Buy a bushel of apples. Put grades on the apples.

Have them bob for grades/apples.

how about an info session on the true origins of "Halloween" and world wide traditions

Mach said:

Good idea but sounds like I'd have to go out and do research and stuff.

how the hell did you get the job?

muirdo said:

Incriminating pictures of supervisors with farm animals.

Actually, you just have to have a Master's degree and an interest in molding college minds. I have taught the course for five years now and really enjoy it. I actually do some real preparation in there...sometimes.

go with "Night Of The Living Dead"...

classic

I didn't know you were a teacher either

AnckSuNamun said:

It's just a part time gig to bring home more pennies...my full-time job is academic advisor. And, for what it is worth, I am the Associate Director of my department. That doesn't bring me any actual power but looks great on a business card.

pippet said:

yeah I'm sure everyone in that class has seen Jason before you know compared to the original NIght of the Living Dead.

GottaLetitgo said:

cool. speaking of it, it's almost time for me to get advised for next semester....time really does fly

Mach said:

Good idea but sounds like I'd have to go out and do research and stuff.

Samhain - Happy New Year!
By Solange Ni Morain

Seems a bit odd this time of year, as we gather together costumes, carve pumpkins, collect tinder for bonfires, and hang images of goblins, ghouls and witches about our surroundings, doesn't it? Yet if you had lived in Ireland many centuries ago, this would have been your New Year celebration!

The Celts considered time to be cyclical or circular rather than linear, with eight 'stations' of the year marking the passing seasons. These important dates were marked with specific rituals and customs, among them fire-festivals. The two most important fire festivals were Beltane, on May 1st, marking the beginning of summer, and Samhain, on Novermber 1st, signifying the arrival of winter. Several lesser festivals marked the passage of time in between these two calendrical polarities.

Like many autumn festivals around the world, Samhain has its origins in the harvest season. To the Celts, an agricultural people, paying homage to the cycles of the earth and the spirits they believed inhabited the land was particularly important. With the harvest completed and the days shortening into winter, this ritual marked the beginning of a 'still' time, when warfare, crop cultivation, and the bustle of summer activity came to a halt. It was logical to associate this transition with symbolic 'death': the death of the land's fertility, the usual busy activity of the clan, and most importantly, the 'death' of the sun. It is important to consider that in the context of the Celt's belief in time as a cyclical entity, death was not an ending to be feared; rather, it was the pathway to regeneration. Unlike many other cultures, to the Celts the origin of life was to be found in darkness, the moon, and night.

At this time of year, the crops would have been harvested and provisions made for the long, dark winter months ahead. Once Samhain came, all fruit still left upon the trees was considered taboo for humans, as it now belonged to the spirit world. Animals not kept as breeding stock were slaughtered as sacrifices and then made into food to sustain the clans through the dark period of the year. It was a time for taking stock of the past year, honoring the great cycle of life that sustained the race, and welcoming in the New Year. Tara, the seat of Irish kingship, was the site of great celebrations, markets, and fairs on Samhain.


On these significant days, Beltane and Samhain, it was believed that the forces of chaos reigned and the barriers between the spirit world and human world were considerably thinned and navigable, allowing for intermingling between the living and the dead. The Celts prepared for the return of the dead, often setting out food and wine to greet the spirits that might come to visit.

They also thought this the most advantageous time to practice divination of their own, since the world of the unseen was exceptionally more 'open' to their communications. The Celts did not fear or abhor death the way the modern world does, and so the presence of the dead was welcomed rather than dreaded. However, along with the spirits of the ancestors, it was also thought that mischievous or malevolent ghosts were present as well, so caution was to be taken. It was for these forces that food and wine was also set out, though the intent was placatory rather than hospitable. Bonfires were also lit at this time to appease the spirits of the dead, make offerings and sacrifices, and cast spells, giving rise to the modern Irish practice of lighting large bonfires on Halloween night.

As the influence of Christianity came to Ireland and blended with Celtic culture, familiar Samhain imagery and tradition blended with Christian influence to create a hybrid holiday. Centuries later, Irish emigrants to the New World brought many of these customs with them, creating the widely-known secular holiday, Halloween, that we know so well!

