The 71-year-old governor of Italy’s Campania region is at it again.
He announced this week there would be a new total lockdown in his region beginning on the evening of October 31.
Many were surprised by this and asked him why he’d chosen the night of Halloween to start the curfew.
They pointed out that many children had been looking forward to putting candles in pumpkins, and trick or treating on the streets of Naples.
So he went on television and this — word for word — is what he had to say: “Halloween is this huge piece of nonsense, this huge stupid Americanism that has also been imported into our country. Halloween is a moment of idiocy.”
He’s right. In the olden days, when people had warts on their faces and died at the age of 23 from something disgusting, religious leaders decided there should be one day a year when fires would be lit to stop the souls of the dead falling back down to Earth.
They also ran around pouring molten lead into the nearest river and no one knows why.
Some say it had something to do with the harvest. Others argue it was like a giant Remembrance Sunday, but for everyone who’d died. Not just the soldiers.
Whatever, it became known as Hallow’s Evening and pretty soon, after people had grown brains, it died out.
I certainly never did anything on Halloween when I was a kid and I bet you didn’t either.
But then, the Fancy Dress Outfitters Association of America decided they could drum up a bit of business if they brought it back.
So, they teamed up with the Pumpkin Growers Society and urged children to knock on their neighbours’ doors, saying “Give me some money or I’ll vandalise your car.”
What this has to do with an ancient Irish festival where they poured lead into the village stream, I have absolutely no idea.
It’d be as daft as commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus by eating eggs made from chocolate.
However, the good news is that if the current UK regulations are still in place on October 31, I will be able to watch a boxset without having to answer the front door every three minutes so I can tell a bunch of scruffy urchins to bugger off.
It’s the first real upside of this whole Covid business.
Of course, my bitterness might have something to do with the fact that I have a whole field of pumpkins which I planted to cash in on the Halloween festivities.
Christmas I have never understood, when your a kid I get its fun and everything and if you are religious and have that belief that I am sure it means alot to you.
But if you are a non religious adult I dont get the big deal of Christmas, to me its just another day with extra stuff on the tv lol.
And the present situation annoys me, why do people get more presents at Christmas than on their birthday, your birthday is special to you so it should be the day that gets celebrated more, but thats just my opinion and probably why people call me a humbug lol
I have a related question. If you never pray, or read the Bible, or set foot inside the building, or can't recite even the Lords prayer, should you get married in a church? I don't know the answer, maybe it is one of the few money spinners Vicars have.
I have a related question. If you never pray, or read the Bible, or set foot inside the building, or can't recite even the Lords prayer, should you get married in a church? I don't know the answer, maybe it is one of the few money spinners Vicars have.
There are a lot of Jewish people that consider themselves culturally Jewish, as in they celebrate the main holidays because they recognise that it’s an important part of their culture but they aren’t necessarily believers.
I would guess the answer to your question is that a lot of people in this country are culturally Christian even if they aren’t necessarily religious. Christmas & Easter are culturally significant holidays for most Brits and things like getting married/christening children in traditional ways are important events for many. These are now, in many cases, removed from their original religious significance and are instead cultural and social customs of our country regardless of faith.
I have a related question. If you never pray, or read the Bible, or set foot inside the building, or can't recite even the Lords prayer, should you get married in a church? I don't know the answer, maybe it is one of the few money spinners Vicars have.
I’d never get married in the church, it would make me a massive hypocrite as I find religion one big joke.
As for Halloween, turn the lights off and ignore the door. If people wanna dress up and have a bit of fun then let them crack on.
I have a related question. If you never pray, or read the Bible, or set foot inside the building, or can't recite even the Lords prayer, should you get married in a church? I don't know the answer, maybe it is one of the few money spinners Vicars have.
I’d never get married in the church, it would make me a massive hypocrite as I find religion one big joke.
As for Halloween, turn the lights off and ignore the door. If people wanna dress up and have a bit of fun then let them crack on.
Christmas I have never understood, when your a kid I get its fun and everything and if you are religious and have that belief that I am sure it means alot to you.
But if you are a non religious adult I dont get the big deal of Christmas, to me its just another day with extra stuff on the tv lol.
And the present situation annoys me, why do people get more presents at Christmas than on their birthday, your birthday is special to you so it should be the day that gets celebrated more, but thats just my opinion and probably why people call me a humbug lol
Christmas (historically Saturnalia) gives normal working people two bank holidays, often with more days off and (in a normal year) the opportunity for a good few booze-ups. That is why it is the number one festival.
Easter (Eostre) gives normal working people two bank holidays and the excuse to gorge themselves on chocolate. That is why it is the second most important.
