Slashdot Mirror
Howl-o-ween
qaz submits a story about a
remote-controlled graveyard. Supposedly this site is another computer-controlled setup, but it's not responding at the moment. Still looking for a pumpkin carving pattern (the Ellen Feiss pattern is nice too)? Or perhaps you'd prefer yet another punkin-chunking machine, a new model which has several news stories about it: here and here. And if spooky stories are more your style, everything2 is running a scary story contest (see last year's for ideas).
Check out this guy's carvings... http://www.grumpkins.com
He carves giant pumpkins, and they don't look like the standard run-o-the-mill jack-o-lanterns, thats for sure!
Skiers and Riders -- http://www.snowjournal.com
It comes from the Celtic traditions:
People believed around this time, spirits walked the earth. They would put out their fires, in order to make their homes less appealing to the spririts. They also dressed up, and acted strange, in order to make the spirits think they were already posessed, so they would move on.
Children would also go door to door, and ask for "treats" in exchange for singing a song, or reciting a poem. This tradition was brought to America by Irish immigrants in the mid 1800's
Listen to NPR a little, no conspriacy here
You'll have to wait until February to see a holiday that was truely concocted by merchandisers to sell thing (namely cards and flowers)
---Lane