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The Official Friday Silliness Thread
ntp-systems.com (Sure and it counts as a link) ^ | 10-27-06 | sully777

Posted on 10/27/2006 4:25:11 AM PDT by sully777

THE TIMING OF HALLOWEEN -- Blame it on the Celts [and Irish]! Back when the Celts dominated most of Europe, hundreds of years before Caesar and his Roman Legions expanded their rule, they were celebrating their new year on the evening of October 31. This was known as the great festival of Samhain. Why on this date and time? Let’s just say that they were a dark bunch, and have been referred to as children of darkness.

The word “samhain” basically means the end or sunset of summer. The timing of the end of summer for the Celts harkened back to their early herdsman days. It was around November 1 (the month they called Samonios which began during the October/November lunation) when they recognized it was time to bring in the herds in Europe, thus marking the end of summer.

The timing had to do with the Celts belief that days were marked from sundown to sundown. Since they started days with darkness, it made sense that they would start their new year in the dark half of the year.

So what does all this have to do with Halloween? According to Michael Judge, in his book The Dance of Time:

“To the Celtic mind, the dark of night was felt to be nearer the other world, the land of ghosts and fairies, witches and magical beings, than the light of day…Night belonged to them, and to intrude on their realm was risky business.”

During the Samhain celebration, bones of slaughtered cattle and other animals were thrown into a blazing bonfire, and then the celebrants would extinguish their own fires. Each family then solemnly lit its hearth from the common flame, thus bonding the families of the village together. According to Irish mythology, during that night the great shield of Scathach was lowered, allowing the barriers between the worlds to fade and the forces of chaos to invade the realms of order, the material world conjoining with the world of the dead. At this time the spirits of the dead and those yet to be born walked among the living. The dead could return to the places where they had lived and food and entertainment were provided in their honor. Pretty spooky stuff.

Now for those of you who insist that Halloween comes from “All Hallow’s Eve” which is the day before the Catholic All Saints holy day, which used to be called “All Hallows,” derived from All Hallowed Souls, you are partially correct.

Samhain is really the festival that is responsible for the timing of Halloween. According to Judge, the church under Popes like Pope Gregory the Great in the 5th century AD assimilates pagan festivals into the church calendar, “allowing the folk traditions associated with the old holidays to continue, virtually unchanged, under the mantle of the new faith.” In the case of Samhain, Pope Gregory actually “moved the feast of All Hallows’, All Saints’ Day, from May 13 to November 1. Grafted onto one of the church’s greatest holy days, Samhain became known as All Hallow’s Eve, contracted over years of casual usage to Allhallows’E’en, and, ultimately, Halloween.”

Blame it on the Celts [and Irish].

(Source)


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Conspiracy; Humor; Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS: blametheirish; ofst; rocktoberfest; silliness; veryscary
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To: sully777

Good morning, sully.


61 posted on 10/27/2006 6:29:34 AM PDT by Auntbee (I have become comfortably numb.)
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To: nuke rocketeer

62 posted on 10/27/2006 6:31:48 AM PDT by SquirrelKing (Kayaking, environmental-conservationist, organic food eating, beer loving, gun owning conservative.)
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To: nuke rocketeer

Speaking of capacitance, back in the day we (Navy Electronics Techs) used to charge up a capacitor using a megger (crank it and it makes 500 volts) and then throw the capacitor to whoever walked into the space, telling them "Catch!" What a shocking development that was.


63 posted on 10/27/2006 6:45:00 AM PDT by fredhead (Abby - somebody. Abby who? Abby Normal, that's it.)
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To: nuke rocketeer

Ah, the Navy days. I remember these also:

The sea bat

Mail Bouy watch

fuses (or batteries) for the sound powered phones

being sent to Engineering Department for a BT punch

being sent out for fallopian tubes (another Elec Tech thing)

getting triced up in your rack

being sent out for relative bearing grease (for the radar)

and tacking on of crows

Anyone want explanations, just ask.

Sadly, in today's "kinder, gentler Navy" all of that is considered "hazing" and is no longer permitted.


64 posted on 10/27/2006 6:59:12 AM PDT by fredhead (Abby - somebody. Abby who? Abby Normal, that's it.)
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To: fredhead

I got those beat.
We rigged a new BM2's rack with a pull-trigger inflator connected to a Suzie Savage inflatable love doll.


65 posted on 10/27/2006 7:05:09 AM PDT by RandallFlagg (Roll your own cigarettes! You'll save $$$ and smoke less!(Magnetic bumper stickers-click my name)
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To: RandallFlagg

Now I'm laughing out loud.


66 posted on 10/27/2006 7:05:42 AM PDT by RightCanuck
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To: RightCanuck

We pretty much killed the whole room in hysterical tears. It went off and scared the crap out of him as he rolled in his rack -and on the trigger- and these legs came popping out with a loud "PSHISSSSSSS!!!!".
Got chewed out for, "Wasting," the inflator, but I personally considered it a PM spot check.


67 posted on 10/27/2006 7:10:08 AM PDT by RandallFlagg (Roll your own cigarettes! You'll save $$$ and smoke less!(Magnetic bumper stickers-click my name)
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To: sully777

68 posted on 10/27/2006 7:32:59 AM PDT by CJ Wolf
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To: RandallFlagg

69 posted on 10/27/2006 7:41:31 AM PDT by CJ Wolf
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To: Auntbee

Mornin' Aunt Bee. Paw's out back with the sledge hammer and the detonation fuses again...guessin' he needs a strong pot of coffee and some of your pie.
70 posted on 10/27/2006 7:41:52 AM PDT by sully777 (You have flies in your eyes--Catch-22)
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To: RandallFlagg

Now I've got tears running down my face. Great 'maintenance' work!.


71 posted on 10/27/2006 7:44:15 AM PDT by RightCanuck
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To: RandallFlagg
Classic Kinison



It's sand!!!
72 posted on 10/27/2006 7:48:26 AM PDT by sully777 (You have flies in your eyes--Catch-22)
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To: fredhead

I think my car is running low on blinker fluid.


73 posted on 10/27/2006 7:50:00 AM PDT by Gordongekko909 (Mark 5:9)
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To: sully777

Sam-

One of my Personal Heroes


74 posted on 10/27/2006 7:50:44 AM PDT by 5Madman2 (There is no such thing as an experienced suicide bomber)
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To: CJ Wolf


Never turn your back on a charging unicorn.
75 posted on 10/27/2006 7:52:12 AM PDT by sully777 (You have flies in your eyes--Catch-22)
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To: RandallFlagg

I miss Kinison too. One of the funniest comedians in the last 20 years.


76 posted on 10/27/2006 7:54:16 AM PDT by KC_Conspirator
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To: fredhead

77 posted on 10/27/2006 7:55:45 AM PDT by CJ Wolf
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To: sully777

78 posted on 10/27/2006 7:57:20 AM PDT by Gordongekko909 (Mark 5:9)
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To: DCPatriot

79 posted on 10/27/2006 7:59:04 AM PDT by Gordongekko909 (Mark 5:9)
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To: Gordongekko909
Click the Pic
Click the Fat Boys: Stick Em


80 posted on 10/27/2006 7:59:33 AM PDT by sully777 (You have flies in your eyes--Catch-22)
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