Halloween

 Wikipedia

Today's Halloween customs are thought to have been influenced by folk customs and beliefs from the Celtic-speaking countries, some of which are believed to have pagan roots. Jack Santino, a folklorist, writes that "there was throughout Ireland an uneasy truce existing between customs and beliefs associated with Christianity and those associated with religions that were Irish before Christianity arrived"

It is celebrated on October 31st to commemorate those who died recently or longer ago.

Each dog has its own pumpkin with its image cut out

I wish you all a happy Halloween

Our World Tuesday,ABC Wednesday, Y for Year, and New Year's Eve

An oliebol  is a traditional Dutch and Belgian food. They are called oliebollen (literally: oil spheres) in the Netherlands.In English they are more commonly known as Dutch Doughnuts or Dutchies.(Wikipedia)

This is what we have on New Year's Eve! Many Dutch women have already started to bake "oliebollen"! I buy them, because we don't need so many. My sister, who lost her husband recently, will stay with me.

A Happy New Year! Our New Year starts with fireworks. Lots of noise, sometimes very colourful, but always risky for careless boys, who try to invent new fireworks.

Anyway we'll stay indoors and watch the spectacle from behind my windows.

 

This is my contribution for the letter Y. Thanks to Denise Nesbitt who created this meme about 7 years ago !

    Thanks to Roger who organizes these contributions every week.

Welcome to Our World Tuesday! This meme continues in memory of the work of Klaus Peter, whose "that's My World" brought people together from around the world every Monday to share the wonders therein--big and small.Please click on our  logo for "Our World Tuesday" in the sidebar. Thank you Team of O. W. T.!

 

 

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day (photographer unknown)

ABC Wednesday, P for Poster Plaswijck Park

The lighting of bonfires by the ancient Celts may have influenced the lighting of bonfires on All Hallows' Eve

Wikipedia says:
"Today's Halloween customs are thought to have been influenced by folk customs and beliefs from the Celtic-speaking countries, some of which have pagan roots, and others which may be rooted in Celtic Christianity.
Historian Nicholas Rogers, exploring the origins of Halloween, notes that while "some folklorists have detected its origins in the Roman feast of Pomona, the goddess of fruits and seeds, or in the festival of the dead called Parentalia, it is more typically linked to the Celtic festival of Samhain", which comes from the Old Irish for "summer's end" Samhain (pronounced SAH-win or SOW-in) was the first and most important of the four quarter days in the medieval Gaelic calendar and was celebrated in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man.It was held on or about October 31 – November 1 and kindred festivals were held at the same time of year by the Brittonic Celts; for example Calan Gaeaf (in Wales), Kalan Gwav (in Cornwall) and Kalan Goañv (in Brittany). Samhain and Calan Gaeaf are mentioned in some of the earliest Irish and Welsh literature. The names have been used by historians to refer to Celtic Halloween customs up until the 19th century, and are still the Gaelic and Welsh names for Halloween."

Interesting, isn't it? I don't understand why  "Halloween" is not really very popular in the Netherlands.The poster shows an invitation to join a Halloween party in a park in Rotterdam. It should be attractive to children, I think. On the poster it says "Griezelavonden"(=Blood-curdling evenings) on Wednesday. And it says:" Iedere dag extra enge activiteiten", meaning:"Every day extra weird activities."

Happy Halloween

 With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar.

 This week we are looking for words beginning with P.

 

Words in this post beginning with P: Poster, Plaswijckpark, Pagan, Pomona, Parentalia. 

Traditions, Thought for the day

 HAPPY MOTHER''S DAY to all mothers who read my blog!

 Tomorrow we celebrate Mother's Day. Like in the UK we celebrate it on the second Sunday in May.
My daughter in Australia sent me a card from Oxfam saying that my present was a gift to the midwives in Laos. This is part of a world-changing program called Oxfam Unwrapped. I am very happy with this gift!! The fact that my children became good mothers, who also care for the rest of the world and think of such a gift, makes me proud of them and happy.
 She wrote on it:"From one mother to another mother for many other mothers."

 Wikipedia says:"UK holds the prestige of being the first country in the world to dedicate a special day for mothers It started when the Roman and British Empire converted to Christianity."

Sky Watch, Commemoration of the Dead

"They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them".

The National Monument is a 1956 World War II monument on Dam Square in Amsterdam. A ceremony is held at the monument every year on 4 May to commemorate the casualties of World War II and subsequent armed conflicts.

A semicircular wall surrounds the back side of the monument. The wall contains eleven urns with soil from World War II execution grounds and war cemeteries in each of the Dutch provinces. Three years later, a twelfth urn was added with soil from the Dutch East Indies, present-day Indonesia.

Sky Watch is hosted each week by the Sky Watch team of Sandy,and Sylvia. And this week as every week, we remember Klaus and know that he joins us in spirit! .
It's always a pleasure to participate, and see all the other skies around the world. If you want to see other skies please click on the logo in the side bar.

Happy Easter

     
    Happy and blessed Easter with love and warmth to all of you!

Traditions, Halloween

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Pumpkins can be used for many purposes!
According to Wikipidia:"The word pumpkin originates from the word pepon , which is Greek for “large melon". The French adapted this word to pompon, which the British changed to pumpion and later American colonists changed that to the word we use today, "pumpkin". The origin of pumpkins is not definitively known, although they are thought to have originated in North America. The oldest evidence, pumpkin-related seeds dating between 7000 and 5500 BC, were found in Mexico. Pumpkins are a squash-like fruit that range in size from less than 1 pound (0.45 kilograms) to over 1,000 pounds (450 kilograms)"

 
 

It is really worth while enlarging these photos !

Valentine!!

 

HAPPY VALENTINE TO ALL BLOGGERS.

Thanksgiving

 

To all American bloggers: Happy Thanksgiving! I understand that our Canadian blogging friends celebrate Thanksgiving on another day!