Storytime Tapestry Newsletter

The newsletter devoted to spreading love and cultural awareness around the world.

Halloween Contest  

October 30, 2006

Happy Halloween

Today’s announcements

Please welcome David Fox, writer #367 for Storytime Tapestry as our newest member.  David has stepped right into the newsletter and our hearts with his Halloween contest poem.  Please email him and let him know how much you enjoy his work.

To Everyone; Jackie and I are grandparents again, the good lord blessed us with a

little bundle of joy again. Maggie May Howard was born Oct. 18 th

at 7:57 A.M., she weight 7 Lbs. and 8 ounces and was 19" long.

Don't have any pictures yet but will soon!

Papa & Grandma

Richard & Jackie Sims     This is my son Rick's baby

Happy Birthday wishes go out to Louis Berry who is 76 years old today: lberry001@centurytel.net and to Anne Glover: luci@dixie-net.com

How the Halloween contest works is that everyday I will post a running log of all entries published to date.  That means if you did not see your story published yet, it will not show in the list.

The rules for voting will be sent out separately after the contest ends. For seasoned readers, you know how this works already because we use the same system every contest. For new readers don’t worry, you will be given the instructions in full after the contest ends.

I still need more submissions as you know all submissions were lost with the computer crash.  So come on writers especially if you sent your story in once before please send it back to me.  I need them to make this contest a success.  The Halloween contest has always been a Storytime Tapestry favourite. Let’s not make a computer crash the reason it isn’t this year.

Because of the computer crash I am extending the deadline to submit entries, instead of closing the contest on Oct 30^th, I will accept entries until Nov 5, after that I will just run what is in the queue until there are no more stories or poems to publish.

Remember we need writers and voters to make this contest a success.

Donations are still needed to keep Storytime Tapestry afloat.  My computer costs are astronomical and the internet charges are due.  I am not working and any donation would be much appreciated. 

Thank you Clara Westerfer, moderator for Storytime Tapestry who suggested A Storytime Tapestry Angels designation.  How this works is that anyone donating $25.00 or more will become a Storytime Tapestry angel and will be permanently mentioned in the newsletter for their contribution.  Anyone donating a little as $5.00 will be thanked personally on this site at the time of receipt.

Like many other online newsletters, I am now asking for donations to help the upkeep of the newsletter which does include computer repair, costs out of pocket like internet service and other miscellaneous costs.  Online newsletters are always free to the recipient but never free to the publisher.

Please not that is a free newsletter to members and there will never be a cost for the newsletter.  Donations are purely voluntary and no member should ever feel guilty for not making a donation at this time.

Now onto the good stuff!

Today’s Halloween Stories

~**~**~

Hart Dowd

Halloween is often characterized by one single image - The Pumpkin.

But where does this scary image originate? The tradition of the lighting of the Halloween lantern stems from the Emerald Isle.

Fires and fire play an important part in Halloween celebrations, the most spectacular of which are the fireworks displays which occur in towns and cities across the country. But it is also very common to see children carry Lanterns made from turnips and pumpkins.

This originates from the tradition of the Jack O'Lantern. On Halloween night, when the spirits were walking across the earth, people felt that their homes would need to be protected from bad tidings. As the spooks roamed the streets, protection would be placed on the front doors of their homes

.

Menacing face

A turnip would be hollowed out, a menacing face would be cut into the front, and a lid placed on the top. A lit candle would be placed inside, which shone through the face. It was hoped this would be enough to fend off any unwanted visitors.

But who was the mythical Jack'O Lantern? Legend has it that many years ago, a rogue called Jack roamed the highways and byways, drinking alcohol and cheating people out of money. Over a game of cards one night, Jack realized his funds were low, so he summoned up the devil to try and get some more money.

Silver coin

The devil readily agreed but made Jack promise to give him his soul. Jack agreed and the devil immediately turned himself into a bright, silver coin. Jack, realizing what had happened, quick as a flash, dropped the coin into his pocket, which also contained a holy cross. The cross disabled the devil and Jack made him promise never to try and take his soul. To escape, the devil agreed and Jack let him go.

When he eventually died, Jack was not admitted to heaven because of his lifetime of drunkenness and deceit. Instead, he tried to gain entrance to hell, but the devil had promised never to take his soul and he told him to go back where he came from. The road back to the earth was dark and dank and Jack asked the devil to light the way.

Judgment day

Instead, the Devil tossed him a hot coal, straight from the fires of hell, and Jack placed it inside a turnip, which he had been eating on his way. Ever since, Jack has been said to wander the hills and valleys of Ireland until judgment day. He is a doomed soul.

The term Jack'O Lantern has entered everyday use and is sometimes used as a nick-name for watchmen or men carrying lanterns. The people of Ireland kept the tradition alive every Halloween by placing candles inside hollowed out turnips. When many of them traveled to America, with the mass emigration of the 1800's, they found that turnips were not so available.

