Halloween History Lesson

The History of Halloween
It’s almost that time again. Things are about to go bump in the night. Spook masters would have you believe that the dead actually walk the earth on that day, but Halloween is as much a matter of shadows and mirrors as the horror movies we watch. For anyone interested, here is a history of the modern day holiday known as Halloween.

First of all, it was called All Hallows Eve. We are not speaking of Sleepy Hollow. Hallow means holy, like in The Lord’s Prayer for all the Sunday schoolers out there. Early pagan religions specifically the Celts would celebrate different phases of the earth. One such festival was Samhain. It is pronounced “saw-in.” it was a festival that commemorated the lives of the dead. There was nothing wrong with this, except that they didn’t discriminate between the “good” dead and the “bad” dead. People remembered all of the dead. The date that this festival fell on was October 31st.

Isn’t sounding too scary so far is it? Well, you must remember that early pagan religions were prone to superstition as in the Middle Ages. They were afraid of spirits and the thought of them returning to the human world frightened them.

As history goes, during this time, priests of the religion would contact these spirits to divine the future of the harvest as this was also harvest season. People’s livelihood depended on those crops and they were afraid that the spirits would curse them and destroy the crops.

The church decided to combat such superstition by adding a bit of Christianity to the occasion. They moved the celebration of All Saints Day from March 13th to November 1st. People would hopefully be less scared and more into the Christian celebration than the pagan one. Everyone didn’t change their long held beliefs however. People would cover their faces with masks when they went out at night in hopes that any roaming spirits would recognize them as fellow travelers and suspend their mischief. They also used large carved turnips with candles inside as lanterns.

All Hallows Eve became Halloween in modern times. Instead of walking through the veil between this world and the next, kids dress in a variety of costumes to scare each other silly and get a bit of candy in the process. The only spirits around on Halloween are the ones we create on the movie set. Well, maybe…

Tags: Sleepy, Spook, All Hallows Eve, Halloween History, Nothing
 

3 Places To Enjoy A Haunted Half Term In Your Motorhome

3 Places To Enjoy A Haunted Half Term In Your Motorhome

As the nights start to draw in and the weather gets colder, many of us start to look towards cosy nights in front of warm fires and the summer fades to a distant memory. Before we start stocking up on festive wrapping paper and dusting of the mince pies there’s plenty of fun to be had first.

With Halloween conveniently placed at the end of half term why not get the kids interested in some of Britain’s rich heritage (not to mention spending some quality time with the family) with a short break in your motorhome? Thanks to recent media sensations, the paranormal is more popular than ever with the younger generation so why not take this opportunity to really spark their interest in history and with a motorhome at your disposal, no corner of the UK is out of your reach. Here are just a few places that have a fascinating enough history to excite the children, intrigue the teenagers and even entertain you.

Let’s start with perhaps the most well known of haunted place in Britain, the Tower of London. Most famously known as a royal fortress to imprison those of high standing within society, the Tower is a great place to start educating the younger generation about the history of Britain and the monarchy without boring them, even the ghosts are educational. The most famous allegedly being that of Anne Boleyn who was beheaded on the orders of King Henry VIII. British history may have connotations of being boring and stuffy, Anne Boleyn was anything but, held on charges of adultery, incest and treason her life is bound to capture the interest of your children, maybe you can spot her ghost wandering around the grounds carrying her severed head under her arm.

If you want to take your motorhome to explore some of Britain’s tranquil scenery and escape the hustle of the big cities, the stunning Thirlmere Lake in the Lake District boasts some of the most beautiful landscapes in the UK, originally two smaller lakes the water hides a sinister secret, Armboth House. Legend has it, the occupying family were arranging the wedding for their daughter due to take place the next day, when they were informed their daughter had been pushed and drowned in the surrounding lake. Although the murderer was never caught, strange happenings were still reported at the house long after the family abandoned it, lights would be turned on, sounds of the wedding feast being prepared could be heard, always on the same day every year, the day of her death, Halloween. The house has lain submerged beneath the waters of the lake for over a hundred years now but many who visit the area still report to feel a chill and strangely unsettled especially on Halloween. While the kids enjoy the eerie mystery, the picturesque surroundings are bound to keep you enthralled too.

If you would like a little more education with your paranormal, it might be worth taking your motorhome down to Sussex. The battle of Hastings took place in 1066 in a small town that is known today as Battle and is often included in most schools history curriculum. Whilst this may not necessarily capture your children’s interest, the site itself is of course rumoured to be haunted. Battle Abbey was built to commemorate the battle and help defend England during in the 100 year war, and although part of it now lies in ruins, it is open to the public and is supposedly haunted by a whole host of ghosts including an apparition wandering around with a spear in his eye (King Harold?), a knight on horseback and the plaque on the alter to mark the death of King Harold running with blood all of which seem more likely to make an appearance on the October anniversary of the battle. With all the paranormal activity in this small town, it’s impossible not to get your interest in British history sparked.

With a motorhome at your disposal there is no corner of the UK that you can’t explore, and with so much on offer you’re bound to find something to capture the imagination and interest of the whole family without having to spend a fortune on expensive holiday packages, so whether it’s just an overnight trip or a week away – enjoy!

Travelworld offer an extensive range of new and used motorhomes and are Europe’s largest retailer of American RV’s. If you’re looking to travel in style, comfort and safety, Travelworld’s expert staff are sure to be able to find something to suit your criteria and budget.

Tags: Places, Term, Motorhome, Half, Haunted, Enjoy
 

Enjoy Halloween 2009 wonderfully by Temporary tattoos

Enjoy Halloween 2009 wonderfully by Temporary tattoos

Halloween 2009 is coming soon. All parents are preparing or even have prepared many things for their children in order to let them enjoy wonderfully in this orgiastic festivity. Such as, unique decorations, Halloween costumes, pumpkins, candies snacks are all necessary gifts. But, children will not be satisfied with the same things every year. Why not give them something fresh. Temporary tattoo is a great choice.

“Trick or treat” is an interesting custom for children on Halloween. Children proceed in fancy costume from house to house, asking for treats such as confectionery, or sometimes money, with the question, “Trick or treat?”  Generally, most homeowners will answer “treat” to avoid their mischief to them or to their property by saying “trick”. All this happened at night. So I believe all little guys want this sector to be more interesting and mind – blowing. Let the glow in the dark tattoos help you. The glow in the dark tattoos can only be seen in black lights by using a kind of special UV glow tattoo ink. They can really help you trip out the homeowners.

Halloween party is another very important theme for all people on Halloween Day. Everyone is trying to be unique and attractive on this great party. You can exert your imagination to catch others’ attention. A great idea for you is glitter temporary tattoos. They are shining and can get the focus at once you come to the party. Just choose your best loved designs. Fantasy face paintings are favored more by males. They can often be painted ghosts, skulls and so on in different colors.

The glow in the dark tattoos and glitter temporary tattoos can be such a quick, easy way to add charm and mystery to you and give you a wonderful Halloween. Also they are great for kids and adults, easy to apply and remove. Getbetterlife.com supplies those UV glow tattoo ink and glitter temporary tattoo kits with high quality and cheap price. Just refer to http://www.getbetterlife.com/Wholesale-glitter-tattoo-temporary-tattoo_c801 for detailed information.

 

Source: http://www.getbetterlife.com

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Tags: Enjoy, Temporary, wonderfully, Tattoos, 2009, Halloween