After St. Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland, it became the goal of monks and missionaries to convert the pagan Irish. Because the natives were so resistant to Christianity, the Church sought to assist conversion by substituting Christian 'versions' of sacred days and deities for ancient Celtic ones. Hence, the powerful hearth goddess Brigid became St. Bridget, Beltane (also called Easter, or Ichtar) became the modern Easter, and Samhain became All Hallow's Eve and All Saint's Day.

Rather than being a day to honor all dead, as Samhain was, All Saint's Day celebrated only saints who had no specific feast day of their own. The night before became known as All Hallow's Eve, which provided the origin for the word 'Halloween' (Hallowe'en). Since this holiday honoring the dead coincided so well with the long-established Samhain, it eased the transformation of the Irish from pagan to Christian. One can find in the 'Christian' Halloween remnants of Celtic Samhain, including bonfires, imagery of gourds and other harvest icons, and conceptions of the dead visiting the world of the living.

When millions of the Irish fled their homelands to escape persecution or hunger, many immigrated to the New World, bringing the customs of Halloween with them. In America, this secular holiday has become associated with ghoulish, macabre imagery as well as certain customs, among them trick-or-treating, dressing up in costume, the lighting of jack 'o lanterns, and apple bobbing. In Ireland, though these customs are practiced far less commonly, the modern inhabitants of the country still celebrate this special night with large bonfires and 'ghoulish' behavior.

The origin of trick or treating comes from a European tradition called 'souling'. Early Christians would roam from village to village begging for 'soul cakes', squares of currant-studded bread, promising to pray for the giver's protection from malevolent spirits that might be upon the earth at that time. Soul cakes were often left out, accompanied by wine, to placate or welcome the visiting souls of the dead, as well. Over the years, this has evolved into the custom of children roaming from house to house, asking for sweets from well-wishers, while subtly threatening a 'trick', the modern equivalent of a prank from a mischievous spirit, for those who fail to offer appropriately.


Another common symbol of Halloween is the jack 'o lantern, or carved pumpkin lit from within by a flame. There are two origins to this custom: placing a lit candle within a turnip (which were far more common in Europe than pumpkins!) kept the flame from being extinguished and was thought to guide the spirits of the departed back to the hearth of their families.

In another aspect of the custom's history, there is the legend of an overly clever lad called Jack who played a trick on the Devil. For his trouble, he was admitted to neither Heaven nor Hell, but condemned to wander the earth with no guide in the darkness but a burning coal or ember. He placed this ember in a hollow turnip to protect the flame, thus creating the very first jack 'o lantern. Perhaps you might want to tell the little ones this story as you carve your own pumpkin!

The custom of dressing up in costume can be traced back to the belief that the veil between worlds was easily crossed at this time and that the dead could walk among humans. In order to fool any ill-wishing spirits and fend off enchantment, it was believed that by dressing up as a goblin or ghoul one could disguise oneself and avoid being targeted or taken away by sprits. In time it became common to dress up as a variety of entities associated with death and spirits, witches, ghosts, vampires, and other supernatural marauders, giving rise to the little army of ghouls marching up your walkway.

Parallels are commonly found in many other cultures, including the vibrant, joyous "Dia de los Muertos" or "Day of the Dead" in Mexico and "Festival of the Dead" in Italy, as well as "Guy Fawkes' Day" and "Armistice Day" in the United Kingdom. As all countries in the Northern Hemisphere enter winter, cultural concerns logically turn towards matters of harvest, death, regeneration, and survival. All of our modern Halloween customs can be traced to these matters so important to the Celts. So as you carve your pumpkin, collect tinder for your fire, or don that wicked costume, remember that you're celebrating a uniquely "Irish" holiday!

Here! Instant research!

I'd show them 'Halloween'. I know that isn't very imaginative but everybody loves it, no matter how many times you've seen it.

BinaryJustin said:

Great choice but I'm worried about the nudity in it. Maybe I could fast forward that.

BinaryJustin said:

Great choice but I'm worried about the nudity in it. Maybe I could fast forward that.

GottaLetitgo said:

I don't remember any nudity... Is it when the other babysitter is making-out with her boyfriend?

I tend to watch movies with an in-built gay-o-vision and don't really notice naked female bits.

My favorite horror film of all time!!!