From ghoulies and ghosties
and long leggedy beasties
And things that go bump in the night,
good lord, deliver us.
It is All Hallow's Eve. The legend is that this is the night that the ghouls and ghosts roam the earth, causing things to go bump in the night. Halloween folklore had its start in the celtic festival of samhain, which welcomed the harvest. During that time (October 31st to November 1st), the barriers between the living physical world and the world of spirits and ghosts became fuzzier. So the spirits and ghosts could wander the earth during that time, interacting with humans. Halloween is halfway between the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice. Halfway between the day when nighttime and daytime hours are exactly the same and the day when the darkness of night is the most dominant.
when things go bump in the night.
The witches come out on Halloween. They might cackle and stir whatever is in their cauldrons. Famous witches include the witches in MacBeth, who resembled the classic fates as they intoned "double double toil and trouble. fire burn and cauldron bubble..." The witches were the very embodiment of doom and disaster, and they foretold MacBeth's downfall. They were the representation of all things horrifying, such as chaos and the darkness of a night sky and the mystery that humans dislike because we crave things known, rather than things unknown.
and of things that go bump in the night.
There are so many things that go bump in the night. Vampires and zombies and werewolves and well wrapped mummies. It is the night when they can come back from the spirit world to wander the earth, causing much fright among the living humans.
And they cause more bump in the night than we find comfortable.
It is that very discomfort that makes Halloween fun.
and so I wish you a good night.
And I say goodbye to the Ultimate Blogging Challenge until January, when I will be doing a series that involve painting rocks and jars and other things. Thank you for reading my blog this month and for taking the time to comment, either here or on Facebook. It is very much appreciated.
5 comments:
Alice, you look so adorable in that outfit!! And I liked your Halloween writing. I celebrated Samhain several times when I was going on my faith walkabout. The veils are always thin, I believe, and what's scarier than ghosts and goblins are 2020's cast of characters! It was great to share this challenge with you.
Thank you, Alice! You carry us beyond the veil, or are there veils? I can just barely hear the cauldron bubble, but clearly tonight's creaking walls and floorboards spell your refrain: things go bump in the night! Walkabouts,- et cum spiritu tuo.
Halloween is getting more popular each year. It used to be just for little kids.
I look forward to your painting series. I've been painting rocks and have run out of rocks to decorate. I'll collect some of my VOTE rocks after the election and repaint them, I guess.
Love your outfit Alice and your other photos...so festive! WOW can't wait to read your January blogs about painting rocks and jars! Sounds like a great topic! Congratulations on this UBC and we'll see you next challenge!
Ah Macbeth...memories of high school English!
Congrats on completing the UBC - perhaps I will participate in January and see you then!
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