Wednesday Open Thread: It's Samhain, damnit!
It's Day 304 of the Year 2018 CE
So, October 31, 2018 - for my reference if nothing else.
And, because it is Samhain, also Prickle-Prickle, The Aftermath 12, 3184 YOLD
I don't know how it happened, but in trying to get this together I quickly came up with two lists allegedly approximating the cross quarter days / wheel of the year. One is from the Old Farmer's Almanac and one from the Wiki. I don't think I messed with the former, but I added some notes and commentary to the latter. So, here they are:
Old Farmers Almanac
March 25, Lady Day. ...
June 24, Midsummer Day. ...
September 29, Michaelmas. ...
December 25, Christmas. ...
February 2, Candlemas. ...
May 1, May Day. ...
August 1, Lughnasadh. ...
October 31, Samhain.
Wikipedia
Midwinter (Yule) Brumalia, sol invictus and Saturnalia (Xmas)
Imbolc Feb 1 = Candlemas (WTF is candlemas)
Vernal Equinox (Ostara) Eostre and Liberalia (Easter)
Beltane Beltane, Floralia, and Walpurgis Night (May Day)
Midsummer (Litha) equinox,
Lammas/Lughnasadh (harvest, 8/1)
Autumnal equinox (Mabon) (ends on WTF is Michaelmas - celebrate the angels, heh)
Samhain, halloween = all hallows EVE = huh? celebrate all the saints, heh
So, what happened here?
Well, the hierarchy of a certain portion of a certain religion has been trying to eliminate all competition since sometime in the 300s. They've used a wild assortment of techniques including wars, conquest, colonization, assassinations, torture, expulsions, genocide and more. On the less lethal side, they have also practiced something akin to cultural genocide in various ways. One of these was to eliminate, by any and all means possible, rites, rituals and holidays of competing cultures and belief systems, coopting the dates and some of the symbology and such.
For example, a date roughly corresponding to the celebration of sol invictus and assorted other early solstice related gods was chosen for a celebration of the birth of their demi-god and the adoration of the resultant infant being. This holiday observance does not seem well supported as to time of year by their sacred texts, making it seem even more targeted. Trappings from other seasonal holidays and rituals like Yule, possibly Yalda Night and Brumalia and the like were then coopted and overlaid upon it to speed its acceptance and dominance. There are even hints of the "opposite day" characteristics of Saturnalia in that feudal lords and members of the priesthood, and later, lords of the manor. landlords, employers, merchants, bosses and the like were expected to be, for a while, kind and caring, charitable and all that. Christmas is now, of course, the dominant celebration in most of Europe and much of the Americas.
Except for the name, Easter, and the fact that it is plastered with trappings from other holidays like Ostara and Eostre, the celebration of the death of the demi-god doesn't appear to be clearly targeted. Their sacred texts established a clear date in that it is tied to Passover, a specific pre-existing event from the Hebrew sacred texts. Nonetheless, pagan trappings like bunnies, eggs and sunrise services were nonetheless borrowed and appended in order to speed its acceptance.
OK, those two were events of major, profound significance within their belief system, and seriously required holidays, even though the timing and packaging is somewhat questionable, but what about Halloween. "Halloween" is Samhain and they replaced it with pretty much absolutely nothing. It's a farce. Halloween is "all hallows EVE", nothing in and of itself, but merely the night before something. And what is that something. Zip shit, really. All Hallows, as in what it is the eve of isn't a specific thing either, but a vast scattershot. Hallowmas, All Souls Day, All Saints' Day, is the Feast of All Saints,or Solemnity of All Saints, a celebration of "all of the saints", because, one saint's day per saint just won't cut it. It appears to have been invented sometime in the 800s (CE) and conveniently plopped down on the calendar right where it needed to be in order to make Samhain All Hallows Eve. It has no calendrical connection to any day of the year and is redundant for the vast horde of saints that already have their own saint's day.
Did they succeed in displacing Samhain with that feeble attempt? Half and half, I'd say. The name is certainly changed, no doubt about it. But, wander around town and you'll find a proliferation of ghosts, ghoul,s goblins, skeletons (the dead, ya know), ogres, witches, especially witches, anathema that they are, and damn few saints (let alone all of them) on display all over the place. Kids go trick or treating and none dress as saints. Disguises and costumes are the order of the day, even for many adults, but not saints. So how about we get real and call it by its proper name, Samhain.
Edit: Fixed title spelling
(Image is Ethereum Classic Wallpaper - Halloween Pumkin)
Comments
What in sam hill is Samhain
Yet another pagan celebration co-opted by the church and capitalized by the sugar industry. Sheesh. The story in the Crescent city and environs goes like this: "All Saints Day" was a time to visit the grave yards to honor deceased family and friends. Being a superstitious sort, the elders would entice the youth to scare away evil spirits hanging around the bone yards the night before. The kids would be rewarded with sweet treats. The dearly deceased attained the level of saints, if only for a day. Raise hell! Boo!
