I'm ready for the bleedin' Trick or Treaters
Halloween
Every street always has a cranky old man who the kids have learned to avoid on Halloween. 
It's a fun family event in my neighborhood, where we all sit in our driveways and pass out treats to the kids. Mom and Dad often have an adult beverage in hand, so I'm thinking about rolling the kegerator into my garage and dispensing pints of home-brewed dark mild to the thirsty masses this year.
Quote: DaButt @ 31st October 2022, 12:40 PMEvery street always has a cranky old man who the kids have learned to avoid on Halloween.
That's me, and proud of it ?
We didn't have Halloween celebrations when I was a kid - not strictly true in my case (see below*), because it didn't become a big thing in the UK until about the 1970s, and is still looked on by some as an American import, probably influenced by TV shows.
*My first experience was when I lived on a "shared" RAF/USAF base in the UK. I knew nothing of the celebrations, until I went out to play one evening as usual, and an American kid came running at me screaming, dressed as the Devil - I was petrified and ran screaming back into my house. The kid was shocked at my reaction, apologised and I warily went back to play.
I can still remember that so vividly. It would be about 1952.
Quote: Hercules Grytpype Thynne @ 31st October 2022, 3:27 PMWe didn't have Halloween celebrations when I was a kid - not strictly true in my case (see below*), because it didn't become a big thing in the UK until about the 1970s, and is still looked on by some as an American import, probably influenced by TV shows.
Everyone (present company excluded) loves a chance to wear a costume and receive free sweets, so it's not surprising that it's been spreading. I saw Halloween-related stuff everywhere in Krakow, Munich, and Prague over the last two weeks. Our Airbnb in Prague was decorated with pumpkins, and it took all of my willpower to keep from hurling it off the balcony to watch the satisfying splat.
It's an Olde English 'celebration' of course (all Hallows Eve ?) , but was not done enthusiastically in the UK, but caught on in the USA and as HGT says it was imported back to the UK.
https://www.history.com/topics/halloween/history-of-halloween
Ancient Origins of Halloween
Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago, mostly 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 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.
Quote: DaButt @ 31st October 2022, 3:54 PMEveryone (present company excluded) loves a chance to wear a costume and receive free sweets, so it's not surprising that it's been spreading. I saw Halloween-related stuff everywhere in Krakow, Munich, and Prague over the last two weeks. Our Airbnb in Prague was decorated with pumpkins, and it took all of my willpower to keep from hurling it off the balcony to watch the satisfying splat.
BAH! HUMBUG!.............can I say that now Yeah, why not, all the effin' Christmas stuff is in the shops.
Quote: Hercules Grytpype Thynne @ 31st October 2022, 4:44 PMBAH! HUMBUG!.............can I say that now Yeah, why not, all the effin' Christmas stuff is in the shops.
Yeah, I saw lots of that stuff in Europe, too. Retailers in the States traditionally waited until after Halloween, but now anything goes.
Krakow (125 miles from Ukraine) was awash in Ukrainian flags and anti-Putin graffiti. Every morning there were five vans lined up to process Ukrainian refugees, and there was no shortage of people in the queues.
I took this photo in Prague Thursday:
I don't give a f**k about Halloween. Halloween is total and utter f**king shit.
