Have a Happy Halloween!

Halloween (or Hallowe'en) is thought to have originated as the Celtic harvest festival of Samhain celebrated by the Gaels in the British isles. Samhain comes from Old Irish and means "summer's end." Samhain was the traditional time for slaughter, for preparing stores of meat and grain to last through the coming winter. The slaughter of cattle to storing during the winter may be one reason Samhain developed a bloody reputation. Halloween is also associated with the ancient Roman festival of the dead called Parentalia

Halloween has come to be associated with divination, the occult and the dead as well as witches, paganism and demons, which is part of the reason Halloween is often bypassed by some people of the Christian faith.

Halloween is closely associated with Halloween costumes. The custom of dressing up in costumes and begging door to door for treats on holidays dates back to the Middle Ages and includes Christmas wassailing. According to "Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night" by Nicholas Rogers, "the custom of dressing up in costumes and going "guising" or trick-or-treating at Halloween developed from Christian customs created in Western Europea around the 15th century."

In the US dressing up in costumes was traditionally for children. However, in recent decades, more and more adults enjoy Halloween parties with costumes and decorations. Halloween costumes are now worn around the world to celebrate Halloween.

One of the big traditions of Halloween around the world is putting up Halloween decorations. From the more traditional like Jack-'o-Lanterns and fall leaves to Halloween lights and fiber optic displays, Halloween decorations now rival Christmas decorations in scope and variety.

Halloween doll display - a variety of Halloween dolls for fall display
Halloween Barbie dolls from 1963 to present, one of the things many doll collectors enjoy is creating seasonal displays of holiday dolls. Some of these displays take on a life of their own as collectors add miniature furnishings, accessories and decorations, creating entire intricate dioramas around a holiday theme.

Trick or treat? Halloween Barbie dolls from 1963 to present (with Barbie Halloween slideshow)
Most people have seen Halloween Barbie dolls peering down at them from the shelves of grocery stores and Target.

Barbie Halloween Party doll now haunting stores shelves for $9.99
2011 Halloween Barbie doll

Barbie Halloween Treat a 2011 Target exclusive with Halloween Chelsea dolls
2011 Target Barbie and Chelseas

How could we forget Halloween crafts? Whether it's carving a pumpkin into a Jack-'o-Lantern, filling baskets with fall foliage, or creating other clever knick-knacks, Halloween is a popular time for crafts!

How to make Barbie a haunted house for Halloween: crafts
Halloween is coming up soon, and that means Halloween Barbie doll displays! One thing collectors like to do is display their dolls in seasonal settings, and what better setting for the various Halloween Barbies than a haunted house?

H aunted by memories
A nother cold October night
L onely under the harvest moon
L ooking at the ghosts of my past
O nly the undead as my companions
W e wander the vacant corridors
E very memory refuses to leave
E maciated wraiths that won't die
N eeding my blood for their feast.

Reprinted from: Halloween Acrostic - A Halloween Poem

Also see: The Leaves of October - a Fall Poem

Photo & poems © Kathryn E. Darden. All rights reserved.

Write-ups and photos from various Halloween Parties and Celebrations I have attended

Halloween in the Woods
Many state parks have shelters where you can have picnics, and some of those have fire places. I reserved a shelter with two picnic tables and a fireplace. This made a perfect setting for a night-time Halloween Renaissance party!

Plantation Belles Barbie Doll Club holds Halloween party in West Nashville
The Belle Meade Plantation Belles Doll Club members were spooktacular at an Oct. 22 Halloween Party on Fleetwood Drive in West Nashville. Members came dressed in costumes ranging from kitty cats, to witches, to Ren Fests

Trunk-or-Treat delights kids of all ages at Bellevue Church of Christ
Sunday night, Oct. 30, 2011 was the night Bellevue Church of Christ hosted their annual Trunk-or-Treat festivities for children of all ages.

One of the annual traditions associated with modern Halloween is the release of horror movies in the weeks preceding Halloween. From slasher films, to zombie movies, to vampire thrillers, horror movies are a popular fixture at Halloween parties.

Rodan + Fields Hand Treatment Regimen: The cure for Halloween hands
Do You Have Halloween Hands? Jane Fonda, Madonna & Sarah Jessica Parker Do!

Top Ten Most Amazing True Ghost Ship Stories
Ghost ships have been the stuff of legends for hundreds of years, inspiring movies like Pirates of the Caribbean with the tale of The Flying Dutchman. Stories about ghost ships are great told around a campfire or on Halloween.

Halloween alternatives in Nashville: Nashville Halloween events
With Halloween right around the corner, it is time to plan your Halloween activities. If you don't get into haunted houses and other spooky events, here are some Halloween alternatives in and around Nashville during October.

Halloween in Nashville: Halloween Events, Haunted Houses, Halloween Alternatives & Alice Cooper
Fall is in the air and an eclectic mix of Halloween events, Halloween alternatives, and quirky events with a Halloween themes are heading to Nashville in October

Rocketown Halloween controversy: hardcore satanic metal at Christian teen venue Rocketown
Tonight Channel 2 WKRN reported on a story concerning Nashville's Christian teen hangout, Rocketown - founded by Christian artist Michael W. Smith, which is presenting a show of hardcore satanic metal music the week of Halloween