now available in stores as decorations for > the Halloween season. > http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/halloween > Â > ------------------------------------ Come one come all Mortals who are willing to stick their neck out for a vampire to feed upon. We will be willing to share our Dark Gift to you mortals if you pass our test.Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheDarkGift/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheDarkGift/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
