For the first time in my life I am invited to a Halloween party ! A classmate from my painting group together with her daughter will throw a party tonight. I have been to uncountable parties in my life and also costumed once, but this was always for Carneval. Halloween I really started to know in virtual world by visiting American blogs.
But now it also moves slowly slowly into other European countries and of course into Belgium too, it started around 2000. When I think that Halloween is originally an Irish celebration and was brought to America by Irish emigrants. From the defeat of Napoleon to the beginning of the famine, in a period of thirty years, at least 1,000,000 and possibly 1,500,000 emigrated. However, during the worst of the famine, emigration reached somewhere around 250,000 in one year alone.
They left their country due to evictions, starvation, and harsh living conditions. The Irish made up a quarter of the population in Boston, Massachusetts; New York City; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Baltimore, Maryland. In addition, Irish populations became prevalent in some American mining communities.
Of course they took the customs of their country with them and others took it over and it became the Halloween which is celebrated today in America.
I also like to take over customs of other countries when I like them. I always kept the once I was raised with in Germany, I took over the once of my Italian Mr. G and of course the once of the country I am living in.
And here I am when I tried my costume, a very simple one. The black velvet dress I had so I only bought the hat and sew a big red eyed spider on it.
orange socks with a black cat and of course the broom
a bracelet with skulls, a collar with a skull, a necklace with eyeballs and black and orange claws to stick on my fingernails.
and that's what I saw yesterday afternoon just across the street ! A warm welcome !
To those who celebrate Halloween
