The Magic of
Halloween
By Carolee Clark (kingofmicestudios)
From witches, goblins and ghosts to skeletons, black cats and jack-o-lanterns,
Halloween is a holiday infused with mystery and magic. It encompasses the
splendor of autumn, with all it's brilliant colors, the traditional harvest
celebration and a good amount of just plain fun. It's a day when children of all
ages don their brightest costumes, carve jack-o-lanterns, trick or treat, gather
with friends and revel in celebration - a truly magical holiday!
Contrary to popular belief, Halloween is not a holiday with "evil"
origins, but rather evolved from ancient Celtic rituals celebrating the
"end of summer", or "Samhain" (sow-en). Celebrated on
October 31st, Samhain was a solar festival marking the last harvest of the
season, and the storing of food for the coming winter. Today's custom of trick
or treating grew in part from the old Irish custom of going door to door
collecting provisions for the feast. Many of the otherwordly aspects of the
holiday have their roots in the rather thin veil the ancient Celts drew between
this world and the next.
Recent years have seen a huge increase in the popularity of the Halloween
celebration, and it's easy to see why. It's pure fun, and fulfills a desire for
a little fantasy in our lives. Absent is the obligatory scheduling, shopping,
and stress we experience during other holidays. This is about revelry. We
decorate in bright, contrasting colors, we dress up, celebrate, invite our
friends in, and open our doors to neighborhood children. We let our hair down.
And if we're lucky, we're touched by a little of the magic of Halloween.
Here are a few activities to make your own celebration a little more magical:
Decorate your porch or doorstep with pumpkins, gourds, mums. If you live in the
country you can also find bales of hay and cornstalks. Add an autumn wreath to
your front door.
Visit one of the "haunted houses" many neighborhoods advertise during
the season. Scream loudly.
Gather family and friends for an Edgar Allan Poe reading...."Once upon a
midnight dreary"....no one can resist Poe.
Take a walk through the woods, or if you live in the city, the nearest park, and
take in the autumn color.
Visit a local pumpkin patch and pick your own pumpkin. Take it home and carve
it. Roast the seeds.
Dress up.
Throw a party. To minimize stress and preparation, make it a potluck with spooky
themed food. Decorate with plenty of candles.
If you have the space, host an outdoor gathering. Build a fire. Tell ghost
stories.
Bake some apples (check this newsletter's recipe page)
Enjoy!
Carolee Clark is an artist residing in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
Her work can be seen at www.kingofmice.com.
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