Topic ID 3164
I am not a big fan of such an american / commercial event..however it was lovely to see so many parents and kids enjoying themselves in our road tonight... as a grumpy old man I did take time to explain the Celtic pagan origins of the day, then realised their only 5 years old!!
Reply ID 45707
quote:Wingnut - Have a wonderful Samhaim. The 3 bunches of kids I had knocking were all great, no sweetie supply left for me [:(]
Originally posted by wingnut
I am not a big fan of such an american / commercial event..however it was lovely to see so many parents and kids enjoying themselves in our road tonight... as a grumpy old man I did take time to explain the Celtic pagan origins of the day, then realised their only 5 years old!!
Reply ID 45715
I must admit my daughter is five and I, along with a friend and his daughter, took them trick or treating for the first time last night. I was never a big fan, part bah humbug, part begging, part setting yourself for eggs all over the place etc etc, but I must say it was really great. Loads of young children dressed up with their mum and/or dads and everybody that opened their doors (which was 95% of them!)were really welcoming and generous (good job this set of teeth will naturally fall out!!).
Reply ID 45745
After last year I felt bullied into it for fear of eggs/other/contents of our skip ending up somewhere they shouldn't. As it was, we only had two girls visit (at the same time) and that was shortly before 8pm. Is there an unwritten rule of Pumpkin = Joining In, No Pumpkin = Bog Orff? Have decided to answer the door next year covered with fake blood holding a severed mannequin arm and a bloodied DIY power saw...!
Reply ID 45749
All the kids that came round to our house were impeccably behaved and extremely polite. Little_P enjoyed opening the door and handing out the sweets/raisins too.
Reply ID 45755
quote:Great you should charge and advertise, you could make a fortune. My kids would love to see that[}:)] I think halloween was great this year. The police wandered around where we were last night. It seemed to keep the older devils at bay and the little ones had loads of fun. We only ever knock at houses that are decorated and never after 7:30. If people don't want to take part they shouldn't feel that they have to.
[i]Originally posted by Mr P Have decided to answer the door next year covered with fake blood holding a severed mannequin arm and a bloodied DIY power saw...!
Reply ID 45763
Being a fan of the original spirit of the event and not the sinister Christian version, or the further distorted American mercenary interpretation, I do not look forward to trick or treat. This year I remained undisturbed by callers and was just rejoicing in the assumption that it had been ignored this year when I discovered a door bell malfunction. It seems I was "not at home" all evening.
Reply ID 45764
Funny that, we had a similar electrical outage that resulted in the porch light being off all night!
Reply ID 45769
For those that do not like the way Halloween is popularly celebrated, what is the issue? Is it the Americanisation of the event? What if we ignore the American influence on the event and pretend it is wholly indigenous? Would people still be adverse to it if had nothing to do with Halloween, if it was just an event where excited children got to dress up and have a bit of fun.
Reply ID 45770
quote:It was originally a happy and joyous celebration of rememberance and nothing to do with horror or anything sinister, frightening or gruesome. The Americans are only responsible for the trick or treat bit.
Originally posted by Ewoowar
For those that do not like the way Halloween is popularly celebrated, what is the issue? Is it the Americanisation of the event? What if we ignore the American influence on the event and pretend it is wholly indigenous? Would people still be adverse to it if had nothing to do with Halloween, if it was just an event where excited children got to dress up and have a bit of fun.
Reply ID 45772
quote:When and by whom? It has been adopted and adapted over time?
Originally posted by shuntquote:It was originally a happy and joyous celebration of rememberance and nothing to do with horror or anything sinister, frightening or gruesome. The Americans are only responsible for the trick or treat bit.
Originally posted by Ewoowar
For those that do not like the way Halloween is popularly celebrated, what is the issue? Is it the Americanisation of the event? What if we ignore the American influence on the event and pretend it is wholly indigenous? Would people still be adverse to it if had nothing to do with Halloween, if it was just an event where excited children got to dress up and have a bit of fun.
Reply ID 45774
quote:Not entirely clear, so probably a slow mutation. Originally a pagan festival day on which the memory of dead loved ones were remembered and their lives celebrated, known as All Hallows. It conflicted with a catholic event and was branded "evil" in an effort to discredit it and be able to punish those taking part. The event survived, but it's character became a mixture of several doctrines interpretation of it. The idea of it being a day when one could "walk" with the dead became literal, rather than spiritual and it is from that from which the horror theme is derived, with the help of Hammer Films and Hollywood.
Originally posted by Ewoowarquote:When and by whom? It has been adopted and adapted over time?
Originally posted by shuntquote:It was originally a happy and joyous celebration of rememberance and nothing to do with horror or anything sinister, frightening or gruesome. The Americans are only responsible for the trick or treat bit.
Originally posted by Ewoowar
For those that do not like the way Halloween is popularly celebrated, what is the issue? Is it the Americanisation of the event? What if we ignore the American influence on the event and pretend it is wholly indigenous? Would people still be adverse to it if had nothing to do with Halloween, if it was just an event where excited children got to dress up and have a bit of fun.
Reply ID 45775
Serious question. What is wrong with what we have today? Forget what it all meant to the many cultures and traditions that have influenced it so far. Kids dress up and knock on doors. As long as it is limited to those who actually want to be involved then would there be an issue?
