washburnreview.org
October 30, 2019
Volume 146
A Washburn Review special edition
Established 1885
English department hosts Halloween bash
The word “witch” actually comes from an old English word that means “wise woman.” Members of the Wiccan were once highly respected. It was popularly believed that witches held one of their two annual meetings, called sabbats, on Halloween.
he English department hosted a Halloween party Friday, Oct. 25, in the Forum Room of the Bradbury Thompson Alumni Center. The party was short and sweet, but full of entertainment and excitement. There were drinks and snacks like chips and salsa, pumpkin spice cupcakes and of course, a bucket of Halloween candy. The event started off with an animated version of Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart.” The party was open to all Washburn students and faculty. Sophomore art major Avery Weishaar came over and attended the party.
photo by Alyssa Storm
Strike a pose: Michaela Grimes poses in her costume contest winning costume. She wore this to a Renaissance festival in Kansas City earlier this year.
“I got a flyer in my English class; I thought it would be interesting to come,” said Weishaar. The next event of the afternoon were flash talks by some of the professors in the English department. Of course all of these topics were Halloween related, but they made you think more about certain points in a different way, or see some things in a different light. First, Professor Liz Derrington talked about the “Vampires in Pop Culture.” Professor Mary Sheldon discussed the different “Ghosts in Old Literature.” Finally, Professor Dennis Etzel Jr. gave a list of “Pro-Feminist Horror Films to Watch (Again)”; the list includes movies like “Jennifer’s Body,” “All Cheerleaders Die,” “Hush,” and “Us.”
50% of children prefer to receive chocolate on Halloween over other types of treats. 24% of children like candy, and 10% would choose gum. Toothbrushes didn’t make the list.
s we all know Halloween is just a day away. Children across the country will be dressing up in their costumes and going trick-or-treating trying to get as much candy as they can. Most Americans have attended a Halloween party, gone to a pumpkin patch or corn maze and maybe even visited a haunted house. While Halloween has religious connections, none of the activities that surround Halloween today tie into what most people consider as normal religious activities. Yet in other countries Halloween is grouped into the holidays Easter and Christmas. Due to the connection between Christianity and Halloween some countries do not celebrate Halloween. “In Saudi Arabia we do not celebrate Halloween because there is no cultural influence and it is a pagan ritual that is now connected to Christianity. It does not fit into our religion,” said Washburn Alumna Mohammed Al Haddad. The case is similar in China where
Trick-or-treating was first mentioned in print in North America in 1927 in Blackie, Alberta, Canada.
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pus for candy to be thrown to them from the parade of student organizations and community members.
Halloween is the second highest-grossing commercial holiday behind Christmas. People in the US spent 8.4 billion in 2016 on candy, costumes, and decorations
Homecoming parade marches on t 10 a.m. Oct. 26, families scattered around the perimeter of Washburn’s cam-
businesses just use the event to make money. “Halloween is gaining popularity in China but mostly in shopping centers and for kindergarteners,” said Jia Feng, geography lecturer. “Many shopping malls decorate their stores or create sales events and attract kids with various candy related activities.” Feng has one specific memory of Halloween. “When I was in junior high in China around 1995, our English teacher hosted a Halloween party for us during the evening study hours in class. Around those years, these festivals are mostly unknown to us students in China. The party was held in secret because not many teachers viewed this celebration as appropriate since the focus should always be to study at school. After our lead teacher left office, our English teacher turned off the light, asked us to bring up the candles we all brought from home, and lit them up. She asked the biggest kid in class to dress up as a Santa Claus [yes, Santa] with a huge bag over his shoulder with all the small gifts we brought with us to class. Then she taught us some songs to sing and asked Santa to hand out the gifts around the classroom,” said Feng.
Halloween facts courtesy of https://www.factinate.com
Samhainophobia is the medical term for a pathological fear of Halloween.
Halloween is traditionally associated with the colors orange and black: orange because of its link to the fall harvest, and black because of its connection to darkness and death. After all, Samhain was about celebrating the boundary between life and death.
According to legend, if you put your clothes on inside out and walk backward at Halloween, you’ll see a witch at midnight.
resident Jerry Farley and his wife, Susan Farley, opened their home to select students to enjoy a group discussion with Sean Bird over a meal. 18 students, freshmen through seniors at Washburn University, and As-
sociate Dean of University Libraries & the Center for Student Success Sean Bird were invited as a result of a random drawing. The lucky winners got to enjoy a dinner and an open discussion in the company of the Washburn University president and his wife on Wednesday, Oct. 23 at 6 p.m. Dinner with the Farleys is an event that happens three to four times a semester, where the Farleys invite students and one faculty member. “I thought it would be an interesting event to go to,” said Sabrina Flanigan, a freshman who double majors in photography and business.
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Dinner with the Countries celebrate Farleys Halloween in different