HALLOWEEN BLOG

[GEMINIGUY]

Thursday, October 20th

                                    Arch

"Both natural and man-made arches of virtually all kinds have been credited with magically powers, generally relating to the belief that persons who are sick may be relieved of their ailments if they pass under an arch.
Arches of bramble rooted at both ends are particularly effective, as the thorns snag on any evil spirits attempting to go through and thus separate the disease-carrying agent from the sufferer.
According to some, however, the patient's future health will depend upon the condition of the arch, whether it be bramble, stone or some other material: if the arch collapses, the patient's health too will go into decline.
English folklore places particular value on the arch and credits it with being able to cure hosts of conditions, from boils and blackheads to whooping cough and rheumatism."

BACK ON 25TH

[vinney]

[KitKat]

That is one sexy ghost. 

[Hoss]

.........and here I was thinking that this was going to be a serious blov...

[KitKat]

But that's no fun. Silly is where it's at. In this case "naughty, bad, fun". 

[GEMINIGUY]

Tuesday, October 25th

                        Seven Whistlers

"A flight of seven spectral birds, whose appearance is much dreaded by sailors, fisherman and miners in particular.
Usually encountered at night, the Seven Whistlers utter eerie high-pitched calls and are said to be an omen of death or some other disaster.
According to some witnesses, the birds are actually six in number and they fly in constant search of the seventh: when the seventh bird finally joins them the world will end.

Another tradition concerning the birds claims that they are the spirits of drowned seafarers, or else the souls of unbaptized babies, though the less superstitious sometimes identifies them as flights of curlews or plovers or other birds with distinctive whistling calls."

[GEMINIGUY]

Wednesday, October 26th

                              Violet

"Along with a number of other garden flowers, violets should never be brought into the house except in generous bunches as singly they threaten bad luck. Violets that bloom out of season are widely considered an ominous sign which may signify the approaching death of the person who owns the land on which they grow, or the imminent arrival of an epidemic.
In contrast, dreaming of violets is lucky and they may be used in various love potions. The violet is variously employed in folk medicine to treat fevers, jaundice, pleurisy and a host of other ailments.
In order to predict the outcome of a illness, the petals of a violet should be bruised and the flower tied to the forehead of the patient: if the patient sleeps he or she will recover; if not the illness will culminate in death."

[GEMINIGUY]

Thursday, October 27th
         
                              Gremlin

"A mythical creature whose interference with the workings of a machine is often blamed for any mechanical fault that develops.
The gremlin was an invention of the British Royal Air Force bomber squadron stationed on the North-West frontier of India shortly before the Second World War. The squadron had been much plagued by minor technical problems and the officers accordingly invented the gremlin as the source of these woes, the name being a conflagation of the Brothers Grimm and Fremlin's Brewery, whose beer was the only brand stocked in the squadron bar.
The idea quickly caught on with the Royal Air Force units during the war after the squadron was posted back in the UK, and the gremlin has remained a familiar figure in the popular imagination, being blamed for the breakdowns not only in aircraft but also in cars, trains and virtually any other kind of machine.
(con't)

[GEMINIGUY]

"The only way to foil the activities of gremlins, apparently, is to lay an empty beer bottle nearby - the mischievous creatures will crawl inside and stay there."

[KitKat]

[GEMINIGUY]

Friday, October 28th

                           Knocking

"It is not surprising that superstition should have its own explanation for the eerie knocking sounds often heard in old buildings that more rational modern minds might attribute to insects or change in temperature.
And old but still familiar family tradition speaks of the three knocks of death that are heard to rap at the door, at the window or at the head of the sickbed when the occupant is about to expire, and many people still become nervous when they hear the knocking noise emitted by the death watch beetle as it calls its mate, claiming that this is a warning of the presence of death.
A U.S. tradition recorded in Virginia places an ominous significance upon no one answering the door after a caller has rapped on it, and concludes that this is yet another omen of imminent demise."

