Samhain was an ancient Celtic festival that marked the end of summer and the beginning of the dark half of the year, or winter. Its core belief is that the veil between the physical world and the spirit world thins during this time, allowing spirits of the dead and supernatural beings to mingle with the living. It was also considered the Celtic New Year, a time for reflection and honoring ancestors while also warding off malevolent spirits. Celebrations begin on the evening of 31 October, since the Celtic day began and ended at sunset. Samhain is about halfway between the autumnal equinox and winter solstice. It is one of the four Gaelic seasonal festivals along withImbolc, Bealtaine, and Lughnasa.
~
Folks seemed to be in a lively mood today, much like the fun-filled vibe people have related to me about the 2 No Kings events. Things have been so awful with this administration that people are eager to have a bit of shared communal joy.
Seen while out and about:
Grocery retailers allowed their employees, if they choose, to dress up for Halloween. At Meijer, the scan clerk who helped me was a rail-thin, 6 foot young black guy with short dreads, dressed in a white NASA jump suit complete with badges. "When's your flight?" I asked. He broke into a wide grin and answered "Tonight." I replied "Safe Journey." He gave me a knowing smile as he moved off to tend to another customer.
At the Kroger Pharmacy, most of the crew were dressed in ironic black—ha! As I waited in line, a middle-aged Mexican lady walked in wearing a calf-length white dress adorned with a pattern of large, brightly colored flowers. Her hair was done in an elaborate coif with a single flower nestled in. Definitely someone going to a Día de los Muertos, their multi-day cultural celebration to remember and honor deceased loved ones.
On campus, I saw a group of students on the sidewalk heading to a party or a bar. One young blonde girl's costume pointed back to old-school Dallas Cowboy cheerleader dress: white hip-hugger bell bottom pants, bare midriff with a white strapless swim top and a short half jacket. As it was barely 50° out with a brisk wind, I shivered for her. But then, the crew had probably fortified themselves with a few hi-octane cocktails before heading out.
In the stores, I saw females of all ages whose only costume was the addition of cat's ears on their heads. "Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and caldron bubble" immediately came to mind.
While I was waiting in the car in the Bessey Hall parking lot to pick up C, I watched a crow and an even bigger hawk get into an aerial dogfight. I believe the crow had encroached Hawky's airspace. Like so many human dogfights in the sky, the action was brief and fierce. The crow departed with a hard right turn and the hawk performed a couple of lazy circles to punctuate his victory before getting back to what he was doing before this grievous intrusion.
Tis odd—in the 15 years we have lived in this neighborhood, we have never had a trick or treater. Early days, there were few children living here. Then, there was a trend for kids to attend house gatherings due to rampant fears of abductions, poisoned treats. There are more children now but I didn't see anyone out and about last night.
Funny, the stress we are all under due to the bat-shit crazy things happening or threatened across the world. The Delta Twp warning siren went off while we gathered in the Great Room to watch the tube. I looked at C and headed to my office to go online to see if there was a national emergency. I got as far as the kitchen when I realized the siren was about. It was 6 pm. I went back and sat down, a bit sheepish, next to C and Buddy on the couch. "Trick or Treat is beginning" I murmured. "Oh yes," replied C. Buddy rolled over next to me for a belly-rub: "there, there, Dad." Good lad.
