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Image provided by: SUNY Cortland
OF NEW YORK, COLLEGE AT CORTLAND The real mean in' ·-·-·- By DIANE IRIARTE Halloween is now upon us as pumpkins are abound, skeletons are hung from front doors and goblins are placed in windows. People are busy choosing and designing costumes, buy- ing candy corn and Qther assorted goodies, and raising ruckus - something we all look forward to every · year. 'Tis the season for pranks and for tricks or treats. But what is Halloween all about? And what does it mean, anyway? I took a general poll and . asked some unsuspecting students: \Do you know what Halloween really means?\ \I never even thought about it,\ said one student, \it has to do with a witch.\ Another student simply said, u1 have no idea.'' After · another round of poll taking and bewildered faces, the result was unanimous - not one of the guinea:mgs....;.t ~9.Jnered Wi.lh this que5t1on knew- wli'ht Halloween was all about. \I've been a Halloween- head from way back,\ con- fided Kevin Malone, but con- cede'! he didn't have a clue to 1 hi:! ~rue meaning of Hallo- ween. \Isn't it about that guy without a head who rides a horse?\ asked one student. This was the answer that finally persuaded me ro do a little of my own research and find the answer to this rather odd questioq of Halloween. Very few people knew that Halloween is also called All Hallow's Eve. This evening is, of course, observed on Oct. 31, the eve of All Saint's Day. In ancient Britain and Ireland, the Celtic festival for the dead was celebrated at this time of the year. This date was also the eve of the new Celtic year and was the QCCAsion for one; t>f the an- cient five festivals when huge bonfires were set on hill tops to frighten away evil spirits. According to Britannia Encyclopedia, \The souls of the dead were supposed to revisit their homes on this day, and the autumnal festival acquired sinister significance, with ghosts, witches, hobgoblins, black cats, fairies, and demons of ... all kinds said to be roaming about. It was the time to pacify the supernatural powers controlling the pro- cesses of nature. \Halloween was thought to be the most favorable time for subjects concerning mar- riage, luck, health, and death, also. It was the only day on which the help of the devil was invoked for such purposes. \Elements of that festival were incorporated into the Christian holiday of All . Hallew's'Eve·, celebrated on the same date. Gradually; Halloween became a secular observance 2 and many customs and practices developed. In Scotland young people assembled for games to ascertain which of them would marry during the year and in what order the marriages would occur. \Children's pranks replac~ ed witches' tricks in the 19th • century, but most e other Halloween cust()ms are probably survivals from the Celtic festival. \Immigrants to tlle U.S., particularly the frish, in- troduced Halloween customs that became popular in the late 19th century. Mischief- making on this occa.sion by boys and young men includ- ed overturning slleds and outhouses and breaking win- dows, and damage to proper- ty was sometimes severe. In later years, the occasion has come to be observecl mainly 'by small children, who . go from house to hous.e, often in costume, demanding \trick or treat\. World Encyclopedia said, \A common symbol of Halloween is the jack-o- lantern (the name possibly was derived from that for a night watchman). It is a hollow~d-out pumpkin carv- ed in the appearance of a demonic face with a lighted candle fixed inside. In Scotland a turnip was used, but the native pumpkin was substituted in the United States.\ Unlike Christmas and Thanksgiving, Easter and In- dependence Day, H seems a bit of a phenomenon that one of our most well-liked festivitie~ of the year has a heritage which is little known. And since a majority of the world celebrates Halloween, we should know at least a little about it! So now everyone, when approached with the ques- tion, can explain what Hallo- ween means. This year, especially, Halloween should be a somewhat rowdy scene since it's on a Friday night. Com- bine this event with the 'Almighty Mets' factor and you have some hyped ghosts and goblins and an array of frenzied fans. Extra precaution should be taken when enjoying the festivities, such as: taking ad- vantage of sidewalks; wear- ing bright costumes at night; and not entering strangers' houses when trick or treatin'. If you are trick-or treating with children or have youngsters of your own, have them wait until they are -home until they eat their can- dy and as~rt it. P .S. HAVE A HAPPY HALLOWEEN! ~~~~~~·~~~~~~~·~~---··-~~·~*6~~~~ ~ '· He's captured the hearts of millions- 8y ANTHONY CURTIS Rolling Stone Magazine ONE TO ONE, Howard Jones, Elektra. ** *Y2 \You Know I Love You ... Don't You?\ the zippy first single from \One to One,\ is already speeding up the charts, so British popster Howard Jones is clearly poised to repeat the success of his last LP \Dream Into Action.\ Swooning ballads like \Where Are We Going?\ and \Will You Still Be There?\ (he has a way with feeling questions) can't help but tighten Jones' grip on the hearts of teen girls the world over. However, too much of \One to One\ consists of little more than Jones' flair for electronic textures and muted hooks. to be regarded as a breakthrough. Jones is certainly talented and, by now, established enough to risk a more adventurous outing pext time. BLOOD AND CJ:IOCOLATE, Elvis Costello and the Attractions~ Columbia. *** Being prolific isn't always a virtue, as Elvis · Costello's second LP this year proves. \Blood and Chocolate\ dramatizes Costellos' psychosexual obsessions with startling clarity particularly on the stark, tormented \I Want You.\ But songs like \Battered Old Bird\ and the Dylanesque \Tokyo Storm Warning\ · _;_ despite· the inevit.able flashes of ·verbal brilliance - never quite deliver on the hopes Costello obviously ha<i for them. The English .. £lvis is the sort of compulsive artist whe must send bulletins from the ·emotional front whenever the imoufse strikes even when his Easterhouse consists of five Irish firebrands from Manchester, England, and their ra(iical assaults on the British Labour Party: ''Out on Your Own,\ \1969\ and sympathy for I.R.A. point men like the late Bobby Sands (\Inspiration\) and Russian revolutionaries (\Lenin in Zurich\) and may not sit well in the conservative America of the Eighties. But these guys are hard-ro~king and sharp- thinking, and Andy Perry's lyrics and vocals occasionally tap a genuinely poetic beauty. Not for Royalists, Loyalists, Republicans or the faint of heart. BAND OF GYPSYS 2, Jimi. Hendrix, Capitol. * * * The first \Band of Gypsys\ album is a stone-cold classic, and this one is a throwaway. Hendrix's playing is incendiary throughout - most notably on \Voodoo Child,\ recorded at the 1970 Atlanta Pop Festival, and ''Hear My Train A'Comin' ,\ from the same Fillmore East sets that generated the first \Band of Gypsys.\ \Foxy Lady'' and~ 'Stone Free'' rock and swing with customary .. fervor. Unfortunately, the ''Ezy Ryder'' jam, that closes the LP starts pr0111is- . ·ingly, bu~ soon wander~ into a not. very in- spired drum solo. \Band of Gypsys 2\ isn't the place to. start your llendrix sto~kpiling. Believers, however, will find their faith con- · firmed. 1 RPCK AT THE EDGE, Vatious Artists, Arista. * * * * If you missed or just missedthe po~nt ofthe American punk movement of the nud-to-late Seventies. \Rock at the Edge\· will, set you right. ·-:-. J ' ' Howard Jones has a winnet· with his latest·album. One to One.
