Showing posts with label halloween. Show all posts
Showing posts with label halloween. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Want to take a look?
. . . finally updated the photo of how I came up with our boys blog names over on the right side of the screen. The picture explains itself. Here it is again, so you don't have to scroll down any!
In 2004, for Halloween, they went as Thing One and Thing Two. I was really into making costumes with sweats as the base so that they could be used again. The shirts for 2012 were just because. Kevin and I have "Parent 1" and "Parent 2".
Parent 2
P.S. this is my 500th post since I started blogging! Some months I wrote a lot; some months were sparce. I am finding that I enjoying writing more, the more I do it! Wonder when I will hit 1,000?
Parent 2
P.S. this is my 500th post since I started blogging! Some months I wrote a lot; some months were sparce. I am finding that I enjoying writing more, the more I do it! Wonder when I will hit 1,000?
Monday, October 31, 2011
Goodbye October!
Last day of October ~ time is beginning to go at warp speed and seems to continue accelerating with each day. Here's a brief photo journal of our day:
A layer of frost on just about everything. Had to scrape the windshield in
order take Thing One up to speech at the local public school. Windows
had to be scrapped yesterday, too, for church, but Kevin did a bulk of that - on both
cars. Thanks honey!!!
We had a few extra Black Eyed Susan's grow, after the first round.
They're even pretty in the frost.
Started taking pictures of the boys and Charlotte serious wanted her picture
taken. She was a wee bit hyper through our legs and as soon as I said, "Okay,
Charlotte, I'll take your picture!", she sat down. Go figure.
Boys were happy to start their new math level today. As Thing Two
pointed out, we've started to reuse some of the things we bought four years
ago. When we switched to Math-U-See, Thing One was in third grade, now
Thing Two is in third and so we just need to buy the workbooks as we
have everything else. Somewhere along the line, probably when they were in
1st and 4th, we got off track for finishing a book in one traditional school year.
This year, they are working hard to get caught up.
Thing One volunteered at the Harvest Festival at
Burke Community Church.
Mr. Ninja
A totally kid made costume out of things we already had.
Like that idea!
Is there a better game than eating Krispy Kreme
donut? Ah, it smelled like the parking lot of Krispy Kreme, you
know the smell of sugar before you even get out of your car!
Only thing missing was the Hot Sign!
So, good night October, look forward to seeing you again next year.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Beauty of the Season
Halloween ~ what does it mean for you? Is it a celebration of the dead with skeletons, ghosts, witches, spiders, cob webs . . . . all things creepy? Do you know the origins of the day or are you caught up in the commercialization of the day?
The following is taken from History.com:
Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in).
The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter.
To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities.
During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other's fortunes. When the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter.
By A.D. 43, Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. In the course of the four hundred years that they ruled the Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman origin were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain.
The History of Halloween.
The first was Feralia, a day in late October when the Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead. The second was a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple and the incorporation of this celebration into Samhain probably explains the tradition of "bobbing" for apples that is practiced today on Halloween.
By the 800s, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1 All Saints' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. It is widely believed today that the pope was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday. The celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints' Day) and the night before it, the night of Samhain, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween. Even later, in A.D. 1000, the church would make November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. It was celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils. Together, the three celebrations, the eve of All Saints', All Saints', and All Souls', were called Hallowmas.
Personally, I find the customs of today very creepy ~ my spirit is left uneasy. Today, I am reminded to do the following from Phillippians 4:8:
The following is taken from History.com:
Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in).
The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter.
To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities.
During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other's fortunes. When the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter.
By A.D. 43, Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. In the course of the four hundred years that they ruled the Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman origin were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain.
The History of Halloween.
The first was Feralia, a day in late October when the Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead. The second was a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple and the incorporation of this celebration into Samhain probably explains the tradition of "bobbing" for apples that is practiced today on Halloween.
By the 800s, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1 All Saints' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. It is widely believed today that the pope was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday. The celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints' Day) and the night before it, the night of Samhain, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween. Even later, in A.D. 1000, the church would make November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. It was celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils. Together, the three celebrations, the eve of All Saints', All Saints', and All Souls', were called Hallowmas.
Personally, I find the customs of today very creepy ~ my spirit is left uneasy. Today, I am reminded to do the following from Phillippians 4:8:
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right,
whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable
—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—
think about such things
whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable
—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—
think about such things
So, as I sit on our front stoop, in the chill of a dreary, misty, fall morning, I am reminded of God's beauty, even in changing of the season. The leaves have all changed from their summer green to shades of brown, yellow, orange, and red. Some trees are looking like skeletons, it's true. I am choosing to dwell on thankfulness that the pilgrims gave us years ago when the came to a new country to give us religious freedom. More importantly, I choose to dwell on Christ coming, as a child, to give us eternal hope.
What will you choose to dwell on today?
What will you choose to dwell on today?
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