Instead, they used the more plentiful pumpkin, which did the trick just as well. In recent years in Ireland, it's the turnip which has been used less, as imports of pumpkins have become the norm. Yet another example of US culture spreading around the world.

Hart Dowd

hsdowd@telus.net

~**~**~

Hart Dowd

Halloween is one of the very oldest holidays, tracing its origins back thousands of years.  The holiday we know as Halloween has had a multitude of influences from many cultures.

The ultimate origins come from the ancient Celtic harvest people.  Samhain, a time when people believed that the spirits of the dead roamed the earth.  The Samhain festival usually lasted three days and many people would parade in costumes made from animal skins.

When the Romans invaded Britain in the first century, Pomona Day, named for the goddess of fruits and gardens, was celebrated around November 1^st.

With the spread of Christianity, November 1^st was named All Saints’ Day.  November 2^nd, All Soul’s Day.  Honored the dead with bonfires, parades and people dressing in costumes as saints, angels, and devils.

The Halloween that is celebrated today is a combination of all of these influences:  Pomona Day’s apples, nuts and harvest treats;  Sanhain’s black cats, magic, evil spirits and death; and the ghosts, skeletons and skulls from A;; Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.

The original “jack-o-lanterns” were carved by the Celts out of big turnips.  When the early settles came to America, they found that the pumpkin was larger and more colorful than the turnip.  It soon replaced the turnip as the jack-o-lantern and became the most widely recognized symbol of Halloween

On Halloween night, the children of the neighborhood come trick-or-treating.  This practice goes back to the early celebration of All Souls’ Day.  The poor would go begging and the homeowners would give them a special treat, a soul cake.

The origins of the Modern Day Halloween festival are of course, Celtic.

The ancient Irish called the festival "Samhain" (pronounced Sa-Wain), which is now the Gaelic word for the month of November, although in recent times the Halloween is celebrated on October 31st.

The word Halloween is of Scottish origin, and comes from "Hallows Evening".

Druids

The festival is followed by the Christian festival of All Souls, which falls on the first of November and is usually accompanied by a mid-term break for school children.

During the ancient Celtic festival, all fires in homes and castles around the country were extinguished, except those of the Druids, or Holy Men.

Deities were sacrificed to the gods on these fires and the hearths of the ordinary people would be re -lit from these holy pyres.

Fireworks

The custom of lighting a Halloween bonfire continues in some parts to this day and in more modern times has been replaced by fireworks displays.

The sacrifice marked the end of the final harvest period of late summer and the move into the winter season, with the storage of provisions and readying for cold months ahead.

It was believed that the gap between the living world and the spirit world was at it's weakest and interaction between these worlds was easiest at this point in the ancient calendar.

Evil spirits
It was believed at this time, souls could wander freely across the earth.

Halloween was also viewed as a time when evil spirits, the devil and witches were at their most powerful.

Nowadays, the festival is characterized by decorations of this sort in their homes, with witches, broomsticks, black cats and vampires being the height of fashion for most children.

Souls of the dead

Many years ago, it was felt that the baking of pastries and cakes as an offering would help the souls of the dead.

This tradition has also carried through to modern times, with the baking of apple cakes a pastime for many mothers in preparation for a Halloween party.

However, more often than not, it's the children eating the pie who receive an offering - a twenty pence piece wrapped in tin foil!

"Trick or treat"

In ancient Ireland, Halloween came close to the feast of St Columba and it was traditional for some people to go from door-to-door collecting bread, money, eggs, nuts and apples.

It was felt that these offerings gave protection against bad luck.

Nowadays, this practice is known as "Trick or Treat", with the household which gives the least offering liable to have a "trick" carried out against it.

Street carnival

It was also common for children going from door to door asking for offerings to recite a particular poem;

"Halloween’s coming on and the goose is getting fat,
Would you please put a penny in the old mans hat,
If you haven't got a penny, a halfpenny will do,
If you haven't got a halfpenny, God bless you."

It's no coincidence that in Northern Ireland, the town in which Halloween celebrations are the most prominent is Derry, with its long association with St Columba. The street carnival has become serious business in recent years with people out of costume considered abnormal.

From ghoulies and ghosties and long legged beasties

And things that go bump in the night,

Good Lord, deliver us!

Hartson S, Dowd

hsdowd@telus.net

 ~**~**~

ONCE-A-YEAR-VISITORS

Hart Dowd

The queerest little creatures in costumes gay and bright,

With funny goblin-faces are faring forth tonight.

The old gate creaks!  The porch floor squeaks!  Suspense is in the air!

The door swings wide – they step inside and WHAT is standing there?

A fairy queen in filmy green, a solemn, big black cat,

A broomstick witch, a pirate rich, a red-clad imp, a bat.

What gifts will please such guests as these?

Gold?  Diamonds?  Rich furs thick?,  No!  They ask instead an apple red, popcorn, a candy stick.

