[Diana in Wisconsin]

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Originated as the Celtic New Year festival of Samhain, it is believed that Halloween is the day when the evil spirits, such as vampires, ghosts and witches, come to Earth and terrify people. In the past, the Celtic people used to paint their faces and wear terrifying costumes to scare off these evil spirits. The tradition has continued to the day, in the form of ‘trick-or-treat’, when children and even adults dress up as witches, ghosts, pirates, etc and go from home to home in groups. They get candies and apples as treat and those who dare not to entertain them get the blunt end of the stick i.e. pranks and tricks are played on them. It’s the day of the devil and the time to unleash the monster within.

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate, The first one said, “Oh my, it’s getting late.” The second one said, “But we don’t care.” The third one said, “I see witches in the air.” The fourth one said, “Let’s run, and run, and run.” The fifth one said, “Get ready for some fun.” Then whoosh went the wind, And out went the lights, And five little pumpkins rolled out of sight!

Mrs. Pete had a good time this evening handing out candy to all the children in the neighborhood who stopped by. We had an actual French Rouge vif d'etamp pumpkin (Cinderella type) bought at Sprouts on the porch. In a good neighborhood, most of the children walked around with their parents or elder siblings, most had costumes. The weather was good, the stars were out.

Good night Diana and Everyone!

All Saints tomorrow, All Souls Saturday!