Hallowe’en in the Hood
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We interrupt our trip home to bring you the latest from our neighborhood. Hallowe’en is definitely alive and well in our little community in Las Vegas. We’ve been home over a week now and I’ve been trying to catch up on the final days of our 5-month trip to complete the North to Alaska and back to Las Vegas saga. However, Hallowe’en is one of those holidays that needs celebrating and recognizing.
Hallowe’en, like so many holidays we celebrate, is an age-old Celtic celebration of seasonal change modified by the early Christian church to suit the Church’s calendar and purposes. Wiccans still observe the day as a pagan religious holiday, Samhain (SAH-win), to recognize the end of summer and celebrate the autumnal harvest. Originally on Hallowe’en (a shortened version of All Hallow’s Evening), people would light bonfires and wear scary costumes to ward off ghosts and other evil spirits. Sometimes, they’d leave out food to appease the night spirits wandering the earth… trick or treat?
We haven’t seen as many trick-or-treaters in the past few years, but our neighborhood really, really gets into the spooky spirit with yard decor. We put out a few decorations, but it was a pitiful display compared with some of our neighbors. Take a look!
It was very cold by Las Vegas standards on Hallowe’en night, but it didn’t stop us from gathering with neighbors to celebrate the night.
David’s sister, Mary, is the ultimate Hallowe’en lover… the Queen of Halloween! She’s very creative and dreams up outstanding costumes each year. Last year… a steampunk character.
This year… Sheev Palpatine, aka Darth Sidious from Star Wars.
The real Starwars Darth sidious
Mary sidious
She excels in face makeup and this year, she volunteered to help seniors and some of her co-workers with their makeup. She was also responsible for many of the decorations at the independent living facility where she works.
It’s a time-consuming process!
Now… Hallowe’en’s over. Better take down all the Hallowe’en decorations and get those Thanksgiving decorations up! Pilgrims, cornucopia, turkeys! Chop, chop! Time’s a’wastin’.
Next time, we continue with our very scenic return trip to Las Vegas via national parks with three very cold nights at Bryce Canyon National Park.