Halloween in other countries

1 "Halloween" conjures up different reactions in people within America and around the world. America has made Halloween a fun, and commercial, holiday, unlike some other countries. There is an old Celtic (KELT-ik) belief that souls of those who have passed away revisit the earth on October 31, and many countries have more serious traditions to honor the dead. Some, like America, use the night to have some fun. Unfortunately, some folks use the night as a time to play tricks on others, and that could happen in any country.

2 In some countries, "Halloween" may not even occur on October 31. Celebrations with other names may occur November 1 or at other times of the fall or even summer. Here's a sampling of what other people do to celebrate "Halloween" or festivals that honor the dead.

3 Mexico: El Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) - The holiday begins the night of October 31, continuing on November 1 with All Saints Day and November 2 with All Soul's Day. These may be considered by many Mexicans as the most important celebrations of the year. Mexicans use these days as an opportunity to decorate the graves of family and friends who have passed away. November 1 focuses on children who have died, and November 2, on adults. People often set up altars with food to welcome the souls for a visit.

4 Italy: On November 1 in Sicily, children anticipate that they will awaken on November 2 to sweets and toys left by their dead relatives. Does that feel creepy to you?

By Beth Beutler frrom edHelper.com

Thanks Kat, for sharing these warm, heartfelt words of Wisdom.

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: "I am blind, please help." There were only a few coins in the hat.

A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.

Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?"

The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way." I wrote: "Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it."
Both signs told people that the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people that they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?

Moral of the Story: Be thankful for what you have. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively.

When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile .

Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. Keep the faith and drop the fear.

The most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling, and even more beautiful, is knowing that you are the reason behind it!!!