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The Alternative Times Halloween Features |
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Halloween time Poems by Kenny Rager Halloween only comes once a year, It’s when kids dress up and decorate their houses in fear, They run around house to house collecting candy at night, Then they go home to stuff their face with the candy they like. Halloween is a very scary night, It’s When witches and skeletons come out in fright. In masks and gowns we haunt the streets, And knock on doors for trick or treat. Don’t go out on devil’s night, Stay in bed and keep on the light, Little demons and ghosts have their fun alright, Outside on the street this devil’s night. Tonight is the night, When children come out in fright, When dead leaves fly, and witches zoom across the sky, children run the streets and scream, wishing this Halloween night was just a dream! |
How Halloween Started By: Kristen Stump People don’t know about how Halloween started, who started and things like that and they probably don’t care but I do. When I thought about it I knew it had to have started a long time ago and have more things involved with it rather than getting candy and dressing up in costumes. The many customs we have today in relation to Halloween have their origins in the religious practices of the Romans and the Druids. The Romans worshiped various gods and on October 31, a special feast was held in honor of Pomona goddess of the fruit trees. Later, the Druids (an ancient order of Celtic priests in Britain) wanted to make this feast more extensive celebration by also honoring Samhain, lord of the dead. They usually did this on November 1 but they thought it’d be easier to honor both Pomona and Samhain on October 31 and November 1. The Druids believed that on the night before October 31 Samhain called together wicked souls or spirits which had been condemned to live in the bodies of animals during the year which had just transpired. Since they were afraid of these spirits, they chose October 31 as a day to sacrifice to their gods, hoping they would protect them. They really believed that on this day they were surrounded by strange spirits, ghosts, witches, fairies, and elves, which came out to hurt them. They also believed that cats were holy animals, as they considered them to represent people who lived formerly, and as punishment for evil deeds were reincarnated as a cat. All this explains why witches, ghosts, and cats are a part of Halloween today. The custom of trick-or-treating and the use of "jack-o'-lanterns" came from Ireland. Hundreds of years ago, Irish farmers went from house to house, begging for food, in the name of their ancient gods, to be used at the village Halloween celebration. They would promise good luck to those who gave them good, and made threats to those who refused to give. They simply told the people, "You treat me, or else I will trick you!"
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Halloween Thoughts By Allen Heater When I was a kid Halloween was ok, but now that I'm older it's just another day in the week. It would be kind of werid to see a 18 year old in costume trick or treating, wouldn’t it? Its just another money maker for the big companies. I think there's a few people that have a good reson to celebrate that day but I don’t. It's like that story where the old lady fatins up the kids to eat them. Well America is the kid who's the witch. Don’t get me wrong, it's cool if you practice in this day. I just like to watch all the stupid people dress up for it like it’s a contest. I like to sit out side my house with an empty bowl so when a kid sees it they get their hopes up then they realize its empy - that makes me smile... crushing the hopes of America's future. |
October Poem by Robert Frost O hushed October morning mild,
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