Man, I wish I was born in October...

Because if I was, I'd totally have a Halloween birthday party! Bwahahaha! Yeah I love Halloween, it appeals to my more mischievous side I'm afraid. That and I've loved Tim Burton movies since I was five (yes I was a strange child). There's just something so charming about the world of dark romance. Now I'm not talking about crazy, cult gothic type of dark nor the whole biting off the heads of bats....yes I'm talking to YOU, Ozzie Osborne. That stuff is just weird in a not good way. I have to admit, I find scaring people to be very funny. Now scaring them into emotional trauma, that's not cool at all and anyone that goes that far needs help (or, as David Spates says, "I need Jesus...") I also like being scared to an extent. In my mind, if a movie/play can scare me w/o senseless violence or scarring me for life - that alone makes it a decent movie (other factors could change this of course but oh well)

Anyway I say all that to finally get to the point (fanfare!): I love Halloween. I don't go out trick or treating like I did when I was younger just because I think it'd would be a little creepy for the people handing out candy lol. But hey if you want to trick or treat until you're 80, be my guest. I usually just celebrate by eating Halloween candy, maybe dressing up, and watching a scary movie with all the lights off. Usually I make a tradition of watching Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas every year, but unfortunately my cousin "borrowed" my dvd and I've never seen it since...pretty sure she sold it for drug money or something like that. Sigh....

Anyhoo, I know a few people that believe Halloween to be a Satanic holiday. I humbly disagree (and my dad is probably rolling his eyes right about now lol) but I was curious as to why they might believe this to be true. So did some research (dun dun DUN). I figured wikipedia might be a little shady so I decided to put my faith in www.history.com (surely a website that claims to report historical items would be ligit). According to the great people of the History Channel, Halloween originates from a Celtic ritual (known as Samhain) that dates back to 2000+ years ago celebrated in what is now Ireland, Great Britain, and northern France. Samhain was celebrated the night before the Celts' New Year (November 1st) which signified the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark winter (also associated with death). Here's a summary of what actually happened during the ceremony:

"On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter. Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities. During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other's fortunes. When the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter." (quoted from www.history.com)

Okay, I can see where people get off saying that Halloween is a Satanic holiday. Pagan? Yes. Satanic? mmm, I think that might be pushing it honestly. I mean the Celts weren't Christians and didn't even know about Christianity until the 800s (also found this on history.com) so they really didn't know any better at the time . Now I am not condoning burning sacrifices or divination by any means. I'm not even going to touch that subject actually. I'm just saying you don't have to like Halloween but maybe take a different perspective on the matter. Either way, I'm all for it. It's fun as long as people don't take it too far.

Man I want some candy corn...

Misfit