JovialJman - The Origins And Beliefs Of Halloween

Jack-o'-Lanterns are synonymous with Halloween.

It is that day of year where you can dress up as anything you want, from a ghost, or ghoul, to a vampire, or, (as some ladies like to do), a bunny. It is a day of fear and fright, along with getting free candy from houses that you visit. But how did it come about and what are the origins of these traditions.

There are a lot more theories on the things associated with Halloween then there are about the treasures of the sea and UFO's (not really but it is close). There are a few things that have a fair amount of evidence that supports it, while other things are what some just take as always being like that.

This video shows some of the origins of Halloween that I did not cover.

There were people that were called the Celts that lived in what we now would call Brittany, Wales, Cornwall, Isle of Man, Ireland, and Scotland. They had many traditions and customs, one of which was to celebrate Samhain, this was celebrated on the sunset of October 31st to sunset of the 1 of November. In the Northern hemisphere, it is the end of summer and the beginning of winter, this meant the they had finished their harvest for the year and brought the cattle from the summer pastures to closer to home, and slaughter those that they needed for the winter. They would light a big bonfire to light a way for the herders to come home. It has also been said that this was the end of the year for the Celts.

This Image shows where the celts lived. For the key please see here.

Since it was the end of the year, they believed that the veil between the living and the underworld was at its weakest and spirits where able to come easily to our world. Since some of these spirits might not have been very pleasant, people dressed up in costumes in what that thought would be unpleasing to these spirits so they would not posses them, (this might be where the dressing up came from.) Pomona was a Roman god associated with the flourishing of fruit, when drawn she is associated with apples and may be a source for our modern tradition of bobbing for apples comes from.

When Christianity was trying to convert people to their religion, one of the methods was to make it more appealing to the Pagans, they decided to make this unholy day, a day for the church and thus made it November the first "All Saints Day". Another word for saint at the time was "Hallow", which now means to make things holy. So the day before All saints day was know as all Hallow Evening and but shortening it, it became Halloween.

The Jack-o'-Lanterns have a very interesting story behind it. In Ireland, there was a story that went as such; There was once a man named Stingy Jack. He called up the Devil himself and invited him to a bar, but since Jack was rather sinister, he didn't bring money to pay for the drinks. He persuaded the devil to change into a coin so Jack could pay, but instead of paying, he decided to put the coin in a box with a silver cross, so the devil was unable to change back to his original form. Once Jack got bored he decided to let him go on 2 conditions, 1 the devil would leave him alone for 10 years, and that he would not take his soul when he dies, the devil agreed and was set free. Once Jack eventually passed away, God did not let him into heaven since he was to evil. Then jack went to the gates of hell asked the devil to be let in, but keeping his word, the Devil refused him entry but gave him a coal that  would burn forever and sent him away, Jack decided to put the coal in a carved out turnip and made a lantern. Since then people could see Jack walk around with his lantern and was referred to as Jack of the Lantern, which was shortened to Jack-o'-Lantern.

Some of the lanterns that may be seen during Halloween. Picture taken from here.

Then people carved out turnips and potatoes and put a light inside to ward off Jack since, they would thought that Jack would think the devil was there. See that it is a Turnip and not a pumpkin, well, pumpkins are not native to Ireland, but when some of them migrated to America during the potato shortage, they came into contact with the pumpkins and found they were perfect for the carvings.

All Hallows Eve was also a time to pray for those who have passed away, and one tradition was going to houses in your neighbourhood and knocked on peoples doors asking for soul cakes, for each one they got, they were ensured a prayer. This might have been the origins to the Trick-or-treating that many children do today.

Now since I have told you where some of the traditions and the name may have came from, I would like to state that we here in South Africa, don't quite celebrate it as those in America. We do try and go trick or treating but since many people don't partake in it, it does become rather hard. I myself have only ever done it once. But we do have parties with a halloween theme, and clubs do make a dress code for it on the night as well.

Thank you for taking the time to read today's post, if you have any comments, and/or suggestions, please leave them down in the comments or on Facebook/Twitter. If you have any friends that would like to read something about halloween, please can you share this with them as I am sure they would like to give it a read. If you like what you see, or would like to show your support, please like us on Facebook and/or follow us on Twitter using the associated buttons on the bar to the left. I hope you have/had a lovely Halloween.

Happy scaring people.

JovialJman - Labyrinths and Mazes (Utter Confusion)

Getting lost in a maze and meeting a mini minotaur.

