Kathi challenged us to share our favourite Halloween memory, but unfortunately I cannot do that since in Europe we do not celebrate this. But to compensate, what do you think of this lovely costumes?

Picture from here

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Well, it is Halloween so thought that quotes will be suitable

Only the knife knows what goes on in the heart of a pumpkin.
by Simone Schwarz-Bart

Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.
by Jim Davis

We fancy men are individuals; so are pumpkins; but every pumpkin in the field goes through every point of pumpkin history.
by Ralph Waldo Emerson

and

Pixie, kobold, elf, and sprite,
All are on their rounds tonight;
In the wan moon's silver ray,
Thrives their helter-skelter play.
by Joel Benton

Nothing on Earth so beautiful as the final haul on Halloween night.
by Steve Almond

Nothing beats a haunted moonlit night on All Hallows Eve.... And on this fatal night, at this witching time, the starless sky laments black and unmoving. The somber hues of an ominous, dark forest are suddenly illuminated under the emerging face of the full moon.
by Kim Elizabeth

Happy Halloween!

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A smile a day :)

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Darlene has challenged us to write about



which made me think where does this fascination for costumes come from?

A bit of background from here

Historian Nicholas Rogers, exploring the origins of Halloween, notes that while "some folklorists have detected its origins in the Roman feast of Pomona, the goddess of fruits and seeds, or in the festival of the dead called Parentalia, it is more typically linked to the Celtic festival of Samhain, whose original spelling was Samuin (pronounced sow-an or sow-in)".The name of the festival historically kept by the Gaels and celts in the British Isles which is derived from Old Irish and means roughly "summer's end".

The word Halloween is first attested in the 16th century and represents a Scottish variant of the fuller All-Hallows-Even ("evening"), that is, the night before All Hallows Day.Although the phrase All Hallows is found in Old English (ealra hālgena mæssedæg, mass-day of all saints), All-Hallows-Even is itself not attested until 1556.

Development of artifacts and symbols associated with Halloween formed over time. For instance, the carving of jack-o'-lanterns springs from the souling custom of carving turnips into lanterns as a way of remembering the souls held in purgatory. The turnip has traditionally been used in Ireland and Scotland at Halloween, but immigrants to North America used the native pumpkin, which are both readily available and much larger – making them easier to carve than turnips. The American tradition of carving pumpkins is recorded in 1837 and was originally associated with harvest time in general, not becoming specifically associated with Halloween until the mid-to-late 19th century.

The imagery of Halloween is derived from many sources, including national customs, works of Gothic and horror literature (such as the novels Frankenstein and Dracula), and classic horror films (such as Frankenstein and The Mummy).Among the earliest works on the subject of Halloween is from Scottish poet John Mayne in 1780, who made note of pranks at Halloween; "What fearfu' pranks ensue!", as well as the supernatural associated with the night, "Bogies" (ghosts), influencing Robert Burns' Halloween 1785. Elements of the autumn season, such as pumpkins, corn husks, and scarecrows, are also prevalent. Homes are often decorated with these types of symbols around Halloween.

Now I wonder what does people motivate to buy clothes like this?



Or choose ideas like this:



Does this have anything to do with Halloween?



What would you choose as a Halloween costume? I'd rather celebrate it with some nice autumn decorations in the house, with lots of candles, a nice pumpkin soup and a nice carrot cake, but maybe that is me!

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