just an old-fashioned girl

Hello and welcome. I'm glad you dropped by. If you´re looking for something a little nostalgic of bygone eras with a timeless elegance and a little modern twist – in other words, something slightly “retro” – then you should feel right at home here in my shabby chic room. Month by month, there will always be something new to see so I hope you´ll enjoy your stay and come back again soon.

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Things That Go Bump In The Night

Today is the ancient festival of Samhain which marks the last day of the Celtic year and the beginning of winter. The Celts and Druids believed that in the night before the New Year, the wall between the living and the dead was open, allowing spirits of the dead, both good and bad, to mingle among the living. Some of these spirits were thought to possess living people, cause trouble, ruin crops, or to search for passage to the afterlife and many of the rituals performed in order to placate these evil spirits are best left shrouded in the mists of time. Halloween, as it´s now called, is a sanitized child-friendly version of that pagan festival, now mostly practised in the USA. We would certainly rest uneasily in our beds if we knew exactly what the Celts regarded as suitable tricks and treats. I know I wouldn´t like to spend this evening, or any evening, in THIS room! (although it was fun putting it together.)


To quote an an ancient Scottish prayer,

From ghoulies and ghosties
And long-legged beasties
And things that go bump in the night
Good Lord, deliver us.

Amen to that.

5 comments:

  1. Never really liked the implications of that early version of Halloween :-) I'm glad it got more child friendly. And I'm with you, I wouldn't want to be in that room either.
    Love the Scottish Prayer though, and I'll be sure to say it before dark tonight.

    Hugs,
    Pauli

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  2. That is SO creative!! Looks like you should keep a lock on that cage. :o)

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  3. Today I was watching a You Tube video of Vincent Price doing a reading of The Raven. Edgar Allan Poe... (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=T7zR3IDEHrM) Lots of fun spooky stuff to see on the web today. I love your room. I expect to see Jack Nicholson come around the corner with a butcher knife. ;)

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  4. Fantrastuc oage Helen, love the water

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  5. Catching up on my reader, find this room quite amazing. You do have a way with the ghostie side of things. I think the uncaged raptor would be the least of my worries there. Thanks for sharing this incredible view.

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