Mazes can be rather difficult to complete but with persistence any maze that has a solution can be solved. There are many kinds of many shapes and sizes. Some can be traced as far back as the 19th century BC, Lets talk about that.

Mazes and Labyrinths are often confused, but the difference between them, in today's meaning of the words, is that a maze has many branches thus there is more than one path to follow, and some of those may lead to a dead end, however a labyrinth is a continuous path on which someone can follow to get in and out of. There are many different types of mazes, some that have one path with branches that lead to dead ends, branches that lead to the main path again, paths that overlap each other, (like bridges and tunnels), and some that are a combination of the different types, (for a full list and explanation of the type click here).

The term labyrinth as we know it today was not always as it is, is used to mean the same as a maze, a confusing passage way with many dead ends, as Theseus, (in Greek mythology) must not have been too bright if he was trapped in a labyrinth and without his thread would have not gotten out. This confusing place was home to the minotaur that Theseus was to kill. The word Labyrinth was used to describe the one path maze as far back as 430 B.C. and was a symbol of it has been found on medallions at the time.

Many movies and games have been made around mazes, a movie i recently watched had it in its name, The Maze Runners, without revealing too much about the fantastic movie, there are people at the center of a maze and they have to try and find a way out. Now since mazes are designed to be confusing, it is not as easy as it sounds. The Greek myth of the minotaur has been incorporated slightly as well, if you want to know more, I highly recommend watching the movie as it is really good. There is also a book series that is made into movies now, Percy Jackson & The Olympians, the fourth book takes place in a maze.

There are many games that are based around it as well, or incorporate it into the game somewhere along the line. Most games can be seen as a straight line from start to finish, so they could be a labyrinth in themselves. Drawing Mazes can be a lot of fun, and a good way to pass the time. But if you would like to draw the most epic mazes so far, you will need to learn a few key points, some of which is, keeping the distance of the walls equal throughout the maze, Filling all the space so there is no big hole that there is no path through it,  making hard to solve ones can be a bit more trick but if you link some of the passages together they might go around in circles, and if you make spirals and/vortexes you can confuses the maze-solver a fair amount.

Anyways, I thank you for reading today's post, if you enjoyed it, and would like to see more post's as they are published, please like us on Facebook/Twitter using the associated buttons on the bar to the left. If you know of anyone who likes history or loves mazes, please share this with them as I am sure they will thank you for it. If you have any comments, or have a story about a maze that you would like to share, please do so in the comments below or on Facebook/Twitter, as we here at TCSA love to hear from you. I hope you have/had a really good day.

Happy travels friends

JovialJman - Pets (And their Influence Over Us)

OddballGreg choose this picture, maybe he is a Crazy Cat Person

There are many animals around the world, some are used for food, some for aesthetics, but there are a select few that are domesticated and have become companions to many. Pets have various effects on people so, let's talk about it.

I have a few pets myself, (well actually it is the families pets). There is Bobby our Jack Russell mixed something, (maybe a dalmation as he is really big for a Jack Russell), Peanut the African Grey, and a small pond filled with goldfish. Bobby can get really excited at the mere mention of a walk, Peanut is at the stage of talking and is now barking like a dog, calling my sister to annoy her, (really funny to see), and is one crazy bird in general. The gold fish, well they are just kind of there for looks, and they always look thirsty as the are gulping the water, but then again, all fish look like that.

Pets are not a new thing if you look at a lifetime, but if you look at the human race they are not old either. There were people that were domesticated wolves as far back as just after the last ice age. This was a time where Mammoths were still wandering around. It is strange to think that all the breeds of dogs today are descendants of wolves. A bit latter cats were domesticated and were seen as sacred animals by the Egyptians and were mummified by the millions. Domesticated cats are the most similar to their wild counterparts as they are still able to fend for themselves if human interaction was withdrawn, which does make looking after them a bit easier.

The average owner of cat are smarter than the average owner of dogs. This fun fact got me thinking, do pets change things in our lives, or are they just there, the fact however can be explained. Those who have studied further often have jobs that take a lot of time and would still like a pet, so cats are a good option as they can take care of themselves and need little attention to survive, but love sitting on your keyboards when you need to work. Many studies have been done in this subject and the results are somewhat surprising.

Pets help us with our mood, they keep us company when we are alone and may have the same attachment to you, as you have to them. They are mostly loving creatures that adore attention and give a moral boost to most as they always seem happy. Children who grow up with a pet have shown better friend making at a early age as they start with playing with the pet. They are also thought to care for them and help them grow, this is seen as a chore but can be a very good learning experience for the young as they will learn routine early on.

