text; regarding Halloween

[whiteas]

Attention everyone: I'm sure that since we're all from different worlds, at least half of the people here haven't heard of Halloween so I took the liberty of creating a brief breakdown on the basics of the holiday from any of the books I found in the library, since I assume those are the ones that Genessia and the associated cities's version is based on.

Halloween is a holiday during which the barriers between the world of the living and the world of the dead are supposedly overlapped. It looked like there were a few other holidays with similar ideas, too, but this one is October 31st. It's based on an ancient festival that was held with bonfires, as fires were thought to attract the spirits to one location instead of raising the dead to wreak havoc on people's livelihoods, and is accompanied by people wearing costumes and masks to mimic spirits and monsters. Wearing the costumes helps them feel welcome, calmed, and appeased so they don't go and destroy everything.

I've found these stories in multiple books, as well as information about it becoming a more popular holiday in which people still wear costumes, though not only spirits and monsters so much as just about anything that is different from what they are. Also, on the night of Halloween, it's popular practice to either attend parties or go house to house asking people for candy handouts which seems ridiculous to me, but if it's tradition then it's tradition.

Pumpkin-carving is also a tradition for the holiday, and I think it replaced the bon-fires since people usually light a candle inside of them and it lights up the face that you make on the pumpkin.

Regardless of whether the reason for it is legitimate or not, it sounds like fun and it certainly won't hurt as a precaution against the dead coming back to haunt us. I for one plan on participating, and not just because there's a contest and I want to go to the ball.

[ But that is a lot of it. ]

Comments

[have_hat_will_travel]

This sounds like a fine idea.

[whiteas]

Which part of it?

[luckymonster]

Tell me, what are the limitations of these costumes. Are there any set rules? How exactly are we judge in the contest?

Lastly, what is the likelihood of monsters?

[whiteas]

There are 3 categories for the costume contest:

A) Spookiest Costume
B) Most Creative Costume
C) Funniest Costume Duo

The first category banks on the scare-factor of the costume. The second is based entirely on creativity and execution. The third you need a partner for and the two costumes must go hand-in-hand with each other. Other than that, they didn't really give a specific rubric for how they're judging the contest.

I couldn't seem to find any historical proof that the monsters and spirits actually appeared if it wasn't done, but considering it's a tradition, it's entirely possible that it has worked and Genessia simply hasn't avoided doing it yet. I come from a world where we can't go outside city walls without heavy artillery because of monsters, so I at the very least know it's a possibility.

[have_hat_will_travel]

Costume parties, in particular.

Candy handouts maybe, but I could see that going totally wrong too.

[whiteas]

Only if your candy wasn't properly sealed.

[Audio]

[frostheartedrose]

Ah, actually... The demand is for a trick or a treat. As a host to the visitor it is assumed that one will provide entertainment or refreshment.

[Audio]

[whiteas]

From what I found out, historically it's based on a practice of begging for small cakes called souling that happened both at Halloween and Christmas. Supposedly people went around singing and praying for the dead. Each cake eaten represented a soul being freed from a place called Purgatory. I'm not so sure anything like eating a cake could accomplish that, but people have their beliefs one way or the other. I'm fairly certain that evolved into it just being going door to door and begging people for candy without any purpose. So yes, I still think it's ridiculous since there's literally no cultural benefit to it now.

[have_hat_will_travel]

Cursed candies, I mean. Or something.

[whiteas]

Somehow I suspect poisoned candy would be a more realistic threat.

[have_hat_will_travel]

I dunno... I'm just remembering one incident...

text

[betel_geuse]

[Too late, babes. I'm already haunting ya. What's so bad about the dead coming back anyways? I mean, we don't have a lot of motive to hurt the living. Do you have any idea how overcrowded the afterlife is? Nah, you stay healthy, babes. Gotta admit, though, I do love Halloween!]

text

[whiteas]

I have no idea.

You're dead? As in you died here or you were dead before you got here? Because those are very different.

[whiteas]

One incident doesn't make it likely.

[have_hat_will_travel]

Depends on how many magicians are around. And how many want to do something weird.

Re: [Audio]

[frostheartedrose]

Ah! Someone who does actual research, I'm quite pleased. In my world most older cultures have some sort of tradition honoring the dead. Offerings of food and entertainment to the spirits of the departed, dressing up in costumes to avoid curses, lighting candles and ringing bells to scare away bad spirits, elaborate ceremonies... It really is odd to watch sometimes. Humans are so fragile and short-lived I suppose it's natural to both fear and adore that same mortality in various ways.

[She's just going to... drink some tea. So much tea, so little time!]

As for Purgatory... I haven't really examined to details but in my world it sounds a bit like detention. Souls who weren't extremely good or bad are stuck there until either time's up or someone bails them out. I'm not sure what eating cake has to do with it though.

[betel_geuse]

[Yup. Dead as dead can be. Naw, I didn't die here. I died about six hundred years ago, on my own world. I'm called BJ. Ya might've heard of me.]

[whiteas]

I've never met or heard of a single person by the name of BJ.

[betel_geuse]

[That's a shame. I'm a great guy. You been in Genessia long?]

[forever_prince]

Oh joy, humans celebrating their ignorance of the Netherworld.

I am so sick of this holiday...

[whiteas]

Oh joy, another person complaining about the fact that other worlds have traditions that don't reflect their own.

[whiteas]

Yes, but no one's mentioned you.

[forever_prince]

My castle sits on its own dimensional crossroads. I have a dimension gate in my main hall. I get the Halloween thing from a million different directions every year.

Even if there is something special about the day in those worlds, it's got nothing to do with the world of the dead, or whatever.

[whiteas]

I'm talking to another dead guy who loves it. Just because you have a world of the dead doesn't mean there aren't other ones unless you're electing yourself to ignorance.

[forever_prince]

There aren't multiple worlds of the dead. When you die, you either wind up in Celestia, or my castle.

He's not really dead. He may not be alive, but I can say with utmost certainty that he's not dead.