Here comes Halloween again, and this is the closest picture I had that somewhat resembled a pumpkin....As a kid, this was one of my favorite holiday, just behind Christmas, I think. I think what made it so special was: taking on a different persona, getting to stay out after dark (often on a school night), and getting ALL that candy. What could be better? And as I said in a previous BLOG, I was attired in a home-made costume created by my artistic mother who could also sew, certainly a lost art today! What is staggering for me to find out is that Halloween is the second biggest spending event in this country (Christmas is the biggest) and Americans spend over six billion dollars on events, costumes and candy! Eek! To think it started way back  when a Celtic festival was enacted to feed and ward off the dead who, they believed, came back this one night as ghosts. They dressed in disguise (costumes) to hide from these ghosts, and provided them with treats. This holiday also became, in the Catholic Church, All Hallow's Eve, and the next day is recognized as All Saints Day. The Jack-o-lantern also has its history steeped in Irish tradition where the peop[e first carved large turnips and potatoes to signify the end of harvest. Most important today, pumpkins are used and can also be eaten (pumpkin seeds are delicious roasted in the oven) providing a good source of Vitamin A and D. So, enjoy the day and evening and don't let anything scare you; life is scary enough!

Grandchild Ninja Ben

 

Grandchild "Cheerless Leader" Sara