Forget the religious claptrap that the christians grafted onto our holidays as they stole them. That has nothing to do with it.
Christmas I have never understood, when your a kid I get its fun and everything and if you are religious and have that belief that I am sure it means alot to you.
But if you are a non religious adult I dont get the big deal of Christmas, to me its just another day with extra stuff on the tv lol.
And the present situation annoys me, why do people get more presents at Christmas than on their birthday, your birthday is special to you so it should be the day that gets celebrated more, but thats just my opinion and probably why people call me a humbug lol
You’ve never understood it? Surely you understand it for people who have young children? Even apart from that, surely you can understand it as a day that people get together, eat, drink, celebrate whether they’re religious or not? Or do you have a different day from the rest of the nation you do that on?
I once worked in an office in Paddington (a public/private sector partnership), everybody else there had their roots in another continent and most were not from a christian background (Muslim, Hindu and Parisis mainly).
Christmas time comes around and somebody seconded from a Job Centre (and the most relgiously Christian of us) stated that we couldn't celebrate Christmas as it was offensive to other religions. We discussed this as a team and the response was that they could feck right off as at the most miserable and cold time of the year it was good to celebrate and party. Each ethnic group put its own slant on the celebrations but they all celebrated it with a gusto.
I guess that was the original reason why people celebrated at that time of the year, because they needed to.
Celebrating, and therefore informing everyone of the shortest day of the year. Till the Roman's shifted it a few days from the 21 Dec solstice..
In the same way water festivals in April out east told pre literate agrarian communities it was the new year, the end of the dry season and that the rainy season is coming. So get your planting ready....
The 71-year-old governor of Italy’s Campania region is at it again.
He announced this week there would be a new total lockdown in his region beginning on the evening of October 31.
Many were surprised by this and asked him why he’d chosen the night of Halloween to start the curfew.
They pointed out that many children had been looking forward to putting candles in pumpkins, and trick or treating on the streets of Naples.
So he went on television and this — word for word — is what he had to say: “Halloween is this huge piece of nonsense, this huge stupid Americanism that has also been imported into our country. Halloween is a moment of idiocy.”
He’s right. In the olden days, when people had warts on their faces and died at the age of 23 from something disgusting, religious leaders decided there should be one day a year when fires would be lit to stop the souls of the dead falling back down to Earth.
They also ran around pouring molten lead into the nearest river and no one knows why.
Some say it had something to do with the harvest. Others argue it was like a giant Remembrance Sunday, but for everyone who’d died. Not just the soldiers.
Whatever, it became known as Hallow’s Evening and pretty soon, after people had grown brains, it died out.
I certainly never did anything on Halloween when I was a kid and I bet you didn’t either.
But then, the Fancy Dress Outfitters Association of America decided they could drum up a bit of business if they brought it back.
So, they teamed up with the Pumpkin Growers Society and urged children to knock on their neighbours’ doors, saying “Give me some money or I’ll vandalise your car.”
What this has to do with an ancient Irish festival where they poured lead into the village stream, I have absolutely no idea.
It’d be as daft as commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus by eating eggs made from chocolate.
However, the good news is that if the current UK regulations are still in place on October 31, I will be able to watch a boxset without having to answer the front door every three minutes so I can tell a bunch of scruffy urchins to bugger off.
It’s the first real upside of this whole Covid business.
Of course, my bitterness might have something to do with the fact that I have a whole field of pumpkins which I planted to cash in on the Halloween festivities.
And now, no one’s buying them.
Was there any particular reason he spoke in English?
Like Christmas (although over commercial) as it’s about family. Like 5th November also.
As for Halloween, didn’t like it when I was ten as I found it intimidating and scary (which I believe it should be) and still don’t like it now as it’s just a festival of sweets.
I have three children 11 and under and although they go trick or treating (collecting sweets) with Ms ET, I don’t go.
Like Christmas (although over commercial) as it’s about family. Like 5th November also.
As for Halloween, didn’t like it when I was ten as I found it intimidating and scary (which I believe it should be) and still don’t like it now as it’s just a festival of sweets.
I have three children 11 and under and although they go trick or treating (collecting sweets) with Ms ET, I don’t go.
Wouldn’t mind if it frightened kids these days.
This is what that looks like for anyone wondering:
The problem with Guy Fawkes night is that many people have a real issue with restraint nowadays. The minute you can buy fireworks they buy them and use them. It doesn't matter if it is light, or pissing down with rain, or totally the wrong day. They are so weak minded they have to light the bloody things despite them costing a small fortune. When that happens you lose it all really. That and burning a catholic on a bonfire is probably not as acceptable today as it was a few years back.
