Milestones

[Mikerytel]

American?????

Actually what we think of today as traditional Halloween customs (trick or treat, dressing up, jack o lanterns etc) originated in Scotland, not America.

The only part of it that is actually American is the use of pumpkins rather than the traditional turnip, as the pumpkin is native to North America and was introduced to Europe in the 1500s, but carving spooky faces into them didn't start until the mid 1800s, when people realised that they were a hell of a lot easier to carve than turnips which are very much harder and tougher, though in some parts of Scotland, people still carve turnips, which actually look spookier - their general colour and size makes them look a bit like shrunken heads, and because they are smaller, the candle inside tends to burn their lid, resulting in a distinct and memorable smell. This also makes then get very hot too, so many people carried them around on some sort of hook or chain, to avoid burning their hands.

Halloween itself is derived from the very ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, where it was believed that the veil between the real world and the spirit world was at its thinnest, allowing the ghosts of the dead to come over into the material world. Ancient peoples believed that some of these spirits had evil intent towards the living, and so they would disguise themselves as creepy demons/monsters etc to confuse the spirits into believing that they were already dead so they would leave them alone, which is where the practice of dressing up for Halloween comes from.

The practice of bobbing for apples is actually a seperate tradition which formed part of a ritual to determine the identity of a future spouse which has become part of Halloween for as long as most people can remember

Not sure quite how pulling apples out of wet vessels with your teeth is supposed to determine who you will spend your life with, but I'm sure there's a porn movie in there somewhere

Bobbing for apples I haven’t heard of in years, supposedly it’s unhygienic so no one does it anymore

 

[Darkprincess69]

Bobbing for apples I haven’t heard of in years, supposedly it’s unhygienic so no one does it anymore

Still relatively popular in Wales

 

[Migoz2]

The practice of bobbing for apples is actually a seperate tradition which formed part of a ritual to determine the identity of a future spouse which has become part of Halloween for as long as most people can remember

Not sure quite how pulling apples out of wet vessels with your teeth is supposed to determine who you will spend your life with, but I'm sure there's a porn movie in there somewhere

Also known as ducking for apples. There's a Dorothy Parker quip:

Asked to join a group of merrymakers who were “ducking for apples,” Dorothy said

“Change one letter in that phrase and you have my life story.”

 

[phlebas]

American?????

Actually what we think of today as traditional Halloween customs (trick or treat, dressing up, jack o lanterns etc) originated in Scotland, not America.

The only part of it that is actually American is the use of pumpkins rather than the traditional turnip, as the pumpkin is native to North America and was introduced to Europe in the 1500s, but carving spooky faces into them didn't start until the mid 1800s, when people realised that they were a hell of a lot easier to carve than turnips which are very much harder and tougher, though in some parts of Scotland, people still carve turnips, which actually look spookier - their general colour and size makes them look a bit like shrunken heads, and because they are smaller, the candle inside tends to burn their lid, resulting in a distinct and memorable smell. This also makes then get very hot too, so many people carried them around on some sort of hook or chain, to avoid burning their hands.

Halloween itself is derived from the very ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, where it was believed that the veil between the real world and the spirit world was at its thinnest, allowing the ghosts of the dead to come over into the material world. Ancient peoples believed that some of these spirits had evil intent towards the living, and so they would disguise themselves as creepy demons/monsters etc to confuse the spirits into believing that they were already dead so they would leave them alone, which is where the practice of dressing up for Halloween comes from.

The practice of bobbing for apples is actually a seperate tradition which formed part of a ritual to determine the identity of a future spouse which has become part of Halloween for as long as most people can remember

Not sure quite how pulling apples out of wet vessels with your teeth is supposed to determine who you will spend your life with, but I'm sure there's a porn movie in there somewhere

I get that Halloween is based on old folk traditions from northern Europe that were still carried on in recent memory. That's fine. The modern version that we being taken up all over the world is very much the American one, with shop bought costumes and sweets (candy? another Americanism) and now dressing up as absolutely anything, little connection to the Celtic roots.

When I was growing up there was no Halloween here. None. It was only to be found on TV or in movies or books, not in real life, it was literally a foreign thing that happened elsewhere in the world. The introduction to this country is very much from America, with all the trappings, but after a couple of decades it still feels like something transplanted and fighting to put down roots.

It's like Christmas pudding in the shops in October, or Easter eggs and hot crossed buns in January, another thing divorced from its roots and pushed on us to make a quick buck.

That's my personal take, but for those to whom it's meaningful, happy Halloween!

 

[wulf]

American?????

Actually what we think of today as traditional Halloween customs (trick or treat, dressing up, jack o lanterns etc) originated in Scotland, not America.

