31
October is Hallowe'en,
the eve of All Hallows on 1 November. It was also Devil's Night in Detroit. That was the night
when locals went out and started fires for the fun of it. They
have been at it since 1983. Since local translates into black, there
is a news black out on it. See The
Late Great City of Detroit. The Wikipedia has an article but
censors the causation. See Devil's Night
This is for Hallowe'en 2008. Will the next few be any better?
Hallowe'en Explained By The Times
QUOTE
A history of Hallowe'en
• The Celts wore costumes made from animal heads and built large fires to
celebrate their new year, which fell on November 1. New Year’s Eve on
October 31 was known as Samhain (pronounced “sow-in”) and marked the end of
the “season of the Sun” (summer) and the beginning of “the season of
darkness and cold”( winter). Although this 2,000-year-old version of
Hallowe’en did not include trick or treating, it was far from dull.
• The Celts would burn crops and animals as offerings to their gods. Before the celebration, the ancient people would extinguish all fires other than the central bonfire, and scare each other with fortune-telling and prophesying
• The Romans later adapted this festival of the dead to honour the goddess of fruits and trees, Pomona. This is the most likely reason why, on Hallowe’en, we still bob for apples
• In the year AD 835 the Roman Catholic Church made November 1 a holiday to honour all the saints. Although it was a joyous holiday, it was also the eve of All Souls Day, or All Hallows, so in medieval times it became customary to pray for the dead on this date
• Hallowe’en’s modern popularity can be
attributed to the Americans. Because the celebration was largely free of any
religious connections, it was quickly embraced by a broad swath [ sic ] of
immigrants in the second half of the 19th century. Today Americans spend an
estimated $6.9 billion (£4.2 billion) on Hallowe’en each year
UNQUOTE
This might well be accurate reporting.