Who remembers 'jumping' Jacks fireworks. Must of been the most dangerous firework you could get. Basically you light it and it jumped around the garden. I was so scared I used to hide in the garage.
Comments
The 71-year-old governor of Italy’s Campania region is at it again.
He announced this week there would be a new total lockdown in his region beginning on the evening of October 31.
Many were surprised by this and asked him why he’d chosen the night of Halloween to start the curfew.
They pointed out that many children had been looking forward to putting candles in pumpkins, and trick or treating on the streets of Naples.
So he went on television and this — word for word — is what he had to say:
“Halloween is this huge piece of nonsense, this huge stupid Americanism that has also been imported into our country. Halloween is a moment of idiocy.”
He’s right. In the olden days, when people had warts on their faces and died at the age of 23 from something disgusting, religious leaders decided there should be one day a year when fires would be lit to stop the souls of the dead falling back down to Earth.
They also ran around pouring molten lead into the nearest river and no one knows why.
Some say it had something to do with the harvest. Others argue it was like a giant Remembrance Sunday, but for everyone who’d died. Not just the soldiers.
Whatever, it became known as Hallow’s Evening and pretty soon, after people had grown brains, it died out.
I certainly never did anything on Halloween when I was a kid and I bet you didn’t either.
But then, the Fancy Dress Outfitters Association of America decided they could drum up a bit of business if they brought it back.
So, they teamed up with the Pumpkin Growers Society and urged children to knock on their neighbours’ doors, saying “Give me some money or I’ll vandalise your car.”
What this has to do with an ancient Irish festival where they poured lead into the village stream, I have absolutely no idea.
It’d be as daft as commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus by eating eggs made from chocolate.
However, the good news is that if the current UK regulations are still in place on October 31, I will be able to watch a boxset without having to answer the front door every three minutes so I can tell a bunch of scruffy urchins to bugger off.
It’s the first real upside of this whole Covid business.
Of course, my bitterness might have something to do with the fact that I have a whole field of pumpkins which I planted to cash in on the Halloween festivities.
And now, no one’s buying them.
But if you are a non religious adult I dont get the big deal of Christmas, to me its just another day with extra stuff on the tv lol.
And the present situation annoys me, why do people get more presents at Christmas than on their birthday, your birthday is special to you so it should be the day that gets celebrated more, but thats just my opinion and probably why people call me a humbug lol
If you never pray, or read the Bible, or set foot inside the building, or can't recite even the Lords prayer, should you get married in a church?
I don't know the answer, maybe it is one of the few money spinners Vicars have.
I would guess the answer to your question is that a lot of people in this country are culturally Christian even if they aren’t necessarily religious. Christmas & Easter are culturally significant holidays for most Brits and things like getting married/christening children in traditional ways are important events for many. These are now, in many cases, removed from their original religious significance and are instead cultural and social customs of our country regardless of faith.
I love making Xmas pud and Xmas cake.
As for Halloween, turn the lights off and ignore the door. If people wanna dress up and have a bit of fun then let them crack on.
*shakes head
Easter (Eostre) gives normal working people two bank holidays and the excuse to gorge themselves on chocolate. That is why it is the second most important.
Forget the religious claptrap that the christians grafted onto our holidays as they stole them. That has nothing to do with it.
Christmas time comes around and somebody seconded from a Job Centre (and the most relgiously Christian of us) stated that we couldn't celebrate Christmas as it was offensive to other religions. We discussed this as a team and the response was that they could feck right off as at the most miserable and cold time of the year it was good to celebrate and party. Each ethnic group put its own slant on the celebrations but they all celebrated it with a gusto.
I guess that was the original reason why people celebrated at that time of the year, because they needed to.
Till the Roman's shifted it a few days from the 21 Dec solstice..
In the same way water festivals in April out east told pre literate agrarian communities it was the new year, the end of the dry season and that the rainy season is coming. So get your planting ready....
As for Halloween, didn’t like it when I was ten as I found it intimidating and scary (which I believe it should be) and still don’t like it now as it’s just a festival of sweets.
I have three children 11 and under and although they go trick or treating (collecting sweets) with Ms ET, I don’t go.
Wouldn’t mind if it frightened kids these days.
Never see penny for the Guy anymore, or five quid for the Guy by today’s standards. Don’t know if it’s more visible in the sticks?
Another indication of the Americanisation of the UK and it ain’t f ing Awesome.
Haven't bothered about Christmas in years normally go away on Retreat.
One good thing about Covid no visible signs of Christmas in the shops in f ing August!
Love Bonfire Night
Didn't grow up with Halloween but it was fun when the little kids knocked on the door and when our child did the same around the area.
Enjoy yourselves, it's later than you think.