Well, it is finally here. Yes, it is Halloween and I have a treat this year weather - wise for all my bloggers. So lets get started! First off what are some of you doing this Halloween weekend? Maybe some Pumpkin carving? Some Halloween party's? Or how about some scary movies and lots of sweet snacks? If you have any outdoor plans will the weather allow them? That is the question and I have the answer. Real quick lets take a look at today's forecast below!
Halloween Quick Cast.
Today we will look for a treat rather then a trick! This already sounds good lol. We will start out with some cloudy skies over the WLFI viewing area. However as the day continues we will see the clouds start to break up and become more clear. We will see Partly cloudy skies take over by this afternoon. Highs will feel much cooler then they did yesterday! I look for highs in the low to middle 40s around 45° to 46°F degrees. The good thing is winds won't be as high as they were yesterday! I look for winds between 10 and 20 mph. Lows Halloween night will be rather cold near freezing. Lows will be around 32°F degrees tonight. The trick or treat-ers may need a light jacket as they hit the streets for extra candy this evening...
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For the way things look right now I think the weather will allow your outdoor fun today. Sure it is going to be a little cool however we can handle that. My sister and I made a harvest soup for All Hallows Eve last night for dinner and I have to say it was GREAT! Today on the other hand we will have lots of sweets to fix up along with adding a few more decorations before all the scary movies tonight. We usually stay up through out much of the night watching movies with no lights other then the Jack O Lantern till we can't watch anymore! lol. You can see we have already carved out the pumpkins below.
Sisters.....
Justin's.....
You should have seen my Sister carving her pumpkin lol. She was so grossed out by the inside mess I was laughing so hard... And that reminds me, Did any of you know you can eat the Pumpkin seeds? Our Mother told us about this a few years ago and now it is something we do just about every year. I have already been eating the seeds from my pumpkin the past two days. For those of you who don't already know they taste pretty much like a peanut. If you like peanuts then you should like baked pumpkin seeds. Here's how to make them below. Just make sure you don't tell my Mom I posted this lol :)
Pumpkin Seeds.....
Wash seeds after carving your pumpkin.
Dry on a paper towels.
When dry lay them on cookie sheets and sprinkle with a little salt. Bake in 225° degree over for 1 hour.
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Then all you have to do is grab your seeds and enjoy! I love em! One thing I wanted to do this year was find out the real meaning of Halloween. What it is about and how it got started. I thought I would post a little something about it below so you all can know what it is really about and how it got started as well. It's pretty cool how much holidays change over the years.
The History Of Halloween
Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in).
The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter.
To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities.
During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other's fortunes. When the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter.
By A.D. 43, Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. In the course of the four hundred years that they ruled the Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman origin were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain.
The first was Feralia, a day in late October when the Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead. The second was a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple and the incorporation of this celebration into Samhain probably explains the tradition of "bobbing" for apples that is practiced today on Halloween.
By the 800s, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1 All Saints' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. It is widely believed today that the pope was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday. The celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints' Day) and the night before it, the night of Samhain, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween. Even later, in A.D. 1000, the church would make November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. It was celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils. Together, the three celebrations, the eve of All Saints', All Saints', and All Souls', were called Hallowmas.
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And now you know the truth of Halloween. So many people have so many different takes on this very holiday which is just fine! But now you know how it really got started and what it is really about. Now have a very Happy and Safe Halloween Bloggers. I'M off to enjoy and get ready for a Halloween movie night with lots of snacks lol. Anybody want some? ;) Have a great weekend....................
This image was taken at 8:05pm EST this evening. You can see all the mess heading this way. I don't look for anything severe thunderstorm - wise which is always good news! However there are many many severe thunderstorm warnings as well as tornado warnings posted well to our south in areas of Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas. This is where all the severe weather has been expected and looks to be taking place. Lafayette, on the other hand has some heavy rain and strong winds to watch out for. I still call for rainfall between 1.50" and 2.50" inches with still locally higher amounts on top of that!! Be ready to report your final rainfall totals.....