~
Great selection of tunes!
question everything
Good morning, QMS. Thanks for reading. Lessee, in Crescent
City, if we go very far back into history there was neither All Hallows nor Samhain, only indigenous people ;-). Dunno if they celebrated fall at all, maybe gathered acorns?
Have a great day.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Great idea enhydra
Think we'll pass out nuts this year.
question everything
Happy New Year, All
I have reflected on a particular flaw and fault of mine. I have not donated to C99 since August (tear me apart and boil my bones).
I have created (found) a method to rectify that. As always, many thanks JTC.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkfxMuOkLcs]
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPnhaGWBnys]
Good morning, Jobu. Thanks for reading and the tunes.
Have a great Samhain.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
To our own dear @hecate
I would offer a plate of food and a glass of wine, if only I lived closer.
So I raise a virtual toast to him, and all of you, and all of yours: here, and in other dimensions. Happy day!
Thank you jobu...
received and very much appreciated.
c99p would not/will not exist without help from the membership. Thank you to all that have lent a helping hand.
midway between the equinox and the solstice...
marking the middle of fall - happy samhain!
This 3 min history is kinda fun if you missed it in the weekly watch...
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-VRAemIvbI]
The church absorbed many traditions...including building churches on top of ancient temples...transferring pagan gods into saints (yours isn't a real god, just a saint of ours)...and punishing locals who continued their native worship. So christian you know.
Marking time in the ancient world became important with the rise of agriculture. Moon cycles (moonths) have been used since hunter gatherer times. Day length becomes the main marker as crop cycles are placed in the yearly cycle.
No matter what you call it...I hope you all have a good day today. Thanks for the music and OT.
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Hola,Lookout. Thanks for reading. I'll have to wait a while to
watch the clip. In the meantime, have a great one.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Witches Brew
Beer
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHGVgiAdt1A&t=128s]
How beer saved us....
cut to the chase...because it was cleaner than the water in the old days.
2 min
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zd0R3sY2B5Y
...and why you should thank a monk - (3 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bWUKuheG2E
...and a timeline of beer development...
http://beerhistory.com/library/holdings/raley_timetable.shtml
http://www.heartlandbrewery.com/history-of-beer/
I'm drinking more wine than beer these days aiming for fewer carbs. Cheers!
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
@Lookout I don't know what it is
I don't know what it is about that desert god, who in fact, I followed for some years of my life (and no regrets, actually for so doing). But there's something about the worship of Yahweh/Jehovah/Allah--his followers always seem really set on claiming that their god is the One True God. The Christians are the most amazing at doing this, in that they decided to name their god, "God" as if there really was only one.
Fighting over whose god is the biggest and most badass is bad enough; fighting over the fact that you have the divine in your pocket and everybody else is a devil...well.
I'm sure everybody here can connect the dots to various, er, social and military projects.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
October 31 is a holiday in Saxony and some other German states
It’s Reformation Day today, the 501st anniversary of the nailing of the Ninety-Five Theses to the Wittenberg church door by Martin Luther.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reformation_Day
Goog morning, lotlizar. Interesting. A very mixed blessing, the
reformation, in some ways simply changing the oppressor, though that did take a while. I wonder if anybody ever made an Oliver Cromwell Jack-o-lantern.
Have a great one.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Good morning el. I like your musical celebration!
I am too lazy to get a sampling of the musical videos, but here are two lists of songs deemed suitable for Hallowe'en,:
https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6746206/top-halloween-songs (25 songs)
https://www.marieclaire.com/celebrity/a11293/halloween-playlist-2014/ (55 songs)
I don't know where I got the information below; and, far more importantly, I don't know if it is true. With those very significant disclaimers:
Being openly Christian during the first century put you at risk of death. So, the earliest Christians deliberately celebrated or observed their holy days to coincide with celebrations of other religions. I have a faint memory of having come across this tidbit in connection with Bacchanalia, but I am not sure even of that.
Halloween refers to the vigil held the evening before All Hallows Day, or All Saints Day, which is November 1 (not to be confused with All Souls Day) which sometimes fall on November 2. Hence, it was Hallowe'en, the apostrophe standing for the v of even (or evening). I (perversely?) usually use the apostrophe.
Fundamentalist Christian, includingB Fundamentalist Catholics, currently frown on celebrating Hallowe'en--skeletons, Jack O Lanterns, witches and the like symbolizing or representing things that fundamentalists eschew. I guess nothing can be simply "children having fun" anymore. (By "children," I mean anyone who enjoys celebrating Hallowe'en.)
