Skip to main content

Halloween 2021

We attended a Halloween party, organized by Schneider Haus National Historic Site along with our friends, in their neighborhood. Entry was based on pre-booking, with timed slots and limited to only those who are fully vaccinated. They decorated the place with haunted forest, cemetery, ghosts, witches and vampirinas. You can find few photographs from the venue, here.

It was held outdoors and due to heavy rain, the place was muddy and slippery. But it didn't stop the kids from enjoying the evening. They put up their best show in spooky costumes and played trick-or-treat. 




Just to give a little background, Halloween is celebrated by many countries on 31st October of every year. It is the time of the year dedicated to remember all those dead. Initially, Halloween was celebrated in Ireland and Scotland. As people started migrating, it was brought to the US in 19th century and to other countries in 20th and 21st centuries.

When it originated, Halloween's rituals were influenced by an ancient festival of Samhain (Gaelic festival marking the end of the harvest season and beginning of winter) which included animal sacrifices, bonfires, wearing eerie costumes to chase ghosts away. In due course, it evolved into fun filled celebrations - like pumpkin carvings, trick-o-treat, wearing spooky and funny costumes and family get togethers. 

Follow me on my Youtube handle to get notified about my latest articles!!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Book: First They Killed My Father

"First They Killed My Father" was on my To Be Read (TBR) list for sometime. Finally, I read it as part of my book goals for the year 2021. It is a heart wrenching memoir written by Loung Ung, who survived the Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge Regime in Cambodia.  The story starts off with Loung narrating her family and life at Phnom Penh before communists took over Cambodia; their family fleeing Phnom Penh due to Khmer Rouge’s attack; the struggles their family encounters while travelling from one village to the other, concealing their identity for survival; their ordeal working for Khmer Rouge. In the due course, Loung’s father gets killed, her family gets separated with Loung ending up in the Khmer Rouge troop as a child soldier. By the time Cambodia is liberated, Loung also loses her mother, 2 sisters and finally unites with rest of her siblings. The books ends with Loung migrating to the United States along with her elder brother and sister-in-law. It is a very well written book ...

Did Kate Williams Read My Mind? My Review of How to Stop Trying

I am sure we all would have heard this statement more than once in our lives from our parents, teachers, siblings, friends, spouse or even a boss: “Try and try till you achieve your dream or target.” It could be finding the job of your liking, marrying the person you desire, or earning that long-awaited promotion. For many of us, these words become the script of our lives - pushing us to always chase the next milestone, to measure our worth by achievements. But what happens when the constant “trying” becomes exhausting? That's the side of the story untold. What is this book about? This is what Kate Williams’ "How to Stop Trying: An Overachiever's Guide to Self-Acceptance, Letting Go, and Other Impossible Things" talks about. The book isn’t about throwing away ambitions or giving up on our dreams. Instead, it’s about recognizing the hidden cost of endless striving - the burn out, the inability to rest without guilt, the constant sense of “not enough” and learning how t...

Gearing up for First day of School

The day you first held your little one, the first time he smiled at you, those first steps, first tears, first words, first bike ride... You would have experienced countless firsts with your child so far. Before you knew it, your kid is just few days away from a very important milestone - his first day of school.  If your kid is starting kindergarten this academic year, I totally feel you. I was in the same state of mind, exactly an year ago. After tending to my son for more than 3 years, that too as a stay at home mom, he is very attached to me. I was with him literally 24 x 7, except for those very few minutes I sneak into the washroom. The thought of how he would survive those 7 hours of school without me, haunted me for days. Next his preparedness to face the whole new world (without us) was dreadful. I had infinite questions/ doubts in my head. It is quite natural if you have an endless loop going on in your head. In this post, I sum up my experience of preparing my child and ...

Book: To All The Boys I've Loved Before

It's been a very long time since I read a romantic novel. I came across this book and looking at the title, felt it should be interesting. True to my intuition, "To all the boys I've loved before" written by Jenny Han , was an enjoyable read.                                                               Just to give a sneak peak into the novel, it is the story of a teenager named Lara Jean. She is the middle one amongst three sisters and has a habit of writing love letters to the boys she has a crush on. Instead of giving it to the boys, she secretly stores them in a hatbox in her room. One day her younger sister, posts all those letters to the boys. Amongst those letters, one was addressed to their elder sister's boyfriend. Rest of the story is how Lara handles the consequences and stops the impend...

Hospital bag checklist for delivery

Do you know when the baby is arriving? But not sure what to pack for the labor? Don't worry. I got you covered with a checklist on what to carry to hospital for you, your newborn and your partner (or support person).                                                     Below list will be very exhaustive. In a country like US, most of the items listed here will be provided by hospitals, based on your insurance coverage. At Canada, where healthcare is publicly funded, you might have to carry most of them. In India, some corporate hospitals provide basic essentials, however one has to plan and carry the rest. On the whole, I would suggest talk to your doctor or hospital help desk in advance to know what you might have to bring. That would be the starting point. Also have separate bags for you, baby ...