Happy Halloween? (or that other day of the year)

(This column appears in today's edition of the Leyte-Samar Daily Express)

Hi there! I’m back. It’s the last day of October and we’re into that other day of the year again – Halloween. We’ll have more on that later.

Ahh Miriam. It’s not that I am totally against it, but I never really enjoyed watching the Senate investigations until, thanks to the ‘euro generals’ issue, the latest investigation led by the lady Senator. And yes, I’ll be changing the main picture of my friendster account with the one of me posing with Miriam.

And Bolante. Finally, he’s here. After the dust has settled (literally and figuratively), I suppose we’re in to some more grandstanding (again). How I wish the Bolante issue is under the Senate’s Foreign Affairs committee. You ought to know why.

Meanwhile, the real news (which is) the U.S. Election (what’s the news without anything about the U.S.?). They are crying foul over mean campaigning brought about by personal attacks. As far as I know these personal attacks are in the form of referring to Obama as a socialist, McCain being elitist and Sarah Palin’s wardrobe (150 thousand dollars worth of clothes isn’t too much, is it? Yes, considering the economic crunch). Hello! That is kids’ play! I mean they should try Philippine elections and know what being mean really means. And the faulty election machines? Alas, not even the money and techies available can give them the assurance they need. Well, remember their 2004 election, Florida and the chad?

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Now for the good news. Calbayog’s 60th Birthday Celebration came and went. Surely, there were a good number of activities that are worth noting. One of these was the presence of Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap. Before you raise your eyebrows, let me add that in addition to his presence, we would like to take note on what he said especially during the Closing Ceremonies.

I got too excited about taking down notes that night that I had to wait for the email confirming the Agriculture Secretary’s pledges for Calbayog and Samar. Secretary Yap was in Calbayog City on October 16, 2008 in conjunction with the 60th Calbayog Charter Day Celebration and the Turnover of INFRES FMR and Flatbed Mechanical Dryer.

Here is the list of projects that he announced during the celebration:

1. 1. Three (3) Million Pesos for (6) six additional units of flatbed mechanical dryers for Calbayog City.
2. Four (4) Million Pesos for a SWIP project in Roxas II, Calbayog City.
3. Twenty (20) Million Pesos for a Farm-to-Market-Road (FMR) project from Barangay San Jose to Barangay Himalandrog, Calbayog City.
4. 8.5 Million Pesos funding support for a Farm-to-Market-Road (FMR) Project in Sta. Margarita endorsed by Congressman Reynaldo Uy.
5. Four Hundred Fifty Thousand (450,000) Pesos for 26 units of ram pumps coursed thru the Diocese of Calbayog for the 24 municipalities and 2 cities of Samar.

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So, we are into that other day of the year. Well, if you have been following my columns, you ought to know that Valentine’s is what I refer to as ‘that day of the year’; and Halloween is ‘that other day of the year’. So, what’s with Halloween? It happens every year when I see signage all over the place greeting everyone Happy Halloween! That’s one greeting which makes me feel uneasy. After all, this day of the year is something that has to do with the dead and / or the supernatural.After ranting about it for the past few years, I have decided that it’s time to share what I got from encarta.msn.com. Here I go:

Halloween is a holiday observed on the evening of October 31 in most areas of North America and in some areas of Western Europe. The holiday is symbolically associated with death and the supernatural. Halloween falls on the eve of All Saints’ Day, also known as Allhallows or Hallowmas, a holy day in the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches. Originally a pagan festival of the dead, All Saints’ Day was established by the Catholic Church in the 9th century to honor Christian saints. All Souls’ Day, a holy day established by the Catholic Church in the 10th century, is also closely linked to Halloween. All Souls’ Day, on November 2, is observed to help purify the spirits of the dead.

Halloween is historically related to similar folk holidays celebrated in other countries. The Day of the Dead, a Mexican holiday that coincides with All Souls’ Day, blends Roman Catholic and Native American traditions about the souls of the dead. On the Day of the Dead, Mexicans decorate their homes with playful imagery of animated human skeletons, leave offerings of food for wandering spirits, and tend the graves of their deceased relatives.

Most Halloween festivities are based on folk beliefs concerning supernatural forces and spirits of the dead. Halloween decorations typically feature imagery associated with supernatural beings such as witches, werewolves, vampires, and ghosts. Images thought to symbolize bad omens - such as black cats, bats, and spiders - are also commonly featured in Halloween decorations.The most celebrated Halloween decoration is the jack-o’-lantern, traditionally a hollowed-out pumpkin carved to resemble a grotesque face and illuminated by a candle placed inside. The jack-o’-lantern derives its name from a character in British folktales. According to these tales, the soul of a deceased person named Jack O’Lantern was barred from both heaven and hell and was condemned to wander the earth with his lantern. Orange and black, colors associated with pumpkins and darkness respectively, figure prominently in most Halloween decorations.Now, having taken all that, you still feel like partying?

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This is it for now. Have a nice weekend everyone! Ciao!