Halloween in Canada the story.... from kids to pets.... it's fun to just have fun.... /AND MICHAEL JACKSON'S THRILLER IS STILL THE ONE

The Origins of Halloween in Canada

Celtic Origins

The custom of celebrating Halloween was brought to this country in the 1800s by Irish canal workers and immigrants fleeing the potato famine.
The word Hallowe'en is a modernization of "Hallow Eve", a name still used by some older people in Ireland to mean All Hallows Eve, the evening before All Saints Day on November 1, which used to be called the feast day of All Hallowed Souls.
The Hallow Eve custom is very ancient in Ireland and Scotland, and is a blend of two holidays, one Pagan, one Christian.

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Read Robert Burns' poem, Halloween.

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In the 5th century BC, in Celtic Ireland, November 1 marked the festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-fun), meaning "summer's end." Samhain is the word for November in Irish and Scots Gaelic.
Samhain was one of the two great seasonal doorways of the Celtic year; the other was Beltane on May 1. The festival saluted the dying sun, the rise of the winter stars (Pleiades), the final gathering of the harvest and the beginning of the dark time of the year.
At the royal hill of Tara and elsewhere, the priests held a a Fleadh nan Mairbh (Feast of the Dead), and made sacred bonfires of oak, offering sacrifices to ensure the rebirth of the light the following May 1. In very ancient times, they sometimes burned criminals, prisoners, and animals alive, and took omens and made predictions by observing how the victims died.
At community bonfires, the people would cast the bones of slaughtered cattle upon the flames. (the word bonfire is thought to derive from these "bone fires.") With the bonfire ablaze, they extinguished all other fires, then each family solemnly lit their hearth from the common flame, thus bonding the families of the village together.
The people honoured and feared October 31 - Oíche Shamhna - the night before Samhain, and believed that that spirits of people who had died that year rose from the dead and were allowed to roam free on this night. If they were treated properly, by an offering of food on the doorstep, the spirits would leave the household in peace. But if the spirits were ignored, they could punish the whole community.
As the custom developed, young people wore costumes and masks during the Samhain festival to frighten and confuse the spirits, and went door to door seeking food for the feast and wood for the bonfire. To light their way, they would carry lanterns made out of turnips with a candle inside.
The origin of "trick or treat" and "shell out" comes from the shout the young people made at their neighbours' doors. Donors received their blessing but misers were given a curse or a prank - their outhouse was tipped over or their fence gate unhinged.
Halloween is also called Pooky Night in some parts of Ireland, presumably named after the púca, a mischievous spirit. This is the origin of the word, "spooky."

Roman and Christian Halloween

In Europe, All Saints' Eve was a day of religious festivities in various Celtic and other cultures. Many traditions held that it was one of the "liminal" times of the year when the spirit world could make contact with the natural world and when magic was most potent (for example, Catalan mythology about witches).
By A.D. 43, Romans had conquered most of England, and in the course of the four hundred years that they ruled the land, two festivals of Roman origin were combined with Samhain.
The first was Feralia, a day in late October when the Romans honoured the passing of the dead. The second day honoured Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees whose symbol is the apple. This may explain the tradition of "bobbing" for apples that is practiced today on Halloween.
By the 800s, Christianity had spread into Celtic lands. Pope Boniface IV determined to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday. He designated November 1 as All Saints' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. In England it was known as All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints' Day). The night before, the old Samhain, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween.
But the celebration of Samhain persisted, and in 1000 AD, the church made November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. It was celebrated with bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils. Together, the three celebrations, the eve of All Saints', All Saints', and All Souls', were called Hallowmas.

Halloween Today

In England, Guy Fawkes' Day, a patriotic holiday celebrated on November 5, has largely taken the place of Halloween. Children light bonfires and burn effigies of Guy Fawkes, a conspirator who tried to blow up Parliament in 1605. In Mexico, the Day of the Dead coincides with All Souls' Day, blending Roman Catholic and Native American traditions about the souls of the dead.
In Canada, we celebrate Halloween on the night of October 31, with children dressing in costumes and going door-to-door collecting candy. Polls show that Halloween is becoming almost as popular as Christmas, now that it's also a dress-up party time for adults. Some cynics see Halloween as the start of the retail shopping season before Christmas.

http://www.canadachannel.ca/todayincanadianhistory/index.php/Halloween

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Michael Jackson's Thriller

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Alberta RCMP wants you to treat yourself to safety this Halloween

Alberta (October 27, 2015) – The Alberta RCMP is offering up some Halloween tricks to ensure the real treat this year is safety. There are some simple tips to remember before your little ghouls and goblins head out to collect their candy loot.
Trick or treaters should:

• Wear bright costumes with reflective tape or glow sticks. You will be more visible to drivers.
• Wear face paint instead of a mask. Masks can impair vision and hearing. They should be removed while walking from house to house and crossing streets.
• Wear properly fitted costumes and footwear.
• Costume weaponry should be easily identifiable as imitation.
• Carry a flashlight.
• Be accompanied by a trusted adult.
• Travel in groups if mature enough to be unsupervised.
• Carry a cellphone if unaccompanied by an adult.
• Always walk on sidewalks.
• Stay on one side of the street. Safely cross the street to the houses on the other side. Do not crisscross back-and-forth.
• Stay in well-lit areas.
• Plan a route and stick to it. Do not take shortcuts.
• Never enter a stranger’s house or vehicle.
• Never eat treats that have not been inspected by an adult.
• Know the places along the route where it is safe to go for help.

Halloween safety is not limited to the little ones. There are steps adults can take to keep themselves, and their property, free from any hair-raising experiences.
Homeowners should:

• Ensure your house is well lit.
• Keep walkways obstacle free.
• Avoid using candles in your pumpkins. Use lights or glow sticks instead.
• Report suspicious activities to your local police.
• Keep pets indoors away from trick or treaters.

“Halloween on a Saturday could mean more kids roaming the streets after dark and more late-night costume parties for adults,” said A/Commr. Marlin Degrand, Acting Commanding Officer of the RCMP in Alberta, “It’s extremely important that drivers remain sober and drive cautiously to make sure everyone gets home safely.”
Drivers are reminded this Halloween to:

• Drive sober.
• Avoid driving in residential areas while trick or treaters are out.
• Slow down and be extra cautious. Expect that children dart out from parked cars.
• Watch carefully for people using crosswalks.
• Do not wear costumes that interfere with the safe operation of a motor vehicle by restricting movement, impeding vision or prohibiting the use of safety restraints.

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Media Contact:
Alberta RCMP Media Relations
780-412-5260
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