The only part of it that is actually American is the use of pumpkins rather than the traditional turnip, as the pumpkin is native to North America and was introduced to Europe in the 1500s, but carving spooky faces into them didn't start until the mid 1800s, when people realised that they were a hell of a lot easier to carve than turnips which are very much harder and tougher, though in some parts of Scotland, people still carve turnips, which actually look spookier - their general colour and size makes them look a bit like shrunken heads, and because they are smaller, the candle inside tends to burn their lid, resulting in a distinct and memorable smell. This also makes then get very hot too, so many people carried them around on some sort of hook or chain, to avoid burning their hands.

Halloween itself is derived from the very ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, where it was believed that the veil between the real world and the spirit world was at its thinnest, allowing the ghosts of the dead to come over into the material world. Ancient peoples believed that some of these spirits had evil intent towards the living, and so they would disguise themselves as creepy demons/monsters etc to confuse the spirits into believing that they were already dead so they would leave them alone, which is where the practice of dressing up for Halloween comes from.

The practice of bobbing for apples is actually a seperate tradition which formed part of a ritual to determine the identity of a future spouse which has become part of Halloween for as long as most people can remember

Not sure quite how pulling apples out of wet vessels with your teeth is supposed to determine who you will spend your life with, but I'm sure there's a porn movie in there somewhere

I love learning new things.

 

[captivecuties]

On the occasion of the American folk holiday
Attachments

We had gorgeous weather here the last few days and it made for a pleasant evening for the kids and families about.
Indian summer it was called but that may be insensitive nowadays.
Ive been watching some appropriate old spookie movies to stay in the mood.

 

[captivecuties]

American?????

Actually what we think of today as traditional Halloween customs (trick or treat, dressing up, jack o lanterns etc) originated in Scotland, not America.

The only part of it that is actually American is the use of pumpkins rather than the traditional turnip, as the pumpkin is native to North America and was introduced to Europe in the 1500s, but carving spooky faces into them didn't start until the mid 1800s, when people realised that they were a hell of a lot easier to carve than turnips which are very much harder and tougher, though in some parts of Scotland, people still carve turnips, which actually look spookier - their general colour and size makes them look a bit like shrunken heads, and because they are smaller, the candle inside tends to burn their lid, resulting in a distinct and memorable smell. This also makes then get very hot too, so many people carried them around on some sort of hook or chain, to avoid burning their hands.

Halloween itself is derived from the very ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, where it was believed that the veil between the real world and the spirit world was at its thinnest, allowing the ghosts of the dead to come over into the material world. Ancient peoples believed that some of these spirits had evil intent towards the living, and so they would disguise themselves as creepy demons/monsters etc to confuse the spirits into believing that they were already dead so they would leave them alone, which is where the practice of dressing up for Halloween comes from.

The practice of bobbing for apples is actually a seperate tradition which formed part of a ritual to determine the identity of a future spouse which has become part of Halloween for as long as most people can remember

Not sure quite how pulling apples out of wet vessels with your teeth is supposed to determine who you will spend your life with, but I'm sure there's a porn movie in there somewhere

I carved various fetish themed images in pumpkins after making some custom stencils for a friends Halloween perv party years back.

 

[Eulalia]

American?????

Actually what we think of today as traditional Halloween customs (trick or treat, dressing up, jack o lanterns etc) originated in Scotland, not America.

The only part of it that is actually American is the use of pumpkins rather than the traditional turnip, as the pumpkin is native to North America and was introduced to Europe in the 1500s, but carving spooky faces into them didn't start until the mid 1800s, when people realised that they were a hell of a lot easier to carve than turnips which are very much harder and tougher, though in some parts of Scotland, people still carve turnips, which actually look spookier - their general colour and size makes them look a bit like shrunken heads, and because they are smaller, the candle inside tends to burn their lid, resulting in a distinct and memorable smell. This also makes then get very hot too, so many people carried them around on some sort of hook or chain, to avoid burning their hands.

Halloween itself is derived from the very ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, where it was believed that the veil between the real world and the spirit world was at its thinnest, allowing the ghosts of the dead to come over into the material world. Ancient peoples believed that some of these spirits had evil intent towards the living, and so they would disguise themselves as creepy demons/monsters etc to confuse the spirits into believing that they were already dead so they would leave them alone, which is where the practice of dressing up for Halloween comes from.

