Saturday, October 31, 2015

Boo!

Because today is Halloween, I'm not posting a television program cover. Instead, you get my one and only Halloween decoration: a ceramic jack-o-lantern lit by a tea light. We do have a black cat around here somewhere, probably snoozing in his bed.

I found this in 2009 at a Walmart in the US for 50 cents in a post-Halloween clearance sale.

Six years ago, in 2009, I was visiting my friends L&L in upstate New York and we went to a neighborhood Halloween party dressed as New York Yankees (or Yankee fans, anyway). The World Series was going on at the same time and the Yankees won it all. Here we are, just before the party:

The was the first time in decades, and the last time since, that I dressed up for Halloween. We had a great time!

Halloween is not a popular holiday in France, although some places do give it a try. The big holiday is tomorrow: All Saints Day. Schools have been on vacation for the past two weeks and the day is normally a day off from work, except that this year it falls on a Sunday. Them's the breaks.

9 comments:

  1. Last year the family I stayed with while in Tours bought candy, but they said it was really just a holiday for dentists. I don't recall any trick-or-treaters coming by....

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  2. I've already seen a few costumed kids in the neighborhood going door to door. I'd like to know how they make out as I'm not sure how many folks are on board with this idea here in Amboise. We'll have a few treats on hand just in case though.

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  3. Halloween has changed a lot from when I was a kid (long long ago). Now it's popular for the whole family to dress up. There are witches who ride on bicycles, headless horsemen, etc. My niece was a chicken this year and her husband was colonel Sanders lol!

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  4. Halloween is becoming more nad more populara in Poland. Tomorrow we have also All Saints Day.

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  5. They do a big "Halloween Walk" (in the early evening) in our little downtown area, a few days before. Gives the kids (and parents) a chance to dress up and trick-or-treat, as all of the stores, and the firehouse, and the market, and the restaurants, have folks giving out candy. The sidewalks were packed with kids and parents this year! We don't get many (maybe not any) at the house.

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  6. Hey! It's us! That was a fun time. This year we are minions... ��.
    L&L

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  7. christine, we certainly don't get any at our house!

    stuart, I've always been one of those people who turns the lights off and hides, or goes out. Don't have to do that here.

    evelyn, I think it would frighten me these days, and not in the good way! I do remember that one street near you that you took us to when we visited.

    gosia, interesting!

    judy, maybe it's good to keep them all in one place! lol

    L&L, I was going to ask if you went to that party again this year, then I got your email!

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  8. I hear tell Halloween is resisted in Europe as another USA thing like an invader species; don't want that here. Given the holiday's Celtic origins I could see some justification to having the holiday. And I can't imagine France as very Catholic anymore to be so hyped about All Saint's Day.
    What are your thoughts?

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    1. michael, ASD is just part of the Catholic tradition and, as such, is a holiday. It's a very family-oriented holiday here and you see a lot of people visiting cemeteries and placing chrysanthemums on the graves of the departed. People travel to visit relatives. France's holidays are still very family-oriented. Most stores are closed on such holidays, so the day off is not an opportunity to go shopping, unless it's a trip to the market for the makings of the big meal of the day.

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