[KitKat]

I can say that I have personally heard this knock myself and it is quite creepy. 

[GEMINIGUY]

Saturday, October 29th

                                  Death

"As might be expected, death is the focus of a vast body of superstition. Every culture boasts a secret code of omens that warn of imminent death, the most common including the appearance of black creatures such as crows, the inexplicable howling of dogs and the sound of death knocking to gain admitance. Sometimes the threat posed by such phenomena may be evaded by taking certain actions, but at other times there is no escape
When death approaches, various measures may be taken to ease the process of dying. In many countries friends and relatives will ooen all the doors and windows (and often drawers and cupboard doors as well) when a person lies dying so that the unfettered soul may be allowed to escape unhindered, and may also open locks and loosen knots in the sick-room for the same reason.
(con't)

[GEMINIGUY]

"Other precautions include never standing at the foot of the dying person's bed, so as not to obstruct the soul's passage; turning mirrors to the wall so as not to alarm and confuse the departing spirit; stopping clocks at the moment of death; and allowing a relataive to inhale the last dying breath. Many coastal communities belive the death will not occur until the tide on on the ebb.
In various societies it is deemed wrong to leave the newly dead alone at any time between their death and their funeral, and a constant vigil is kept by friends and relatives. Candles may be lit so the departed is not frightened by the dark. The ringing of bells is reputed to aid the departed by warding off evil spirits: in times gone by a 'passing bell' was rung as the patient approached death, while the 'Nine Tailors' were sounded when death had actually taken place."

[GEMINIGUY]

Sunday, October 30th
Mischief Night

                         Death (con't)

"A curiousity known in the British Isles is the ancient notion of placing the dying person's bed under a beam to assure them of an easy death. Other largely neglected traditions inckude laying the table one last time for the dead person, so that the deceased may eat before his final journey, washing the dead person's clothes separately from that of the living to prevent another death occurring in the family, and taking care never to be holding a bord of other creatures as it dies, whether or not one has actually been responsible for its demise.
The idea that one should never speak ill of the dead is still strong in many communities and indeed in public life. This taboo dates back as far as the ancient Romans, and was observed originally not so much out of a desire  for 'fair play' towards those who ca no longer defend themselves as from fear of provoking their ghosts into returning.
(con't)

[GEMINIGUY]

"While it may seem ominous for someone's death to be incorrectly reported when the person concerned is still alive, such a mistake does have its bright side. According to German superstition, the person concerned is guaranteed an extra ten years of life by way of recompense."

[GEMINIGUY]

Monday, October 31st
All Hallow's Eve
   
                              North

"Superstition assigns various qualities to the directions of the compass, particularly to the North. Perhaps because the North is, in the Northern Hemisphere at least, associated with cold weather, it is considered the least inviting of the four directions.
The North side of churches is the least favoured for burial, being cast in shadow much of the time; some churches reserve the luckier South door for the entrance of brides and others, while the North - or 'Devil's' - door is reserved for letting demons out during Christening services.
In some circumstances, however, the North is lucky. All travellers should take at least a few steps in a northerly direction before setting off on a journey, and unmarried girls are advised that failure it glance North when leaving the house in the morning risks the punishment of never finding a husband."

[GEMINIGUY]

I HAD THOUGHT I'D BE SPENDING THE LAST THREE DAYS OF HALOWEEN MONTH ON 'DEATH' SUPERSTITIONS, I HAD TO ADD 'NORTH' AT THE "LAST MINUTE". NOT AS HALLOWEEN-Y AS 'DEATH', BUT...
ANYWAY, I WANT TO WISH ALL MY FRIENDS AT KRISTEN'S BOARD AND ALL OF MY CONSTANT READERS A HAPPY HALLOWEEN AND HOPE YOU HAVE FUN TONIGHT!

G

[KitKat]

Happy Halloween

[KitKat]

Can't wait till your halloween blog this year.