West Michigan Weekly: Halloween Weekend Round-Up

Anne Boleyn (me), Jackie-O (Kelly),
Wicked Witch (Cheri with Eli in her arms), and Dark Angel (Judy)

Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! The WMTA staff is certainly in a spirited mood today, and how could we not be with Halloween just around the corner? We're dressed and ready to celebrate all the ghoulish things in store for my very favorite holiday weekend.

A bit of Halloween history:
Halloween’s rich history and traditions steeped in mystery and superstition form the fun community-based festivities we enjoy every October 31. The ancient Celts celebrated their new year beginning on November 1 with the festival of Samhain, which marked the end of harvest and the beginning of the dark and often deadly winter season. On this night, the lines between the living and the deceased were blurred, bringing unworldly visitors back to earth. The presence of these spirits led to a night of prophecies and sacred bonfires.

In the first century, the Celtic celebration merged with the Roman festivals of Feralia, honoring the passing of the dead, and the festival of Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees whose symbol was the apple. Eventually, the Christian church created Hallowmas, a three-day celebration of saints and souls beginning October 31 and consisting of All-hallows Eve, All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day.

Wearing a grotesque mask was thought to disguise the fearful from wandering spirits after dark while food and wine was left outside to keep them from entering homes. During All Soul’s Day parades in England, pastries called “soul cakes” were given out to the poor in exchange for a promise of prayers for the dead, replacing the tradition of leaving food and beginning what is today known as trick-or-treating.

America’s Halloween traditions are a mix of old-world customs from generations of immigrants. Stories of the dead, fortunes, and ghoulish mischief from the colonies mixed later with autumn festivals, but it was not until the late eighteenth century, with a rise in Irish immigrants, that Halloween became nationally celebrated.

What are you dressing up as? What are your plans? Have you been working on your costume for three months like me?

A creeping, crawling high five,

-Shannon

Friday

Grand Rapids: John Ball Zoo: Zoo Goes Boo!
Muskegon: Lakeshore Museum Center: The Museum After Dark
Grand Rapids: Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park: Hallowee-Ones
Downtown Traverse City: Downtown Halloween Walk

Friday & Saturday

Boyne Falls: Avalanche Bay at Boyne Mountain: Halloween Hoopla and Zip of Terror
Suttons Bay: Black Star Farms: Haunted Hayrides

Saturday

Saugatuck-Douglas: Halloween Harvest Festival
Thompsonville: Crystal Mountain Resort & Spa: Trick-or-Treating, Costume Contest and Haunted Forest
Downtown Pentwater: Halloween Spooktacular & Halloween on the Green
Grand Haven: Scary Business & Trick or Treating
South Haven: Trick or Treating
Allegan: Hometown Halloween
Grand Rapids: Zombie Walk
Grand Rapids: JW Marriot: Dead-U-Tante Ball