HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!!!!
Come Trick or Treat with us as we explore halloween and the month of Octuber with Articles and photos about this Pagan hoilday! All month long we will be posting articles, pictures, polls and more! So dont be scared and follow us into the most loved holiday of the year!!
pictures courtesy of google images
Ever wonder why candy is given out on Halloween? The holiday goes back to the Pagan holiday of Hallow-Mass, which celebrated the thinning of a vale between the world of the living and dead.
On the evening before November 1, people would go door to door begging for food and even leaving out food for the dead souls to enjoy.
Wiccan “witches” believed it was the start of the New Year where they dressed up as spirits, demons and ghouls to ward of the beings of the night. They then sang, danced and spent the night feasting in honor of the dead and beginning of the new.
On November 1st, the Celt’s day of death, leaves began to fall, days became shorter, and temperatures dropped to below freezing, as if the world was dying.
They believed Muck Olla, their sun god, was losing strength because Samhain, lord of death, was overpowering him. So on October 31st, the eve before the Feast of Samhain, the lord of the dead assembled the spirits of all who had died during the previous year and took them over to the realm of the living.
So the Celts went house to house asking for horses, cats, black sheep, oxen, human beings and other offerings to be stuffed into a wicker cage, burned to appease Samhain and keep spirits from harming them.
Of course over the years the animals became candy, demons and spirits became costumes and begging became trick or treating. However, the saying trick or treat came hundreds of years later when the Irish wanted to avoid children vandalizing their home so they passes out sweets and goods.
Soon this tradition began to spread and the eve of Hallo-Mass, The New Year or Feast of Samhain, became well known by almost every culture in the world and celebrated as Halloween.
So now that you know where this tradition of giving candy and treats started, click on the poll to the right and share your favorite Halloween sweets, maybe lollipops, Snickers, or even candy corn. What do you crave on this sinister holiday?
Sweet and Sinister Myths
Origin of Trick or Treating
By Alexandria Brewer
Posted October 1, 2013
Dressed for Success:
Tips and Treats; Halloween addition
By Anthony Wright
It’s that time of year again as children of all ages leave their homes to roam the streets asking for candy, going to scary parties and creepy haunted houses and most of all, dressed up as frightening nightmares. So what do you wear on Halloween?
Here are 10 easy Halloween costume ideas to make you the talk of the night.
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One idea is to go as your favorite celebrity. It’s very simple; maybe buy a wig in their hair color and an outfit they often wear. For example, if someone wants to go as Robert Downing Jr. maybe they can dress up as his Sherlock character, all one would need is a trench coat and a wild look in their eye.
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Another idea is to do “Cosplay,” which is dressing up as a cartoon character. From Marvel to Bleach, you can be anyone you want. For example, if someone wants to Cosplay as Mario, all you need is a fake mustache, red overalls with a blue t-shirt with a large “M” on it. Easy and fun!
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Another fun costume choice is Drag. Halloween is the one holiday to let your freak flag fly, so why not be macho, and still dress like a Disney princess? It’s fun to do and who going to laugh when they are just as freak-a-fied.
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Maybe go as your favorite movie star. Be dramatic. Be your most inspired star, and walk around as Marilyn Monroe, or Betty White. You can be anyone on Halloween!
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Make fun of a friend or a family member by going as them. Go as your father, and wear his suit or go as your brother and wear sports gear. It’s an excuse to be a comedian and embarrass your family members.
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Be something of myth, like a fairy, a unicorn, or a leprechaun as well as dark tales like Dracula, A monster, ghost or wizard. Halloween is all about tradition, so sometimes the classics work the best!
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You can poke fun at Halloween and were a crazy t-shirt that say Halloween themed puns, like “This IS my Costume” or “even “Halloween? What’s Halloween?”
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Be someone iconic, like Ronald Reagan, Amy Lee, RuPaul, or even Jeffrey Star. If they inspire you, become them on Halloween.
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Be artistic, and make your own costume. Its not too hard, they sell prints at JoAnns, and you just cut and sew, maybe make yourself a pumpkin or be silly and cut holes in a sheet fort a ghost.
Most of all be yourself, do what you want, be who you want, never let others tell you any other way. Halloween is about expressing creativity, having fun, enjoying your friends and family and of course, candy. So stay safe this October 31st and make sure to stay safe on this sinister day of the dead. Trick or Treat!
Halloween is just around the corner, and you know what that means! Sweets and treats for everybody! Now, we all know about candy corn and caramel apples, but how about this Halloween we do something different? I found a recipe for Black Magic Brownies Cookies, which is the prefect treat for this Halloween!
Black Magic Brownie Cookies
Ingredients:
1 box (1 lb 1 oz) Betty Crocker® dark
chocolate brownie mix
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons instant espresso coffee powder or granules
2 eggs
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips (6 oz)
1/2 cup Betty Crocker® Rich & Creamy chocolate frosting (from 1-lb container)
Directions:
1.) Heat oven to 350°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with cooking parchment paper.
2.) In medium bowl, stir brownie mix, oil, coffee powder and eggs with spoon until blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Onto cookie sheets, drop dough by level tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart.
3.) Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until set. Cool 5 minutes; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 20 minutes.
4.) In small microwavable bowl, microwave frosting uncovered on High 15 to 20 seconds or until melted. Drizzle over cookies.
Tip: Be sure to not overbake them so the centers will remain moist and fudgy. For softer cookies, bake 12 minutes.
After you take the cookies out of the oven, the
center should definitely be gooey. The chocolate
drizzle on top of the cookies was definitely the
icing on the cake! The coffee powder definitely
adds another flavor to the cookie, giving it a
slight kick. I found this recipe and cookie to
be fabulous and recommend it everyone.
It's definitely easy to make and you will be glad you did!
Halloween Treats
A Sweet, Magical Cookies that you won't forget
By Ann Johnson