No coffee, however do have a glass of tea. I know that I have neglected you for awhile, I will not offer any excuses, just say I am sorry.

OK, now that that’s out of the way. With Halloween fast approaching I did a quick and I mean quick search of the internet for info on this fun holiday.

So kick back, pour yourself something to drink, hey it’s afternoon and enjoy.

From what I found it dates back to the “Celtic festival of Samhain” (pronounced sow-in) some 2000 years ago to mark the end of summer and the begin of winter.

This is the time of year that the harvest was brought in from the fields and stored for the long cold winter of what is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and Northern France marking their New Year on November 1.

In those days the winter was associated with human death for obvious reasons. They believed during  the night before the New Year the line between life and death became kind of blurred, allowing the ghost of the dead to return to earth to cause trouble and harm crops.

They also felt that the presence of these spirits made it easier for their prests ( the Druids) to make predictions about the future.

For the event the Druids would build large bonfires where the community  would gather , wearing costumes typically made of animal skins and heads ( some of us do that here every day still) burning crops and animal sacrifices to the Celtic deities.

Afterwards the people would take torchs from the  sacred bonfire to re-light the hearths in their homes to help protect them during the coming long and cold winter.

So lets see;

Costumes: check

Community gatherings: check

Hugh sacred bonfire: well we did just do the burning man thing so, check there also.

Celebrating the end of summer and the being of winter: oh yes we are, check

Running around in animal skins and heads: see above note, check

Seem like there is only one thing that I have yet to see here this Halloween: ?

Take Care, Have Fun, and Be Safe

Jims Firehawk