Halloween Special

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Some Halloween traditions, such as carving Jack-o’-lanterns, are based on Irish folklore and have been carried on throughout the centuries.

Black Cats: Often used as symbols of bad luck, black cats grace many Halloween decorations. The black cat’s bad reputation dates back to the Dark Ages, when witch hunts were commonplace. Elderly, solitary women were often accused of witchcraft, and their pet cats were said to be their “familiars,” or demonic animals that had been given to them by the devil. Another medieval myth told that Satan turned himself into a cat when socializing with witches. But nowadays, black cats aren’t synonymous with bad luck and mischief everywhere — in Ireland, Scotland and England, it’s considered good luck for a black cat to cross your path.

Jack-O’-Lanterns: A fun fall activity, carving Jack-o’-lanterns actually has its roots in a sinister,

tragic fable. Celtic folklore tells the tale of a drunken farmer named Jack who tricked the devil, but his trickery resulted in him being turned away from both the gates of heaven and hell after he died. Having no choice but to wander around the darkness of purgatory, Jack made a lantern from a turnip and a burning lump of coal that the devil had tossed him from hell.  Jack, the story goes, used the lantern to guide his lost soul; as such, the Celts believed that placing Jack-o’-lanterns outside would help guide lost spirits home when they wander the streets on Halloween. 

Bats: Medieval folklore also described bats as witches’ familiars, and seeing a bat on Halloween was considered to be quite an ominous sign. One myth was that if a bat was spotted flying around one’s house three times, it meant that someone in that house would soon die. Another myth was that if a bat flew into your house on Halloween, it was a sign that your house was haunted because ghosts had let the bat in.

Spiders: A common source of fear, spiders make for creepy, crawly Halloween staples. They join the ranks of bats and black cats in folklore as being evil companions of witches during medieval times. One superstition held that if a spider falls into a candle-lit lamp and is consumed by the flame, witches are nearby. And if you spot a spider on Halloween, goes another superstition, it means that the spirit of a deceased loved one is watching over you.

Witches: The stereotypical image of the haggard witch with a pointy black hat and warty nose stirring a magical potion in her cauldron actually stems from a pagan goddess known as “the crone,” who was honored during Samhain. The crone was also known as “the old one” and the “Earth mother,” who symbolized wisdom, change, and the turning of the seasons. Today, the kind, all-knowing old crone has morphed into the menacing, cackling witch.

Cauldrons: The pagan Celts believed that after death, all souls went into the crone’s cauldron, which symbolized the Earth mother’s womb. There, the souls awaited reincarnation, as the goddess’ stirring allowed for new souls to enter the cauldron and old souls to be reborn. That image of the cauldron of life has now been replaced by the steaming, bubbling, ominous brew.

Witch’s Broomstick: The witch’s broomstick is another superstition that has its roots in medieval myths. The elderly, introverted women that were accused of witchcraft were often poor and could not afford horses, so they navigated through the woods on foot with the help of walking sticks, which were sometimes substituted by brooms.

Trick-Or-Treating in Costumes: In olden times, it was believed that during Samhain, the veil between our world and the spirit world was thinnest, and that the ghosts of the deceased could mingle with the living. The superstition was that the visiting ghosts could disguise themselves in human form, such as a beggar, and knock on your door during Samhain asking for money or food. If you turned them away empty-handed, you risked receiving the wrath of the spirit and being cursed or haunted.

Another Celtic myth was that dressing up as a ghoul would fool the evil spirits into thinking that you were one of them so that they would not try to take your soul. In the U.S., trick-or-treating became a customary Halloween tradition around the late 1950s, after it was brought over by Irish immigrants in the early 1900s.

Halloween Colors: The traditional Halloween colors of orange and black actually stem from the pagan celebration of autumn and the harvest, with orange symbolizing the colors of the crops and turning leaves, while black marks the “death” of summer and the changing season. Over time, green, purple and yellow have also been introduced into the color scheme of Halloween decorations.

As you can see, the origins behind today’s Halloween celebrations go back a long time, to a very colorful (and scary) period of humanity.  If you decide to be part of the celebrations, please do so carefully so that you and those around you may enjoy the festive occasion.

Cheers!

                          Black + Orange Rum Punch

                                  (Courtesy of www.brit.co)

Ingredients:

4 oz. Orange Juice

4 oz. Pineapple Juice

1 Tbsp. Lime Juice

2 oz. Aged Light Rum (such as Bacardi Gold)

2 oz. Light White Rum (such as Bacardi Silver)

2 oz.  Club Soda (soda water)

4 oz. Fresh Blackberries

1/2 C. Granulated Sugar

Supplies:  

Black food coloring toothpicks 

Directions:

Place sugar in a small bowl and add food coloring. Mix until uniform in color, incorporating additional coloring as needed.

Run an orange or lime slice around the rim of the glass. Alternatively, dip rims onto a plate filled with water. Coat rims with sugar by dipping in the black sugar mixture.

Mix together orange juice and rum in a large cocktail shaker or liquid measuring cup; shake with ice or refrigerate until chilled.

Place 3 to 4 blackberries in the bottom of each glass and crush. Slowly pour cocktail over blackberries. Garnish with a toothpick topped with a blackberry.

                                Black Deviltini 

Ingredients:

8 oz. Dark Rum

 2 oz. Dry Vermouth 

4 Black Olives

Directions:

Grab 4 martini glasses and fill them with ice and soda water to chill. Fill a large shaker with ice and fill with the dark rum and vermouth and shake. Dump out the martini glasses and strain the contents of the shaker into the glasses. Drop in a black olive. This makes 4 Black Deviltinis. Recipe from: http://voices.yahoo.com/festive-cocktails-halloween-parties-1944554.html

                                   Zombie

Ingredients:

4 oz. Apricot Brandy 

4 oz. Light Rum 

4 oz. Dark Rum

 4 oz. Lemon Juice 

4 oz. Lime Juice 

4 oz. 151 Rum 

A few dashes of Grenadine 

2 oz. Orange Juice

Directions:

Shake all ingredients except the orange juice and 151 and then strain into a pitcher with ice. Pour into four ice filled glasses and top them all with orange juice allowing enough room for the 151 rum. Slowly add the 151 rum so that it sits in the top. Garnish with a cherry and orange slice. This makes 4 Zombies.

Recipe from: http://voices.yahoo.com/festive-cocktails-halloween-parties-1944554.html

                                      The Ghostini

Ingredients:

1 oz. Bailey’s Irish cream with a hint of Caramel

3 oz. Cruzan Vanilla Rum

2 oz. Pumpkin Spice Liqueur

Crushed Oreo Cookies, for rimming

Gummy Worms, for garnish

Dry Ice, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Rim a chilled cocktail glass with crushed cookies.  Pour the liquid ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.  Shake well.  Strain into the prepared glass and add dry ice if desired. Garnish with a few gummy worms.

Recipe from: https://rum-drinks.com/the-ghostini-rum-cocktail-recipe/