God bless them all who come to call and liven up the scene,

The creature’s queer who once each year come round on Halloween!

CANDIED APPLES

8 large apples and 8 wooden skewers

2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup corn syrup

? pound (or one stick) butter

1 cup cream or evaporated milk

Wash thoroughly and chill the apples.

In a kettle large enough to keep the mixture from boiling over, cook the remaining ingredients.  When the mixture boils, stir constantly to prevent it from scorching.  When the syrup forms a hard ball when dropped into cold water, remove from the heat and set aside to cool.  Insert skewers into the apples and twirl them into cooling candy mixture until well-covered.  Dip into the ice water to harden candy, and then place on waxed paper.

Hartson S. Dowd

hsdowd@telus.net

~**~**~

Gypies Out Helping UNICEF.

Bev Sobkowich

I was in my teens and too old to go trick or treating. UNICEF always needed help and this was the time of year that we could really help them. I went to the secretary at the garage where my Dad was General Manager of the mechanics and all the work in the mechanical end of the business. The secretary lived in town and her name was Gloria. Gloria loved makeup and did myself and two friends into very realistic gypsies.

Off we went through town looking made up and collecting for an excellent cause.

We finally made it to the main street of town and we were at the door of the local newspaper. Next thing you know, the editor is out with his camera and was taking a picture of us with our UNICEF bags. It was in the next newspaper.

I would have to say it was, all the way round a very special Halloween for me and my friends  

Bev Sobkowich

beviejo@shaw.ca

~**~**~

Halloween Contest Poems

~**~**~

Halloween

By David Fox

Halloween, Halloween, you are a fright,

But I so love you at night.

With a trick and a treat,

You pass before my eyes and then my feet.

But Halloween is also fun

With witches, ghosts and goblins for everyone.

And sometimes there's parties and masquerades

With dunking apples and lemonades.

You go trick or treating and get lots if candy,

Now tell me, ain't Halloween just fine 'n dandy?

Yours truly,

David Fox

davidirafox@yahoo.com

~**~**~

If you would like to reread any entry before voting please go to the archives where they are permanently listed according to date of publication and contributing writer’s name:  http://archives.zinester.com/98907/

Published Halloween entries to date:

Name:                            Contest Title                                              Date  

Apted, Violet                  Halloween Green                                        Oct 28,

Apted, Violet                  Whatever Happened to Grandma?           Oct 28

Apted, Violet                  A Thunderstorm To Remember                Oct 28

Booher, Paula               I Wouldn’t Go There if I Were You          Oct 29

Catalano, Rosanne       Halloween Horrors                                    Oct 30

Smith, Michael              I Stood in the Rain                                     Oct 30

Berry, Nell                    Halloween                                                  Oct 30

Dowd, Hart                   The Hallowe’en Lantern                           Oct 31

Dowd, Hart                   The Origin of the Halloween Festival       Oct 31

Dowd, Hart                   Once-A-Year-Visitors                                Oct 31

Sobkowich                    Gypsies Out Helping Unicef                      Oct 31

Fox, David                     Halloween                                                  Oct 31

Readers Feedback

Violet’s history of Halloween was very interesting....Tannia Ortiz-Lopes

Senior Writers

Chief writer: Sharon Bryant

Chief researcher/historian: Hartson Dowd

Agee, Vance; Apted, Violet; Baker, Kathy; Batt, Al; Berry, Nell; Blaine, Pamela; Boda, Ginger; Booher, Paula; Buhagiar, Victor; Cassady, B.J.; Costner, Joan Clifton; Cavalera, Robyn; Crider, Mark; Dees, Mary; Deming, Barb; Doherty, Maria;  Dowd, Hartson; Dowd, Helen; Gilbert, Robert, Jr.; Gold, Ron; Goodier, Steve; Grisham, Mary-Ellen; Braun-Haley, Ellie; Harris, Kathy Anne; Henry, Linda Ann; Hunt, Sharlett; Hymes, Christina; Jacobson, Gary; Kiser, Roger Dean; Kerens, Claudia; Kevin, Tim; Jenkins, Pamela; Liles, Norma; Lily Jodi Flesberg; Lock, Joyce; Marlor, Janice Bumbalough; Mazzella, Joe; Meeks, Carol; Mizrany, Mary Carter; Morris, Deepak; Ojeibge, Georgewaters; Petry, Dianna Doles; Roberts, Susan; Shiveley, Debra; Shaw, Bob; Sims, Richard; Smith; Michael; Streidel, Saskia; Swarner, Ken; Vaknin, Sam; Verhoeff, Jan; Walker, Bill; Walker, Joe; Warner, Gordon, K; Walsh, Sue; Weymouth, Barbara J.; Whirity, Kathy;

Wainland, David; Westerfer, Clara; White Robert;

Storytime Tapestry Staff

Carol Roach - Founder/publisher

Thelma Hartselle - Co-Founder, Moderator

Clara Westerfer – moderator

Bob Johnston - moderator