November vacations

[mystic]

Happy vacations to everybody!!! How do you spend your vacations?

In Italy, it's nothing special. Usually the older people go to bring a flower to the graves, and that's it.

I think that in the US it is the Halloween time. In the recent years, since there is a good commercial reason, the shops started to sell things for kids here too. But it splits the people's opinion. Personally, I see it as a strange pagan festival, so I don't like to see it here. As globalization spreads, more and more local traditions are lost in favour of globalized commercial traditions. I like diversity, because the masses can show their own soul, something that does not happen with global festivals.

Anyways, it's good to rest from work. I will use this time to relax and do many things that I can never find the time to do.

[Edwin]

mystic, Halloween in our country, USA has never been a holiday that I am aware of, but most people do celebrate it with their evenings and weekends. I think it is a pagan holiday. Once when I was a little guy growing up I went with the churches kids/youths to trick or treat, and that was a lot of fun for me, as I had never done anything like that before. I remember that it snowed on that night for the first time, and that increased the mystic of that evening. The idea is that you go up to someone's door, knock, when they come to the door, you say trick or treat! If they give you a treat you don't bother them, but if they don't you play some kind of an innocent trick on them, or some people even damage their property if a treat is not given. People dress up in costumes that make them into some other person, either unique, questionable, or scary. When I was a kid, lots of damage was done to our town, which we lived 3 & 1/2 miles from. They would leave an outhouse on main street. Some of the bad kids would throw tacks all over the street hoping to ruin someone's tires. We took our kids to safe neighborhoods to do trick or treating. Mean and vicious tricks were played by horrible people on the kids trick or treatings, like putting razor blades in food, or broken glass in food. But we stayed with the safe neighborhoods where people were kind and descent.

We grew up thinking halloween was fun, and you could have parties, and go trick or treating. But, since our kids have become adults they have decided that Halloween was a devilish evil celebration, and they refuse to observe it in any way. I had a friend who was a fellow trombonist with me in the orchestra who felt the same way, and then I learned our kids adopted that same idea. The churches all have celebrations/parties to get the kids off the streets and keep them safe. This friend of mine and our kids do not believe the churches should do that because in their view the churches are observing Halloweeen, and they are associating themselves with evil, but I don't agree with that, because I think it is great that the churches are getting kids off the streets, giving them treats and games, and keeping them safe! Where we used to live the community as a whole would have one big party for kids, adults, and everyone, and everyone dressed up and got involved. Theiy refuse to call it Halloweeen, but they call it the Harvest Party. Maybe some places it is called the Day of the Dead, like in Mexico, or Soul's Day.

[Smiley]

OK,I`m not sure why I know this stuff but here goes: This pretty much stems from Celtic/Druid ritual. Samhain was the Celtic New Year.sort of a harvest festival with pagan spiritual themes.Part of the rituals involved two huge fires into which were thrown some cornstalks and straw(residue from the harvest) as well as dried bones from the cattle and sheep that had been slaughtered the previous year. This "bone fire" is actually where the term "bonfire"originates. People would pass between the two fires in a cleansing ritual. Some people would carry lanterns made from hollowed out turnips,often decorated with celtic designs or faces carved into them.
At the same time,an event called "All hallowed eve" was taking place.This had something to do with the gates between the living and the dead being open for a few hours.People would costume themselves for the event. I have heard a couple explanations for the costumes. Some say it was to confuse any spirit that had come to settle a score with you I have also heard that it was so that the dead would feel more comfortable walking around for their couple hours if everybody looked kind of odd.
Then there is "Guy Fawkes Day". This to celebrate the execution of Guy Fawkes,who plotted to blow up the early British Parliament.People would party wearing masks and go house to house looking for cider and playing tricks on any 'party poopers'.
There is probably a lot more to it but that is all that I can dredge out of my memory at the moment.

[Edwin]

Thanks, Smiley, that is some great information, and I had no idea about a lot of what you told us. That helps add some meaning to one more holiday for us. The bone fire/bon fire was very interesting. We have had bonfires at various times and in various places over the years, and I had no idea where the term came from! I was vaguely aware from the past about trying to confuse the spirits, but I could remember exactly how that worked. I also was somewhat aware of the connection with the dead, but not to that detail. Thank you for telling us those things!

[lyrehc]

On November we only have 2 vacation its the 1st of November and the 2nd, I wish to have a vacation far from work, every year during this month we go to the cemetery and bring flowers to the grave, how i miss my grandmother she's not here almost a year now, i just pray that she's in heaven now..... Our cemetery is like a park there's a lot brought that sells different things its like there a party in a cemetery , it's a nice place to be with every November 1 and 2.....

[Edwin]

lyrehc, that sounds like fun, but I know it is serious since the loved ones are there. I think in Mexico they celebrate much like that. They have food at the cemetary, and it is like a big party. I have thought of the same thing, lyrehc, for my relatives and friends; I hope they are in heaven, and I hope yours are as well!

[crisipicada]

We clean my late father's grave, bring some food to eat, install tent to stay for a while. We proceed to my brother - in - law's grave at CMU then went home. Spend time at home for another 2 days, plant vegetable, sweet potato leaves, tomatoes, bell pepper and eggplant. Plant flowers and being transferred to the soil from can. It is growing bigger and bigger.

[Edwin]

On Memorial Day weekend, used to be on Saturday, but lately it is mostly on Sundays that we go to the cemetary to take flowers to the graves of our loved ones. Some do some cleaning, and one of my cousins was really upset because the people taking care of the cemetary removed a rose bush that our grandmother had planted. It is good to care of the memories of the people who went on before us to their eternal reward. Planting garden will happen for us next May or June, maybe some in April depending on the weather.

[crisipicada]

will go home today after work. I am ready now and still waiting for my niece also who will spend weekend at home. TO all have a nice day to you all. Happy weekend

[Edwin]

Crisi, you have a nice day also and a happy weekend! You, your niece, and all will enjoy each other, huh? For us for now the ox is in the ditch, so we are working more than any one person should. I am having trouble keeping up with all of it, so I will be glad when we get enough done, so that we can slow down a bit. Because of a hard freeze already, which didn't us any permanent damage, we realized how nearly in trouble we are. So there are a number of important jobs that need to be done all at once, which is impossible, so as they say we have to chose our battles and get some victories! So, one job at a time, eliminate that one, and move on to the next, and that is how it will all get finished!