By Jeanine Viau
Contributing writer
Many contemporary customs attributed to Halloween are derived from the Celtic "Feast of Samhain," celebrated Nov. 1 and also known as "The Last Harvest," "Summer's End" and "the Feast of the Dead."
The Celtic people celebrated Samhain (pronounced sow-in) as the end of the "Season of the Sun" and the beginning of the "Season of Darkness and Cold." On the eve of Samhain, Oct. 31, all crops were harvested and stored for the long winter. The old cooking fires were extinguished in every home.
The Druid priests gathered this night on hilltops and lit new fires. They made offerings of crops and animals to please the spirits of the dead.
During the "Season of Darkness," the veil between the spirit world and the living is the thinnest. Through the three-day festival of Samhain, the Celtic people paraded in costumes made of animal skins.
The people lit new cooking fires in their homes from the embers of the Druid fires to ward off evil spirits. They set extra places at their tables and invited the spirits of their ancestors to feast with them.
Over time, this feast day became associated with Samhain, "The Lord of the Dead," a deity who never existed in the ancient Celtic listings and chronicles. The conception was adopted later.
The original beliefs and traditions of the "Feast of Samhain" became distorted in historians' records. Many people today associate this pagan festival with devil worship, "The Lord of the Dead," and heathenism. These are misconceptions.
When the Romans conquered the Celtic people, they combined the "Feast of Samhain" with their festival of Pomona, named for the goddess of fruits and gardens, goddess of the orchards. In this tradition, the Roman people bobbed for apples and drank apple cider. These are customs still practiced today.
Later, as Christianity spread through the Roman Empire, another tradition influenced these celebrations. Originally observed on May 13, the Roman Catholic Church eventually moved All Saints' Day to Nov. 1.
The feast of All Saints was created to replace the Roman holiday of Feralia, intended to give rest and peace to souls of the dead.
Hence, Oct. 31 became known as All Hallows' Eve. These days are a celebration of the "Communion of Saints," the community of Christian souls living and dead. Also, it is an occasion to remember the martyrs for Christianity.
What is in the name? Hallow: consecrate, revere. All Hallows' Eve, also named All Hallow's Even or holy evening, eventually became Hallow'en, then Halloween.
Despite controversial conceptions of Halloween, the holiday began as a celebration of ancestry and the harvest bounty rather than the worship of evil.
All contributing historical traditions to the present secularized event involve feasting and the contemplation of spirits past.
Halloween is an observance of the nourishment of life and the life of souls after death.
Contributing writer Jeanine Viau can be reached via email at uspinnak@unf.edu.
Student creates costumes, smiles
By Rachel Dolezal
Contributing writer
The camera clicked as the CEO struggled to lift his briefcase overflowing with cash. A Skittles package flashed her smile while Harry Potter searched for his hat and wand. In the corner, a bright blue octopus and spotted puppy cowered from the camera, too afraid to smile.
The CEO, the Skittles package, the octopus, the puppy and Harry Potter were all children modeling costumes during a photo-shoot for The Florida Times-Union's Halloween story on last-minute costume ideas for parents.
All of these costumes were designed and created by Christy Whitehead, 22, a communications major at the University of North Florida.
For the past
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Christy Whitehead has been designing costumes for children for the Florida Times Union's Halloween story on last minute costume ideas for parents for the last four years.
Photo courtesy of Christy Whitehead
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four years, Whitehead has helped with this Halloween story by designing and creating different costumes for the shoot, according to Brandy Hilboldt Allport, home and garden editor at The Florida Times-Union.
Hilboldt Allport said the story ran Oct. 28 and the idea behind the story is to give parents last-minute ideas for easy costumes they can make with things found around the house and things they can rip out of their closet.
According to Hilboldt Allport, the story featured the pictures of children dressed in Whitehead's costumes and gave directions for making each costume.
Some of the household items Whitehead used to make her costumes included leggings, a hooded sweater, a pillowcase, soccer uniforms, a children's suit, monopoly money and a sheet.
Whitehead said she finds the ideas for her costumes by looking at what is popular or looking at the crafts section at Wal-Mart. She looks at the patterns and tries to figure out how to make them more quickly and easily.
"This year, the ideas just sprang to my head in the timeframe of about 10 minutes," Whitehead said.
Hilboldt Allport said Whitehead is an "idea machine."
Whitehead also helps with other stories at the newspaper. She has been free-lancing there since she was a sophomore in high school.
Whitehead said when she was 15, she interviewed people and tried to get her interviews published. When she could not get her work published, Whitehead created her own newspaper.
Hilboldt Allport said Whitehead kept calling her and trying to get her work published. After continually rejecting Whitehead, she decided to give her a story assignment. Hilboldt Allport assigned Whitehead an advance story on an upcoming concert.
"She met her deadline, and it was good," Hilboldt Allport said. Because Whitehead did a good job, Hilboldt Allport said she assigned her other stories.
Hilboldt Allport also said Whitehead is reliable, and she knows she can count on her. She does not worry about Whitehead doing a good job on a story.
"We make a pretty good team," Hilboldt Allport said. "She's funny and fun to work with -- what more can you ask for?"
Contributing writer Rachel Dolezal can be reached via email at uspinnak@unf.edu.
Monster Mash makes musical mayhem
By Ari Robbins
Features Editor
If you're going to throw a Halloween party this year, you can't afford not to buy "Monster Mash Party Music," for the poor-college-student price of $4.96 at your local Wal-Mart.
This compact disc
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Monster Mash Party Music is a colorful CD full os classic hits from the past. Though all of the tracks on the CD are covers, the CD is still a great buy.
Photo courtesy of Sterling Entertainment Group
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contains such hits as "Monster Mash," "Macho Man" and "Stayin' Alive," three hit songs guaranteed to infuse your party with "life." People in costumes of all shapes and sizes will be unable to resist the temptation to get up on their feet and "do the Mash."
Other favorites included in this 10-hit compact disc are "Batdance," "Soul Man" and "Bad Moon Rising." Ghouls and ghosts from the '70s will indefinitely return to join your party and re-live their youth.
Who can forget the classic '80s hit "Ghostbusters?" Along with other great hits such as "Wooly Bully" and "Abracadabra," your party music necessities are nearly complete.
The only thing youneed to make your Halloween party a perfect success would be a love song. Don't fret. "Monster Mash Party Music" also contains "Spooky," a somewhat twisted love song for the freakish young lovers at your party.
The only drawback to purchasing this CD is the fact that the songs are all covers, so none of the songs are performed by the original artists. A CD that contained all originals of the aforementioned songs would more than likely cost at least twice as much. They are, however, well covered and do the original versions justice, well enough at least to keep a person or other creature's attention.
So if you want to throw a successful Halloween party this year, don't forget to make your way over to Wal-Mart, find the Halloween section, and pick up "Monster Mash Party Music," a choice that would make your mummy proud!
Features Editor Ari Robbins can be reached via email spinnakerfeatures@yahoo.com.
No Doubt rocks UNF arena
By Matt Lehman
Contributing Writer
The No Doubt concert, conveniently known as the Rock Steady Tour, invaded the UNF Arena Oct. 27. The bill featured recording artists The Distillers, Garbage and the ever popular, estrogen-laced No Doubt.
"What's up Florida!... psych," aggressively echoed throughout the Arena from the vocals of The Distillers lead singer Brody Armstrong, wife of Rancid founder Tim Armstrong.
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No Doubt rocked UNF Arena Oct. 27. No Doubt consists of (from left to right) Adrian Young - guitar, Tony Kanal - Drums, Gwen Stefani -vocals, and Tom Dumont - Bass.
Photo Illustration by Robert Davis
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"We're havin' some technical difficulties," she mouthed as she ripped off her tiger print shirt and stripped down to a white sports bra that revealed her eclectic array of edgy tattoos.
Their punk-infested set never seemed to reach a lull as they took the audience through many abrasive hits from their self-titled 2000 release and their latest album, "Sing Sing Death House."
The crowd hadn't become infected by the fast-paced set until Armstrong yelled "You guys are great, keep it up!" All of a sudden, the eager fan base began to swell while rowdy fans pumped their fists in the air to help fuel their emotional release.
The intensity of the set peaked when Armstrong asked the crowd if they were ready for the queen of hearts, Shirley Manson. The crowd responded with enthusiasm as The Distillers closed with a tribute to Garbage and No Doubt that sparked a frenzy of raised hands and fists.
The hiatus between sets didn't last long before Garbage entered the realm of excitement. The lights popped on and the crowd roared as lead-singer Shirley Manson bounced side to side with an intense stare and inviting smile that let the crowd know Garbage had arrived.
Manson, with striped purple stockings, jean skirt, furry vest and black armband, immediately hypnotized the audience with her vibrant aura and occasional Henry Rollins style half-kneeling poses.
Their overall stage presence seemed very sophisticated, even down to the clear glass shield that Garbage drummer Matt Chamberlain had set up to guard himself from incoming "garbage." Ha!
Manson's cherry red lipstick glowed as she caressed her body up and down at the end of "I Think I'm Paranoid," a song off their 1998 release "Version 2.0."
Halfway through their set, she grabbed a pink feather boa and threw it around her neck as she seductively strolled around the stage. At the end of the song, she tossed the boa into the crowd where fans ripped it to shreds like piranha feeding on a mouse.
"Three chicks on one bill, and I love every one of them," yelled Manson in reference to the girl power essence that controlled the microphone for the evening. This sparked the transition into "Push It," a song from their groundbreaking self-titled 1995 release.
At this point, the crowd was full of energy. The crowd's attention remained fixated on the show as many unsuccessful crowd surfers plummeted to the ground. But keep in mind, it's hard for most of the teeny boppers that lined the front of the stage to hold, let alone get their hands up to catch one of the incoming bodies. It was quite entertaining to watch.
Before Garbage went into "Drive You Home," a song from their latest release "Beautifulgarbage," Manson took some time to talk to the audience. She thanked one of her fans for a bracelet that had been thrown on stage, which led her to talk about how the band's egos are fragile and they get sad when they don't get a good reaction from their fans. She then picked up a sock that had reached the stage and threw it back into the crowd.
Garbage concluded their set with "When I Grow Up." "Thank you Jacksonville, you've been amazing," Manson shouted with sincerity, and just like that, the lights were back on and the anticipation for the next act radiated throughout the crowd.
It took about 30 minutes for No Doubt to set up before they hit the stage. The lights went off, and the ear piercing screams from fans ripped through the air as Gwen
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Students and Fans of No Doubt, Garbage, and The Distillers line up for what appears to be miles waiting to get into the UNF Arena for the "Rock Steady Tour" Oct. 27.
File Photo by Robert Davis
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and the band rose up from the ground at the end of the walkway that had been attached to the stage.
I've never seen anyone captivate so much attention as lead-singer Gwen Stefani did as No Doubt opened with "Hella Good," a song off their new album "Rock Steady." The crowd was mesmerized by her presence. Fans scattered about in search of that perfect view.
Their stage presence was out of this world. From glow in the dark drums to Gwen's shimmering blond hair, No Doubt flawlessly penetrated each song with such emphasis. It was quite funny how much guitarist Tom Dumont resembled Andy Dick and drummer Adrian Young resembled Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Oh yeah, and don't forget about the Karate Kid on bass. Known for being a great live band, No Doubt commanded the stage.
"The coolest thing about being me tonight is that you're all mine tonight," Stefani announced before going into "New."
No Doubt ran through hit after hit, and then the music stopped and Stefani approached the crowd.
"What the #$@& are you looking at?" she yelled. "You lookin' at me?" The band started playing the opening chords to "Just A Girl" while the crowd screamed as Stefani began doing sets of push-ups.
No Doubt performed "Hey Baby" and "Don't Speak" just before exiting the stage, but they weren't finished. The fans upstairs stomped their feet on the bleachers while screams took over the Arena. The decibel level peaked when No Doubt came back on stage for an encore in which they played "Rock Steady" and "Spiderwebs."
Contributing writer Matt Lehman can be reached via email at uspinnak@unf.edu
Ghost Ship sinks quickly
By Travis Hayes
Contributing Writer
The latest film to continue the legacy of Halloween horror flicks is Ghost Ship, which delivers everything a movie watcher has come to expect from a film of it's genre. Ghost Ship follows in the steps of all its classic predecessors in sex, scares and gore.
When the audience first begins watching the film, they'll know something's up. With pink credits and an Italian serenade, viewers might think they're in the wrong theater, but this isn't the case (unfortunately). As the first 10 minutes will attest, this light atmosphere turns gruesome, really gruesome.
One of the bloodiest scenes of any horror film starts Ghost Ship out on its long path of bad dialogue, mediocre acting and plot holes that ultimately cause this film to sink.
Director Steven Beck, who also directed the eerie Thirteen Ghosts, returns to his horror motif of dark environments filled with vengeful ghosts. Yet, he fails in his endeavor to make a haunted house float. Even with the film's talented cast, it comes belly up.
The blame cannot be placed solely on this fledgling director; it must be shared with writer John Pogue. Pogue must have gone through every cheap horror film and combined all the bad plots and dialogues to erect this floating derelict.
More should have been expected
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Julianna Margulies (left) plays Maureen Epps and Desmond Harrington plays Jack Ferriman in Ghost Ship, the only big-budget scary movie of this Halloween season.
Photo courtesy of Warner Brothers
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from the talented Gabriel Byrne, but he is cast in role that does not suit him. In the film, Byrne plays the rough sea captain, Sean Murphy. Byrne would have been more suited embodying the evil that rules the ship than the simple sea captain who is always rattling on about some mystery of the sea.
Desmond Harrington, who plays Jack Ferriman, however, does fit nicely into his innocent-turned-evil character. Yet, his role fits into the very stereotypical good guy turned bad, thus taking away from his fairly well-given performance. There is little to say of the rest of the cast. Their combined acting efforts only add up to that of a '70s horror flick.
While little genius was required in writing this film, it was saved by the sheer creepiness of the plot. Though badly written, there are times where the film does achieve its goal of frightening the audience.
The audience has editor Robert Burton to thank for this, especially his rendition of the sequence in which one of the ghosts relates the tragic, gruesome end of the passengers on the ship. Even though this scene is more blood and gore than actual scares, its visualization seems almost poetic.
The film is not worth watching on the big screen. It tries to cover up bad acting and dialogue with lots of blood, lots of gore and a naked Italian chick. The plot is only plausible if you don't think about it, following in the tradition of most horror films.
But if this sort of thing appeals to you, by all means, this is your movie.
Wednesday, October 30, 2002