Mischief Night, October 30th

Mischief Night

Mischief Night sounds like an innocent enough holiday, because, at least to me, the word mischief conjures up child-like revels... like sneaking cookies out of the cookie jar. But, despite it's innocent sounding name, Mischief Night is is a holiday that easily can get out of hand.

For example, on October 30, 1938, Orson Welles aired his infamous radio play "War of the Worlds" which caused quite a bit of mischief. Many people listening to the program panicked, believing that the broadcast was a news report rather than a radio drama. If you want to read a script of the broadcast you can read it here. If you want to listen to the original broadcast go here. I remember listening to the full broadcast in junior high. I should probably go listen again for an adult perspective.

For an example from my own life-time, in 1991, in Camden, New Jersey over 130 fires were set by roaming teenagers which resulted in a teenager curfew in 1992 during which only 30 fires were set. ("The Mischievous History of Devil's Night" Washingtonpost.com) Personally, I think 30 teenager-set arsons in one night are still too many.

So remember, whatever you do tonight, whatever mischief you might be up to, remember that someone out there might be up to a little bit more.

Halloween!, Books for Treats Day, Carve A Pumpkin Day, October 31st

It's Halloween!

I am upset with blogger because it lost what I spent hours writing up for today. Stupid blogger. So this will be a short post, when it should be a long one about the traditions and other cool things about Halloween. But, there is plenty out there on the web if you feel that you need more information about Halloween. But, all we really need to know is that it is fun.

Books for Treats Day

Book treats! What a novel idea! Honestly, I wish that Books for Treats Day was popular when I was a kid. This would have kept me happy for months after Halloween. So, don't give out candy, give out treats for the imagination!

Carve A Pumpkin Day

If you haven't already, you really should carve a pumpkin today, because if we weren't carving pumpkins, we would be carving turnips, which I think would be very hard. If you don't believe me, read the history of Jack O' Lanterns. Or, if you are a frutarian, you probably want to tell people about the horrors eating vegetables like pumpkins, and doing useless things like carving them, so watch this video.



Whatever you end up doing or reading today, have a happy and safe Halloween!

Fortune Cookie Day, Postive Thinking Day, Defy Superstition Day, September 13th

Fortune Cookie Day

When I was eighteen years old, two weeks away from starting my sophomore year of college, on the second declared major of my college career, I opened a fortune cookie that stated that I would be married within the year.

Interestingly enough, I could have married someone that year. It would have been for the wrong reasons, but I often wonder had I made that choice, would now I be the mother of four kids, living the perfect suburban life.

And would I be happier?

And would I have stuck with my Environmental Geology major just to get through school quickly?

And how would my life be different without five myth, legend, and folklore-type classes under my thinking cap. Would I have my weird obsession with frogs?

Am I becoming the crazy frog lady?

Positive Thinking Day

I am not the crazy frog lady. I am not the crazy frog lady. I am not the crazy frog lady. I am not the crazy frog lady. I am not the crazy frog lady.

Defy Superstition Day

The Top Ten Frog Superstitions to Defy Today

1. The dried body of a frog worn in a silk bag around the neck will prevent fits. (Not sure how you are going to practically apply this defiance- but have fun!)
   
2. A frog brings good luck to the house it enters by it's own will.
3. A cure for thrush is to hold a live frog with its head in the patient's mouth. As it breaths, it draws the disease out of the throat of the patient and into itself.
4. Frogs eyes hold the souls of dead children (Sounds like we need to dissect some frog eyes today!)
5. Warts can be cured by rubbing a frog across them.
6. Shiny skinned frogs predict fine weather.
7. Dull skinned frogs predict rain.
8. Frogspawn at the edge of a pond mean storm's a commin'.
   
9. A woman of childbearing years should not touch a frog as it will cause her to be infertile
10. To kill a frog is very, very bad luck (Are we all forever cursed from our high school Biology classes?)
11. Cure a toothache by spitting into a frog's mouth and ask it to carry the pain away.
12. Kiss a frog to find your prince.
13. Or if that doesn't work, and your lover is untrue, stuck pins all over a living frog and then bury it. The young man will suffer extreme pains and eventually returned to you. Dig up the frog and remove the pins. The pain will cease. The man will then, (perhaps rather unwisely, you little manipulator) marry you.

And if you doubt those last two, here are some other superstitions that you can defy regarding marriage, and finding your one true love. Although it seems they are most effective during All Hallows Eve. And thank goodness we know about them now, otherwise we would not have time to collect the rosemary, corn stalks, sixpences, cabbage patches, and snails that we need for the experiments!

Halloween-Superstitions

1. The first person to bite an apple while bobbing for apples will be the first to marry.
2. It was said that if a girl put a spring of Rosemary and a sixpence under her pillow on Halloween, her future husband will reveal himself to her in a dream.
3. If a young person eats a raw or roasted salt herring before going to bed, the future spouse will appear in a dream and offer a drink of water. (Presumably because you will be thirsty from eating salt herring.)
   
4. Peel an apple in a continuous strip. When is falls to the floor, it will reveal the letter of a future husband.
5. Sweep the stack around the base of a corn stack with a broom three times. On the third time around, your future partner will appear.
   
6. Blindfolded girls go out in pairs to the fields to pull the first cabbage they can find. This will reveal things about their future husbands.
   

• If there is much earth attached to the root, they will have plenty of money.
• But if there is only a little earth, they will be poor.
  
• The taste of the heart of the cabbage will reveal whether the man will have a sweet or sour disposition.

7. Catch a snail on Halloween night and place it on a flat dish. In the morning you will see the first letter of your future sweetheart written in snail's slime.

Well, I hope that you all Powerfully Defy your Superstitions and Think Fortuitously Upon Cookies today!