Care for Halloween haunts across the Capital District range from family friendly to frightening
Haunted Cave Tour
O
ctober starts the Awesome Trinity of Holidays. If you’re not familiar with that trinity, it’s OK. I just made it up. But, you know what I’m talking about. The Awesome Trinity of Holidays includes Thanksgiving and Christmas, but it all starts with Halloween.
by
Michael Hallisey
Pumpkin Glow & Light Show
October is the month for haunted hayrides, ghost tours, pumpkin carvings and trickor-treating. All of which are fun activities ingrained into our childhood memories to the point we forget Halloween’s roots. The childhood icons of the day lend hints to Samhain. Pagan Celts believed this was the day in which the veils between the world of the living and the land of the dead were at their thinnest. It allowed the souls of departed loved ones to mingle with the living once more, and not in a creepy, zombie-apocalypse kind of way. There are a few stories tied to the act of
12 Family Now — October 2020
pumpkin carving. History. com shares a compelling story about the Irish myth of “Stingy Jack.” According to lore, he made a deal with the devil and managed to wiggle himself out of it. In doing so, he built such a reputation for himself that he was frozen out from heaven and that other place once he died. He’s now left wandering the earth with a glowing piece of coal to light his way. He places it in a carved-out gourd to serve as a lantern. Across the ocean, kids carve scary faces out of apples and turnips to ward off evil spirits. Pumpkins are most common in the United States, so we see them used instead. Now, the whole idea of conversing with the dead and making deals with the devil sounds like heresy. Following such traditions could lead to accusations of practicing witchcraft. In the past, that never ended very well for the accused. Today, it’s relatively safe to dress up as one on the 31st, but if you float, I’d choose another costume. Halloween is the underlying theme for many of the activities for one to enjoy this month. Take a peek at the events we’ve compiled to see what catches your attention. Just