Celebrating harvest, especially as it relates to thanking God for the harvest, is, of course, fine with fundamentalists. Hence, a Christian might flaunt an intact pumpkin, as opposed to one that is carved.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOnqjkJTMaA]
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNuVifA7DSU]
Good morning, HAW. That is interesting stuff, but Rome was
pretty powerful back then and Constantine made Christianity cool in 313 CE, and within a decade it was Rome's official religion, so, for most of the first century, it was THE established religion thrughout the empire, though they always try to play perpetual victim.
Have a great one.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Presumably you mean “for most of the first *millennium*” — n/t
If, by 313 C.E., Christians had, for over 300 years,
been celebrating or observing their holy days at certain times, why would they abruptly change the timing from one set of dates they had adopted to remain safe to a wholly arbitrary set of dates? It's not as though the actual dates (assuming they existed) had been buried in a time capsule, to be opened when Rome became a Christian nation. And, of course, Rome was not the only place where Christians were persecuted.
Again, I stress that I have no idea if the rationale I picked up from who knows where was correct or not. However, I don't think Rome's becoming a Christian nation proves it was incorrect.
I agree on the "victim" claims of some, especially in the current era in the US.
Which reminds me, once Hallowe'en is over, it's time to begin the War on Christmas. We must fight it in almost every store and home in the US, as well as in every govermental premises, so huddle up!
Down here in the Old Pueblo,
the Mexican tradition of Dia de los Muertos has captured the gringo imagination. There's an annual celebration, the All Souls Procession, where people paint their faces to resemble Mexican sugar skulls. No furniture store or car dealership sales events yet, but the local paper is offering 50% off on obits.
We wanted decent healthcare, a living wage and free college.
The Democrats gave us Biden and war instead.
Good morning Az, thanks for reading.
Heh, I 've always loved Dia de los Muertos and some of the art it has spawned, but obits is a bit bizarre (if not snark). "Look honey, ma has been sicker than shit for 3 years now, and there's a sale on obits, so why don't we just ..."
There used to be a fabric store in Fort Brag, just above Noyo Harbor (my wife's a quilter) that carried some of the most awesome Dia de los Muertos themed fabric. It was a bit of a surprise since that is so far north, relatively speaking.
Have a great one.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Did the Disney Pixar film “Coco” have anything to do with it?
Marketing is the dark matter of our society; it makes everything and everyone move faster and cluster more densely than they seemingly should, without itself being seen . . .
No. It's been going on since 1990.
We wanted decent healthcare, a living wage and free college.
The Democrats gave us Biden and war instead.
Has anyone acknowledged the cultural appropriation yet?
Nah ... I didn't think so.
Sigh.
Needed a hospital, but there was none
Huh! You'd think living in the Bay Area would be a bowl of cherries, but I think it's the pits. ar ar
Next time somebody asks "How are you going to pay?" for a social program like affordable housing, affordable healthcare, and affordable living wages, say "With a rounding error from the HUD budget?" why not.
The UniParty solves worker problems with robots and broken automation, abattoirs making Cabernet.
Napa-area vineyard worker killed by grape harvester at Deconinck Vineyards
RIP Leon Marcelo Luna
I voted yesterday. No Ds, No Rs. NOPE
peace
Good morning, eyo. Hope you're ok. How about "a tenth"
from the "defense" budget, that would at least get things started.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
It's like the oldest trick in the book, ye olde rounding error.
thanks, I'm okay but where do you go when there's nowhere to go? Hard to plan for that situation.
Anyway, I was just looking at the HUD testimony documents and wonder who was the Federal Service Provider that never heard of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles? pshaw! rounded off to the nearest billion or hundred billion, instead of the nearest million.
Don't pay the contract if they can't provide software that does math properly, that's my IDEA. omg what are computers for, except to do math? doh!
Where is the budgeted money if it is not Developing Housing? Did someone "take" it, or will it just be dollars not ever printed by The Federal Reserve in the end.
Waiting for Never Never Land Part 3 now, thanks gulfgal98.
$21,000,000,000,000
luddite peace
“HOAP” = h.o.a.p. = hundredth of a percent = 0.01 %
It all makes sense now.
We only thought Obama and the Dems’ were talking “HOPE” in 2008 — actually, they were talking “HOAP”.
