It’s Hallowe’en or is it Halloween?

Halloween pumpkin png clipart from pngtree.com The word Halloween comes from Hallowe’en, meaning ‘hallowed evening‘ or holy evening.

Halloween is a lazy way to write Hallowe’en and thereby destroy its true meaning of All Hallows’Evening. Simply meaning All Saints Evening as it is celebrated on the evening before All Saints” Day also known as All Hallows’Day.

Black cats are part of the Hallowe’en or is it Halloween superstitions.

So where cometh the ghosts and goblins and trick or treat? It marks the one single night, according to Celtic beliefs, when the spirits and the dead can cross over into the world of the living.

At a time, when my children were young, and it was safe to wander the streets in search of a treat earned by doing a trick, we had neighborhoods that decorated. Much like Christmas, these homes went out of their way to make Halloween scary fun for the children

A wondrous Hallowe’en Memory

One such home could talk to you coming within a house of two of their Hallowe’en decked out home. Go home parent and dress for the occasion in order that your children are safe in my presence! You may not enter until you do for fear your child will be taken across.”

Well easy to imagine you went home and dressed up. Can’t disappoint the kids who were determined to enter his property.

Howling ghosts floating in the windsThere is nothing like crisp October leaves for making wonderful floating ghosts suspended from low hanging tree branches. Floating back and forth in howling fall winds. Not high enough to miss the unsuspected as they walk beneath them; just high enough to float across an unsuspecting head.

There is something about the mood of Hallowe’en or is it Halloween when you are on a trick or treat hunt that can even make a parent jumpy!

There was none more intimidating than this talking house. Who was
the voice? Their excitement high, the children would knock on the door yelling trick or treat. Well this door opened to a vampire complete with long blood soaked teeth and hands and a whispery voice that said “Yes? Come on in” then proceeded to give one hellish laugh.

Nweighborhood Hallowee'en img.

Everyone jumped and added a scream or two when faced with this apparition. He appeased his ‘victims‘ with another laugh and to tell them they were safe because mom and dad had dressed and to his delight, they all jumped. Parent and child alike – which was his way of letting the children pick their treat as he had already received the proper trick response.

Hallowe’en or Halloween and Celtic Observances

The early Celtic beliefs held that spirits from the underworld, and ghosts of dead people, could visit the world of the living on the night of October 31. The belief that these ghosts and spirits could harm the living or take them back to the underworld, caused people to dress up as ghosts and spirits. Thus leaving their homes in hopes of confusing the dead.

This leaves us with an obscure understanding of who were the Celts and where did they originate. Most importantly, are they considered Irish?

That you will have to wander through books and links to be found in this resource I leave to answer your questions. Or should I say begin to answer your questions. Meantime, Happy Hallowe’en!

While you are here and the mood of  Hallowe’en  is in your blood, visit
my friend Skelly” He too has a creepy  invitation.

Fall Colds and Flu Come Visiting

flu shot img taken from arrticle internal link  It happens every year, sometimes a tad earlier than the year before, however fall heralds the cold and flu season and there is not much we can do to prevent their visit.

What we can do is take certain steps to deal with it.
When I read  what’s in the flu shot, then anything I
can do to prevent or lessen the effects of the flu, beats
the daylights out of taking that shot!

Tips to help avoid the flu

  1. Do take that shot if it is a survival must. Some of us are
    hard heads and some of us are determined to stay
    abreast of our body needs that create good overall
    health.

Viruses like the flu, last seven to 10 days. Anti-biotics
typically do not work for viruses yet they include them in
the shot.

The claim that common type of flu vaccines made up of
parts of inactivated flu viruses cannot give you the flu.
And your experience?

Yet on the other hand, some claims are it gives you a
light version to help you build up your immune system
against this brand of flu.

2. Keep all physical contact clean. Wash your hands often
– in the bathroom, before eating, using good anti-bacterial
soaps and at home, use lysol spray on door handles,
toilet flush handle, taps etc.

*TIP* Alcohol-based sanitzers are a good idea to carry
on your person for when the cleanliness you prefer is not
available.

3. Work Developing a high-functioning immune system

What do your daily health habits say about you?

– Eating regular balanced meals
– staying hydrated
– getting 7-9 hrs sleep every night

Food is a killer!  Inflammation and disease all find their
root cause in what you eat.

Balanced eating does not mean left over pizza for
breakast, eggs and french fries for lunch and a steak
with all the trimmings for supper. You are a heart
attack waiting in the wings if this is how you eat.

simple box of kleenex    Winter is the hardest time to stay hydrated. Furnaces and the fact some have built-in dehumidifiers so your  home can be extra dry.
And the cold outdoors snaps your breath
leaving you in need of a puffer or more water?

And sleep is the buga-boo of 99% of us. Stress, the
number one killer is in our daily actions. Get rid of it and
sleep much better.

Planning early rises need to be balanced with earlier to
bed. Does that work? Probably not0, you end up tossing
and turning until your normal time to go to sleep then it
is restless.

Sleep vs Stress help create bad mental health habits.
Take time to relax. Take a walk – the dog will love you. A
play period will remove the negative stress thoughts for a
little while. And light exercise will be a plus action.

Get back in tune with nature. Do a hike or a drive to see
the fall colors – beauty that lifts your spirits.

There are more things you can probably do to maintain your
good health habits. Add these to them and have a good
and happy life – every day!

These are just some of the things you can do to keep the
flu and other winter colds and virus at bay!

Till next time …

Fran

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