The practice of bobbing for apples is actually a seperate tradition which formed part of a ritual to determine the identity of a future spouse which has become part of Halloween for as long as most people can remember

Not sure quite how pulling apples out of wet vessels with your teeth is supposed to determine who you will spend your life with, but I'm sure there's a porn movie in there somewhere

Well ... the idea that the ancestors, and other inhabitants of the 'other world', reappear in our world at some point of the year - especially, at least in the north - around the start of winter, is widespread across Europe and into Asia. It was certainly present in Ireland and Gaelic Scotland, though there's no evidence for it in the Brythonic regions - Cumbria, Wales, Cornwall or Brittany, nor in Gaul. The quarter-day, Samhain, is likewise associated with the Gaelic-speaking areas, it doesn't seem to have been significant among the Britons. And even in Ireland and Scotland, although there were plenty of stories about the dwellers in the fairy-hills being seen, there wasn't any tradition of leaving out food for them, as is common elsewhere in Europe. So it's certainly an ancient, 'Indo-European', tradition, that survived in the far west, but not peculiarly 'Celtic'. But yes, neeps make good ghosty-looking lanterns:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-37798074

 

[FrankO]

The practice of bobbing for apples is actually a seperate tradition which formed part of a ritual to determine the identity of a future spouse which has become part of Halloween for as long as most people can remember

Not sure quite how pulling apples out of wet vessels with your teeth is supposed to determine who you will spend your life with, but I'm sure there's a porn movie in there somewhere

Well, it would be a good indicator that the prospective spouse actually has a working set of teeth.

 

[Frank Petrexa]

Also known as ducking for apples. There's a Dorothy Parker quip:

Asked to join a group of merrymakers who were “ducking for apples,” Dorothy said

“Change one letter in that phrase and you have my life story.”

Also, did they ever use liquids other than pure water? That would add interest. Corn mash and such are part of the harvest too.

 

[Naraku]

Well, it would be a good indicator that the prospective spouse actually has a working set of teeth.

 

[Frank Petrexa]

Using a "spiked" liquid would handle this sanitation problem. We could trademark it. Zelda and Zeke's magic bobbing elixir, say.

 

[Hugin&Munin]

On November 7, 2024, the bells in the north tower of Notre Dame rang for the first time in 5 years
Bells of Notre Dame

 

[Hugin&Munin]

There are eight events in German history that are connected to 9 November, five of which had considerable historical consequences: the execution of Robert Blum in 1848, the end of the monarchies in 1918, the Hitler putsch attempt in 1923, the Nazi antisemitic pogroms in 1938 and the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9_November_in_German_history

 

[Mikerytel]

A Cloned Ferret Has Given Birth for the First Time in History, Marking a Win for Her Endangered Species

Antonia, a cloned black-footed ferret at the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, has produced two healthy offspring that will help build genetic diversity in their recovering population

www.smithsonianmag.com

 

[vadim69]

Maria Limanskaya, who became world famous after a photograph by Yevgeny Khaldei, died in Saratov at the age of 100.
In one of the most famous photographs of 1945, Maria Limanskaya works as a traffic controller at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. . She went to the front at the age of 18 and traveled a long way with the advancing Red Army. In 1944, she participated in the liberation of Crimea.

 

[vadim69]

November 27 is the birthday of Alexander Dubcek (1921-1992), the leader of the Prague Spring. The simplest and most concise way to call Dubcek is "the Czechoslovak Gorbachev", so that everything becomes clear: both his class role and his place in history. There is just one inconsistency: he did not become the Count of Monte Cristo Gorbachev, and had to retrain as a forester (Dubcek worked as a forester in the 1970s)... Alexander Stepanovich (as he was called in the USSR) walks in the days of his triumph at the head of the demonstration on May 1, 1968, downright drunk, intoxicated with himself and everything that was happening, in the epicenter of which he found himself. Judging by the much more sober faces of those around him, the euphoria had already fizzled out, if it had ever existed, but he was still drinking it by the liter. museum exhibit - an authentic leaflet from the era of the "Prague Spring"

 

[vadim69]

On November 30, almost two centuries apart, the famous Englishman Jonathan Swift (1667–1745) and American Mark Twain (1835–1910) were born.

 

[Loxuru]

On November 30, almost two centuries apart, the famous Englishman Jonathan Swift (1667–1745) and American Mark Twain (1835–1910) were born.

And, on this day 150 years ago (November 30th 1874), Winston Churchill was born.

 

[vadim69]

On December 1, 1934, exactly 90 years ago, "the boy from Urzhum", aka "the party's favorite" Sergei Mironovich Kostrikov (party nickname Kirov) caught a revolver bullet in the corridor of the Smolny Palace, albeit fired by an unemployed communist, Lenya Nikolaev. The mentally unstable Nikolaev was ideal for the role of a killer. And they probably used him "in the dark". Someone told him that his wife was having an affair with Kirov. Someone let him into Smolny with a revolver, despite his long-expired pass. Moreover, he went not through the general entrance, but through a separate entrance used by Kirov and other high-ranking party officials.