The audacity of the 0.01%!
they're coming to take me away
and you and you and you
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Fn36l_z3WY]
I never knew that the term "Never Again" only pertained to
those born Jewish
"Antisemite used to be someone who didn't like Jews
now it's someone who Jews don't like"
Heard from Margaret Kimberley
Good morning, ggersh. "I'm mad, You're mad, we're all
mad here" - The Cheshire Cat
Thanks for reading and have a good Samhain
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Thanks for the interesting OT and fun music
Great way to start the day. At work today we get to play like kids, all day Halloween party. Costume contest, games, chili potluck, bowls of sugar and scary decorations everywhere. Halloween is the only holiday we actually celebrate at the office. They do have a “holiday party” (very PC) in early December, off site. Halloween is when we go all out in the workplace. I suppose that means it’s basically a nonreligious holiday now, and (so far) no one has complained about the occult themes, witches and what not. It’s a fun playful day, once a year. Hard to take your boss seriously when she’s got on floppy doggie ears and a fake dog nose and whiskers. Not a lot of work happening today.
Thanks also to JtC and everyone for keeping the fire burning on here. It’s a light in the darkness.
Thank you CS...
for your continued support and the extra log for the fire.
Good morning, CS, thanks for reading. Office parties still
exist, who could imagine. Enjoy your party and have a great day.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Good Samhain to all.
Thanks for the cultural history, e.l.
Once had the pleasure of seeing her and her troupe in concert.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Good morning and good Samhain to you, CStMS. Good to see
you here on a Wednesday. Thanks for reading and have a very great day.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
happy samhain el and all...
May the Earth find peace. So mode it be...
Stop Climate Change Silence - Start the Conversation
Hot Air Website, Twitter, Facebook
And a happy Samhain to you too, magi. May the earth find
peace indeed. Thanks for dropping in.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
I love Halloween
It's the one day I can threaten to stab unruly customers and get away with it! (I dressed up as a pirate, complete with plastic sword.) It's also the one 'holiday' I don't hate after 10 years of working in bakeries, heh.
I was also baptized on Halloween; what does that say about me? I might be a trifle evil.
Have some Voltaire:
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWYCS6k1IOA&index=2&list=PLN9EdIINBkZECe...
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjJDBP292rM&index=3&list=PLN9EdIINBkZECe...
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcgvLiNYCcA&index=5&list=PLN9EdIINBkZECe...
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLak5i6BJZM&index=12&list=PLN9EdIINBkZEC...
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xY2Lw_US4A&index=25&list=PLN9EdIINBkZEC...
(lots more where that came from.)
This shit is bananas.
Good afternoon and happy Samhain, Daenerys. Thanks for
reading. Arguably we are all perhaps a bit evil, but I would, in fact, argue that. Evil, like immorality, is an ecclesiastical concept. One can do things that the religionistas disapprove of, but evil is their projection, not the "transgressors" problem. Beyond willfully violating their codes out of disbelief in their validity, one can make make mistakes and have ethical lapses, but that is a different matter. To really approach "evil", one would need to completely lack empathy, and that condition exists, but I suspect that becoming that way isn't volitional, but neurological or else caused by extreme environmental and experiential trauma.
Have a great day.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
"Halloween" as we know it is a relatively recent invention
The idea of having bonfires around this time of year is probably quite ancient, but most of the ritual and tradition around it has been lost. Then in 1605 one Guy Fawkes and a bunch of equally inept followers hatched a plot to blow up Parliament on November 5th. Somebody snitched and the would-be perpetrators were caught. Suddenly the bonfires had a patriotic purpose, that of celebrating the fortunate failure. Ringing of church bells and setting off fireworks, as those became publicly available, were added, as was the custom of burning Guy Fawkes in effigy.
Over in the Colonies as they developed, and particularly in Boston, things got taken to extremes and an overt layer of anti-Catholicism was added. Each major town made at least one float with an effigy of "the Pope", to be paraded through town and later burned. Boston was large enough to have two "Popes", and a hooligan element that formed into rival gangs each out to capture the other gang's Pope. By the mid-18th century it was not safe for respectable citizens to venture out of doors on "Pope's Day".
The political flavor of the raucous holiday increased as the relationship between Britain and the Colonies became strained. In 1765 the Boston gangs united in protest against the Stamp Act, and until 1775 the British Crown was an additional target for satire, mockery, effigies, and general rowdiness.
General George Washington, besieging Boston, issued an order forbidding any of the troops under his command from participating in Pope's Day activities, but by then the citizens had more important things to worry about - like getting out of Boston to join Washington's troops if they were rebels, or keeping the mobs off their backs if they were Tories. (The mobs found Tories a year-round acceptable target for all kinds of hooliganism.) Most people just wanted a restoration of peace and quiet.
Boston did not celebrate Pope's Day again after liberation in 1776, but some of the other seacoast towns kept up a watered-down tradition until it finally petered out during the 19th century...just before October 31 became a replacement occasion for bonfires, dressing-up, and coarse practical jokes.
There is no justice. There can be no peace.
Good morning, Maven. Thanks, I hadn't made the
the association between the Guy Fawkes "festivities" and Halloween.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --