Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, October 17, 1995 TAG: 9510170072
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY REED
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
E.J., Roanoke
A: We celebrate Halloween because it offers (1) free candy, (2) an occasion for kids (and some adults) to put on costumes and a new identity for a couple of hours, and (3) a break in the routine for almost everyone else.
It's also an excuse to delve into ghost stories and go see fright flicks.
Those are the reasons we observe Halloween.
It wasn't always this way. Halloween's origins were from the darker side of human imaginations and perceptions.
In ancient Britain and Ireland, Oct. 31 was the end of summer and the eve of a new year. Celtic people observed the holiday by honoring a lord of death, and their priests burned sacrifices intended to appease spirits of the dead. People dressed in animal costumes.
In the first century A.D., Rome conquered Britain, and the Celtic festivals took on some Roman traditions, one of which involved fruits and trees. That's probably why people bob for apples at Halloween.
In the eighth century, the church took over Halloween, establishing All Saints' Day on Nov. 1 and saying a Mass called Allhallowmas. Like many other holy days, the timing of this one allowed people to continue a festival they had celebrated before becoming Christians.
The evening before the holiday became All Hallows' eve, soon shortened to Halloween. It didn't remain a spiritual holiday for long, and gradually became a secular observance.
Games among young people became part of Halloween.
Immigrants from Ireland and Scotland introduced Halloween traditions to the United States in the late 1800s. Tricks, some of them pretty destructive, were added to the regimen.
Most of the negative behavior seems to have faded as parents keep a close eye on youngsters and the older kids turn to movies or reasonably civilized parties.
Parking-lot price
Q: How much did it cost the town of Blacksburg to purchase and tear down the house on Church Street behind the post office and construct a parking lot on the site?
K.M., Blacksburg
A: Blacksburg paid $137,000 for the site after the owner, Georgia Anne Snyder-Falkinham, had the house demolished at her expense.
Town Manager Ron Secrist puts the town's other costs at $25,000 to $30,000 for materials used in the parking lot.
These included: lights, landscaping and plants, parking meters, and a brick wall with iron fence that keeps the town's streetscape theme.
Paving, sidewalk and curb and gutter were part of the package.
The town didn't figure labor into the cost because its own crews did the work.
Have a question about something that might affect other people, too? Something you've come across and wondered about? Give us a call at 981-3118. Maybe we can find the answer.
by CNB