There are also health benefits when having pets. There are dogs that help the blind move around and some that help deaf people to be more aware of their surroundings, there are also some that can alert diabetics when their blood sugar is getting low before something serious happens. Pet owners are also less likely to suffer from depression and have lower blood pressure in stressful situation than those without pets. This maybe due to the fact that we nurture them and that releases a lot of our anxiety. When exercising pets, like taking a dog for a walk, you get exercise as well and this may keep you fit but with cat owners it might be a bit harder to say the same thing as I have not seen someone walk their cat.

Pets are also a gateway to a new world with people that are pet lovers as well. This may be from dog shows, to horse riding, and owner, pet look alike contests. Many of these type of activities can bring new people into your life and broaden your social life. There have also been studies that show that having a pet around when babies are growing up also help strengthen their immune systems and help with allergy resistance. How they help are still being found out, but maybe due to the simple exposure of the animals, the babies become immune to any of the effects that may be brought with the animals to begin with.

Anyways, that draws today's post to an end. If pets could talk how many situations would you have never gotten into? If you have any comments or suggestions, please leave them in the comments below or on Facebook/Twitter. Do you know of anyone that is deciding on getting a pet, or anyone that has pets already, please share this with them as I am sure they would thank you for it. If you would like to see more post as they come out, or would like to show your support, please like us one Facebook or follow us on Twitter using the associated buttons on he bar to the left. Thank you for taking the time to read today's blog post, and I hope you have/had a really awesome day.

Happy pet petting buddies

Thespian Thursday - How I became an Actor

Hello and welcome to the first Thespian Thursday. The day where I tell you about Acting and all things related to it.

Today, I figured I'd tell you the story of how I became an actor since.. well since it was almost completely accidental to be honest. (And utterly spontaneous for the most part.)

A couple years back, ironically in Grade 11 at school, (apparently that's the year I did everything.), a friend of mine had suggested I join the backstage crew to help set the stage for performances and shows. Having never done any activities after school before, I had a blast of a time. It was something of an epiphany for me, realizing how much more there was to life than video games. (Before that year, all I ever seemed to do with my days was go to school, sleep and play games. Sounds exciting doesn't it?)

So how did that make me an actor? Well, having been doing backstage work for a few months, I found myself sitting outside the auditions for a play that the school wished to use to compete in the Edenvale Acting and Drama Society's (EADS) One Act Play Festival. (The irony that the first play I was to ever take part in was called "Asylum" is not lost on me.) In any case, the Backstage Crew's Stage Manager, being the fine gentleman who told us what to do and when, was sitting in on the auditions for said play, and I was sitting outside waiting for him to finish up. Suddenly, looking up as I hear the door open, I see his head peak out of the door, look down at me and say in his friendly voice: "Hey buddy, You want to audition?" A turning point in my life if ever there was one. I'm not exactly sure what went through my head at the precise moment... probably nothing which is occasionally possible, even for me; but I did say "Sure." in less than a second.

Next I knew, there was an excerpt from a script in my hand and I was outside trying to be a madman. Ironically not very difficult as was noted by my soon-to-be-director post audition with the humorous comment: "Are you sure you don't actually belong in an Asylum?" 

That play famously went on to be the first production from my school in several years to make it to the EADS finals, netting 3rd place, 1 medal for best actress, and nominations for near all other categories, including 2 nominations for Best Male Actor in a Drama for myself and my friend whom, funnily enough, portrayed the role I originally auditioned for.

Following that, I participated in an additional 3 more productions at my school in the year and a half I had left of being a student. Two Major Productions and another EADS festival in which I was nominated for best supporting actor. I was also the recipient of 2 years worth of cultural full colors from my school. (Okay, I'll stop blowing my trumpet now.)

All in all, those were some of the most amazing experiences of my life, and the first thing in my life for which I grew a burning passion. No other activity made me as excited to get up in the morning to go do. The hours were absolutely horrific, but not once did I ever complain, because, to be honest, there was nothing better to be doing than those acting practices. (Shush, I just got something in my eye. *Sniffle*)

So that's how I discovered what I wanted to do with my life. And, as far as I'm concerned, still am going to do with my life. :D 

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this small insight into my life and what motivates me, and I hope you have an AWESOME day. Don't forget to leave a comment or suggestion if there's something you would like to know more about, and maybe share this if you think that there's someone who wants to know about me for some reason. I dunno. 

That's enough from me. Kuaga Rafiki