Samhain

[altivo]

The Vigil of All Saints, All Hallows Eve, Halloween, whatever we call it, it's here. In recent years I haven't paid it much attention in fact, other than to avoid the trick or treat stuff. That's because here in the US it has become just too litigious and dangerous. I prefer not to be accused of having handed out the candy with the needle in it, or the little bags of sand, or whatever. And I prefer not to buy into the commercial success of prepackaged candy makers.

Years ago, when I lived in Michigan, we could still hand out apples at the door. Now you wouldn't dare. Everything must be commercially wrapped and sealed. No homemade cookies or brownies, no more of grandma's fudge. The costumes are rarely homemade or original as far as that goes. Most are prepackaged from the big discount stores. The fun of the event has gone, at least on the public face of it.

On the other paw, Gary is in Chicago this evening (or was,) performing the Dark Morris to dance the sun down. Tonight begins the reign of the Hunter, the Horned God, the Wild Hunt. The Lady will not return until Beltane. Certainly the world outside the house looks the part now. After a week of rain, most of the leaves are on the ground, rustling ankle deep where the wind hasn't removed them. The sky was leaden this afternoon, and though the sun set promptly at 5:46 or so, there was an eerie gap in the clouds on the southwest horizon that continued to glow with reds and oranges like the fires of the underworld. That lasted nearly 45 minutes, much longer than it should have. I'm not very superstitious, but I took extra care to be sure the barns were properly closed and everyone was safe indoors tonight. I won't be comfortable until Gary gets back, which will be a couple of hours yet.

NaNoWriMo begins at midnight, and at 2 am the clocks go back to 1, making this an extra long night. At the moment, it's an extra black one out here in the countryside. The moon is near full, but the clouds are too dense for it to illuminate anything. Perhaps there will be some gaps later, to contribute to the spooky atmosphere.

Whatever you do to celebrate, be wise and safe.

Comments

[mondhasen.livejournal.com]

I loved Halloween when I was a child. It's become very commercial here now. There were a few homes that served cider and doughnuts or other homemade goodies growing up, but what I mostly recall was the year that Brachs candies overwhelmed the marketplace.

Loved the smell of burning leaves each Autumn, too. Wonderful and mystical time of year.

[vakkotaur.livejournal.com]

I liked Halloween and still do to an extent (see icon). The Brachs stuff can get lost, even the store-brand or generic stuff is often better or at least more interesting.

As for the burning leaves, I never experienced that as a kid and when I moved to place that did still permit it I was constantly reminded of burning plastic. I was so very relieved that the place has finally ended leaf-burning and I can breathe free in the fall.

[mondhasen.livejournal.com]

I love the idea of Halloween, and the memories it evokes. Up until a couple of years ago I would go with the kids on their rounds (dressed in my rabbit attire). I like decorations to be simple, not huge, compressor driven displays and plastic graveyards complete with fog machines. Here I realize that I sound like my parents discussing the Death Of Christmas...

Interesting article you posted below. The pendulum swings from overly-safe to anything-goes? We live in a safe area and have never experienced any problems Halloween night (other than the usual and expected mischief).

[altivo.livejournal.com]

My idea of a good Halloween "trick" would be handing out durian flavored candy. ;p

The original, spooky notion of Halloween appeals to me. Unfortunately, it's even more forgotten than the real basis of Christmas has been.

Oh, and I do like the smell of burning leaves, more so as it has become rare through the years. On the other hoof, I have never understood the suburban mania over raking up leaves and getting rid of them. They are meant to fall, provide winter mulch, and then decay. It's part of the natural cycle of things. So why rake them up, pay to have them hauled away, and then buy back the mulch and compost from someone else? Duh.

[vakkotaur.livejournal.com]

The leaf raking mania is something I never understood either. About the only thing that ever made any sense of it was an explanation that the leaves could clog the storm sewer or would tend to go through it and end up in the lakes in town and cause trouble. Yet I haven't seen any articles that insist on raking for that reason. I quite agree: Nature has handled leaves for a considerable times without human intervention and it doesn't make any sense to rake up leaves and get rid of them, pay to fertilize a lawn, and then grumble about having to mow since the lawn grows.

I suppose I can understand a bit of the appeal of the occasional whiff of burning leaves that way. One of my grandfathers smoked cigars and now if catch just a whiff of a cigar it can be pleasant reminder, but much more than just a hint and it's just a nasty, smelly cigar.

[mondhasen.livejournal.com]

The aroma of burning leaves has been replaced with the reek of two-cycle exhaust. Other than myself, I don't think anyone around here even works on their own yard (and I do mine sparingly). The crews are busy daily in the neighborhoods treating all within earshot to the lovely whine of trimmers and edgers, and of course that endearing leaf-blower serenade.

Perhaps if I spent all the money they do on their lawns and shrubs I'd want my clippings and leaves carted away too.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Two-cycle exhaust is obnoxious, but the noise those things make is far, far worse. I'll keep the leaves, thanks.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Brach's candies are pretty disgusting. I can enjoy an occasional Milky Way but I can't think of anything Brach's makes that I'd care to eat even once a year.

Trick or Treat was a big deal when I was a kid in the 50s, but people mostly gave out home made cookies or apples, or sometimes pennies or nickels. We always knew which houses would have the really good fudge or taffy, too. Gods, that was a long time ago. Where I live now you could be fined or arrested for handing out home made treats. Made in an "unlicensed" kitchen, see. Not allowed.

[hgryphon.livejournal.com]

People actually still trick or treat over there? On the west coast, that event never happened. Kids go to "parties" at multi-business locations (like malls) and do something similar to trick or treating, but it's a huge entitlement parade.

And oh crap, that's right. November. :P

[altivo.livejournal.com]

The "safe" private parties happen here too, but most towns still have an officially sanctioned "trick or treat" period, closely watched by police, and often scheduled BEFORE dark. Bah.

[mondhasen.livejournal.com]

I asked a good friend in SF if it was as wild and weird as usual there last night and was told: "Not really. H1N1 has everyone scared of large crowds and even trick or treating. Too bad!"

Cri-min-nit-ly!

[schnee.livejournal.com]

Well, put the fun back in it! Dress up (in a costume you made yourself, like Argos), hand out home-made treats, and so on... or even go trick-or-treating yourself. ^^

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Nah. It's been co-opted so badly I think it best to just ignore the whole thing. Celebrating some alternative holiday sounds better to me.

Handing out home made treats is all but illegal in this part of the country now. The county health boards consider any food prepared in a "non-inspected or unlicensed" kitchen to be illegal not only to sell, but even to give away. They are at the point of cracking down on things like bake sales and church pot lucks. Homeland Security seems to have spurred them into utter paranoia, yet my real suspicion is that this pressure comes from commercial food distributors who are trying to make home cooking illegal or something. We are not even allowed to buy cookies at an approved commercial bakery and hand them out lest they be somehow "contaminated" between the bakery and the distribution point.

[vakkotaur.livejournal.com]

There was a brouhaha here a few years ago about overzealous legislation and enforcement that lead to a special bill and law specifically permitting an exemption for potlucks so that everything did NOT need to be made in a state-approved kitchen. Being Minnesota it was dubbed the 'Hotdish Bill' and it passed easily, which was expected given the level of exasperation and outrage caused or revealed by the instigating incident.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

We need that bill here as well. The whole thing is being pushed to an absurd, nit-picking level and for no good reason at all. Good grief, people have been sharing homemade food since prehistoric times. Maybe a few got sick or even died, but there is no shortage of humans in the world, so I don't think food prepared in uninspected kitchens is likely to cause any danger of extinction.

[schnee.livejournal.com]

*noddles* I'm pretty sure that wouldn't stand up in court, but I can also understand why that most likely wouldn't be an option (you probably do have better things to do).

[vakkotaur.livejournal.com]

I didn't expect to find a Huffington Post article making sense, but sometimes strange things happen: As Halloween Goes...

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Yes, that's exactly my view of what happened to Halloween. It's a mix of absurd paranoia with commercial interests out to seize the holiday for their own purposes, stamping out any features that might reduce their profit margin.

[vakkotaur.livejournal.com]

I recall the local hospital or clinic offering to X-ray candy. I never knew anyone who took them up on it. I do recall my Halloween haul being inspected (and at least once, one or two item removed... and I think substitutions made to placate) before I could go at it. I don't think I ever went trick-or-treating without some sort of chaperone but sometimes that was an older kid (a couple of my aunts are not all that much older than I am)... and they knew which area of town was likely to have bigger/better/more/whatever.

[ducktapeddonkey.livejournal.com]

The clocks went back last night?

I didn't even know this.


....now I'm wonder which clocks in my house are right.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

They went back here, but I have no idea what the current rule is in Canada. They've changed it here a couple of times in recent years, so everyone is more confused than usual. The whole thing is plain stupid.

[ducktapeddonkey.livejournal.com]

They went back here too.

...at least my cell phone did.

I never heard a word about it though. Which is strange. I know I can be pretty clueless sometimes. But it's not like I'm living under a rock.

Our clocks don't change!

[wolfgrowl.livejournal.com]

Happy Halloween

Re: Our clocks don't change!

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Yeah, closer to the equator the "daylight saving" thing makes even less sense than it does here.

Happy All Saints' to you, since Halloween is already over. ;p

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

You know you can buy toffee apples in my local supermarket? :D
They look like the ones you can get at fairs and things.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

We used to be able to buy those in stores here, but I haven't seen them in years. The company that made them was just a few blocks up the street from the apartment I lived in back in 1980 in Chicago: "Affy Tapple" it was called.

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

It might have been the name that was their downfall.
Especially if a lot of Welsh people lived there :D

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Nope. It appears that they are still around. Just moved their factory and store and now they appear to be selling to fundraisers rather than grocery stores.

http://www.affytapple.com/