Reply ID 45776
quote:I'd say that's the only objection. The American import of trick or treat removes the choice to not participate.
Originally posted by Ewoowar
Serious question. What is wrong with what we have today? Forget what it all meant to the many cultures and traditions that have influenced it so far. Kids dress up and knock on doors. As long as it is limited to those who actually want to be involved then would there be an issue?
Reply ID 45778
quote:Funny you say that our doorbell did not work either, On further investigation found some one had disconnected the wire in the fuse box eariler on in the day and also taped up the letterbox....Very strange.[^] If only there was one of these [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_Catcher"]Only joking[/url]
Originally posted by shunt
Being a fan of the original spirit of the event and not the sinister Christian version, or the further distorted American mercenary interpretation, I do not look forward to trick or treat. This year I remained undisturbed by callers and was just rejoicing in the assumption that it had been ignored this year when I discovered a door bell malfunction. It seems I was "not at home" all evening.
Reply ID 45779
Can't say I totally support it as we didn't do it 'in my day', but my two wanted to go out with their friends. Have to say though the kids we had round were all great, and all supervised by parents. Those houses who wished to participate generally had pumpkins or candles lit and those who didn't were in darkness (apart from one misery who went the whole hog and blockaded his path with a wheely bin).
Reply ID 45785
What has happened to all the kids games we used to play at Halloween, bobbing for apples, eating buns on strings with your hands tied behind your back and my favourite 'Nelson's body'?!!! Or maybe my mum just liked to see us suffer [:D]
Reply ID 45786
quote:Known as Samhaim it was part of the Celtic Belief System and adopted into Wicca. It is the Wiccan New Year, effecively New Years Eve. This is the time of the end of Harvest and the beginning of Winter. Samhaim celebrates an ending and a beginning, similar to death and re-birth.
Originally posted by Ewoowarquote:When and by whom? It has been adopted and adapted over time?
Originally posted by shuntquote:It was originally a happy and joyous celebration of rememberance and nothing to do with horror or anything sinister, frightening or gruesome. The Americans are only responsible for the trick or treat bit.
Originally posted by Ewoowar
For those that do not like the way Halloween is popularly celebrated, what is the issue? Is it the Americanisation of the event? What if we ignore the American influence on the event and pretend it is wholly indigenous? Would people still be adverse to it if had nothing to do with Halloween, if it was just an event where excited children got to dress up and have a bit of fun.
Reply ID 45797
We did apple bobbing & bun eating!! Sugar everywhere. I don't let my little one go out trick or treating but the kids who came to us were lovely ~ and they all came before 7.30pm which is fine... It's the ring on the bell after 9pm that's a bit much..
Reply ID 45798
ah you can't beat eating a jam doughnut suspended from the ceiling by a piece of string - not allowed to use hands or lick lips! :)
Reply ID 45805
quote:I'm indebted to you Tigger. I was scrabbling around in my failing memory a bit there.[:o)]
Originally posted by Tiggerquote:Known as Samhaim it was part of the Celtic Belief System and adopted into Wicca. It is the Wiccan New Year, effecively New Years Eve. This is the time of the end of Harvest and the beginning of Winter. Samhaim celebrates an ending and a beginning, similar to death and re-birth.
Originally posted by Ewoowarquote:When and by whom? It has been adopted and adapted over time?
Originally posted by shuntquote:It was originally a happy and joyous celebration of rememberance and nothing to do with horror or anything sinister, frightening or gruesome. The Americans are only responsible for the trick or treat bit.
Originally posted by Ewoowar
For those that do not like the way Halloween is popularly celebrated, what is the issue? Is it the Americanisation of the event? What if we ignore the American influence on the event and pretend it is wholly indigenous? Would people still be adverse to it if had nothing to do with Halloween, if it was just an event where excited children got to dress up and have a bit of fun.
Reply ID 45808
Nora, did your family di their normal scarry stuff.
Reply ID 45815
I saw many kids around the streets of Hertford, and Waterford. I didn't have direct contact with them but they all seemed very polite and well-behaved. Obviously I wasn't in, and don't know if they came around my area, but there was no egg on anybody's home in my street, or anybody else's street, as far as I saw [:)] The only experience I've ever had in Hertforfd of trick or treat is when I arrived at one of my customers' homes and *he* gave *me* a biscuit, totally unprompted - I didn't even say "Trick or treat", I just gave them the goods! The takeaway where I work actually got sweeties in in case any ToTs came our way, but nobody did.
Reply ID 45822
Took me about 24 hours for the penny to drop, but walked up the Folly yesterday am and found a large blob of white stuff on the car . Wiped off comparatively easily no prob - but.. at some point today light bulb goes off - Ahh.. I'd been presumably tricked. (Either that or Ostriches have learnt to fly and are in the skies over Hertford...) Which was all a bit of a bugger because Mrs CP had been happiy giving out sweets to Trick or Treaters (& in fact any innocent passing pedestrian for that matter)all night. So if you are reading this and you live in Frampton St and you had a Vauxhall Calibra parked outside on Halloween, next year give the little sods some treats and save me a car-wash....[:D]