It Is Halloween Again

I did not realize that Halloween is around the corner unitl I went shopping with Carrie in our local plaza last Sunday and saw pumpkins everywhere. Carrie is my good friend. She is a pretty blonde and a professional dietitian. She has such a sweet and soothing voice that will melt your heart. As soon as we parked the car, we started to wander around the plaza. I could feel a little bit chilly in the air. Autumn is here. Leaves are changing color and start to fall, too.

It was surprisingly easy to forget oneself among the bustling markets and grand boulevards, the manicured parks and marble monuments. There are all kinds of stuffs there: clothes, crafts, toys, books, vegetables, etc.  It reminds me of the stores that I used to shop back in China.

Guess what? I was really carried away with shopping. I am the one who said that I did not need to buy anything, yet I ended up with bunch of stuffs. I bascially filled Carrie's trunk with the clothes, books, toys, and hot peppers, etc. Carrie bought a few items and a big pumpkin.  She said that Jym (her husband) is like a big boy. He loves to carve pumpkins.  My kids like to carve pumpkins, too. They often put candles inside the carved pumpkins on Halloween night in our front porch.  It sparkles at night which is really beautiful.  They also enjoy decorating our house with Hallowen lanterns, ormanments, etc. Of course, Trick-Or-Treat night is the best part for them.

According to the article: "the word itself, "Halloween," actually has its origins in the Catholic Church. It comes from a contracted corruption of All Hallows Eve. November 1, "All Hollows Day" (or "All Saints Day"), is a Catholic day of observance in honor of saints. But, in the 5th century BC, in Celtic Ireland, summer officially ended on October 31. The holiday was called Samhain (sow-en), the Celtic New year.

One story says that, on that day, the disembodied spirits of all those who had died throughout the preceding year would come back in search of living bodies to possess for the next year. It was believed to be their only hope for the after life. Naturally, the still-living did not want to be possessed. So on the night of October 31, villagers would extinguish the fires in their homes, to make them cold and undesirable. They would then dress up in all manner of ghoulish costumes and noisily paraded around the neighborhood, being as destructive as possible in order to frighten away spirits looking for bodies to possess.

The custom of trick-or-treating is thought to have originated not with the Irish Celts, but with a ninth-century European custom called souling. On November 2, All Souls Day, early Christians would walk from village to village begging for "soul cakes", made out of square pieces of bread with currants. The more soul cakes the beggars would receive, the more prayers they would promise to say on behalf of the dead relatives of the donors. At the time, it was believed that the dead remained in limbo for a time after death, and that prayer, even by strangers, could expedite a soul's passage to heaven.

The Jack-o-lantern custom probably comes from Irish folklore. As the tale is told, a man named Jack, who was notorious as a drunkard and trickster, tricked Satan into climbing a tree. Jack then carved an image of a cross in the tree's trunk, trapping the devil up the tree. Jack made a deal with the devil that, if he would never tempt him again, he would promise to let him down the tree.

According to the folk tale, after Jack died, he was denied entrance to Heaven because of his evil ways, but he was also denied access to Hell because he had tricked the devil. Instead, the devil gave him a single ember to light his way through the frigid darkness. The ember was placed inside a hollowed-out turnip to keep it glowing longer.

The Irish used turnips as their "Jack's lanterns" originally. But when the immigrants came to America, they found that pumpkins were far more plentiful than turnips. So the Jack-O-Lantern in America was a hollowed-out pumpkin, lit with an ember."

Speaking of Halloween, it reminded me of the first Halloween party in Ohio in 1993 while I was a graduate student there.  It was such a cold night. It was drizzling, too. Around ten o'clock, the party reached its peak. One street in our school was packed with students who dressed in different costomes: scary ghosts, pretty angles, charming singers, graceful dancers, knowledgeable  professors, etc. Oh, it was such an unforgettable night to see Halloween Party on spot.

My horrible Halloween experience was that I went to a haunted house three years ago. Around Halloween time, I told my husband that I would like to find out what haunted houses look like . "Are you sure that you want to go? " He asked me. "Yes." I told him. " It is spooky." He warned me.  " I do not care. I just want to give it a try." I told him. 

So one night, my husband drove kids and me to the haunted house which was located in a countryside. It was so dark outside with a few stars shining in the sky.

As soon as we got there, my husband bought tickets for me and  my two older boys.  My little ones did not want to go. When my two boys walked to the doorway, they were so scared that they chickened out.  I decided to to go inside. As soon as I entered the haunted house, I wished that I did not step in.  I could hear the weird sound from everywhere. I saw the lights on and off. There were dead bodies lying there with blood on them. It looked so real that I panicked. I was struck with sweaty terror. My heart beat really fast. I started to run. Suddenly a hand touched my shoulder. I looked back. It was a ghost. I could not help screaming for help. Someone came over and escorted me out of the haunted house.  Oh, my God, I will never visit any haunted houses ever again.

My sweet memory of Halloween night was last year. I took my kids out for "Trick or Treat. " My husband stayed at home to pass out candies to other kids who stopped by our house. Around six in the evening, my kids started to dress themselves up. My two boys, one dressed like a wizard, the other dressed like a Harry Pottery. My two girls, one dressed like a pretty princess, the other dressed like a cute pumpkin.  My youngest one dressed like a little doc in training. They were all so cute and adorable. Each carried a pretty Halloween basket. My oldest son also brought flashlight with him. 

Around seven o'clock, we left the house. Our first stop was Martha and Thurston's house. Kids call Martha and Thurston grandma and grandpa. They are so nice to us.  While my husband was abroad this summer, Thurston mowed the grass  for us on such a hot day. We were really touched. Martha sometimes cook delicious meals and bring them to our house, too. Whenever we need help, they are always there for us. My kids can go to visit them any time they like. They are like a family to us. We are really grateful to have them as our neighbours.

Kids pressed their doorbell and started to say: "Trick or treat. Grandma Martha and Grandpa Thurston"  "Come in.  You all look so cute. " Martha opened the door and commented on kids' costumes. She brought her candy tray and put candies in each kid's basket. Kids said "Thank you and good bye" to them.  Then we headed for the next house.  It was such a beautiful night. The moon was out. Stars were shinning in the sky. We could see other kids busy with "Trick or treat", too.  About two hours later, we were finally home.  Kids' baskets were full of goodies. It was such a fun night for them.

My kids cannot wait to put on their Halloween costumes to go out for "Trick or treat" tonight, especially my little boy. After he got home from kindergarten, he put on his wizard costume, holding a wand in his hand, wandering around the house. There will be a Halloween party in the kindergarten this afternoon. My husband will take kids out for Trick or treat tonight. I will stay at home to pass out candies to the kids who will stop my house. Wish you all a safe and happy Halloween. 

Pictures Source: Internet

Rebecca Lin 2007 Fall In USA