Today is Halloween. Exactly a year ago, we boarded the Diamond Princess in the Port of Yokohama. I remember it so well because I had an opportunity to wear my Halloween pants I had recently purchased at Savers for $3. I was planning to bring it on this cruise to wear tonight. However, I couldn't find it.
As you must know by now, today is Halloween, a tradition supposedly originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain 2000 years or so years ago, when bonfires were lit and people wore costumes.
- This celebration first came to the U.S.in the 1840's when Irish immigrants escaped their potato famine. Coincidentally, there is an Irish practice where going door-to-door to collect soul cakes and offerings for dead relatives was traditional. Failure to supply a treat could result in some practical joke. Even the Jack-o'-lantern can be linked to Irish folklore.
- Thus the pumpkin industry in the U.S. (Well, I researched this statement and found this was not so. Like trees for Christmas and eggs for Easter, here is why we use pumpkins as the symbol of Halloween.)
- The first official citywide celebration was held in Anoka, Minnesota in 1921.
- People will this year spend $5 billion just for Halloween costumes.
That posting made me wonder why Donald Trump was not #1. I think there is a difference between mask and costume. For downright fright, Trump should rightfully be at the top. So I checked. A poll showed that only around 10% of those bothering to go to such lengths are swayed by politics. This year, Trump leads Harris, 6% to 5%. Like the race itself, too close to really make a call. Joe Biden is at 3%, while Tim Walz and J.D. Vance are at 1%. On the question of which costume would be scarier to encounter, Trump was way ahead at 30%, with Harris only at 22%. Still a bit disappointing, for most said neither or that they were not sure.
For completeness, I further researched, and found a Reader's Digest article published this month that traced the popular Halloween costumes from 1950. Popular films of that year were influential.
- 1950 Cowboy, from John Wayne to Gene Autry to Roy Rogers.
1951 Tarzan....what does this look like? So I checked. The result to the right.- 1953 Mickey Mouse...with other Disney looks also popular.
- 1954 Batman
- 1955 Davy Crockett
- 1960 Hula Girl..something to do with Hawaii becoming the 50th state.
- 1961 Holly Golightly, from Breakfast at Tiffany's.
- 1964 The Beatles
- 1966 Barbie
- 1969 Astronaut...Neil Armstrong walk on the Moon
- 1974 Richard Nixon....the year of Watergate
- 1976 Star Wars
- 1981 Indiana Jones
- 1987 Alf
- 1988 Beetlejuice....and it's back this year. Shrunken Head Bob? He's from the sequel.
- 2002 Spider-Man
- 2005 Darth Vader
One more retrospect, my posting of a decade ago on the Great Pumpkin.
- Some of you must remember Peanuts, the comic strip which ended in 2000 when Charles Schulz passed away, with Linus as a character. In fact, he was my favorite, with Snoopy #2.
- Linus was thoughtful and respectful, the voice of reason among his peers.
- Sure, he carries a security blanket, and yes, he did believe in the Great Pumpkin....who never showed up for Halloween, to Linus' disappointment.
- But he thinks like me.
Then on to dinner in the Manhattan Room for New York Strip Steak and Caesar Salad. Which I skip showing because I've already done this several times. We spent three hours in The Cavern Club for karaoke.
Note that phone. We were getting sent inning by inning results from the World Series. Dodgers beat Yankees, 7-6 and 4 games to 1, to win the championship. Youngsters singing.
Lunch on Day 19 showed that today is Halloween.
My usual needle bowl, with salmon and pork, Chardonnay and Heineken.
Ending with an ice cream cone,
Tomorrow we tour George Town, Cayman Islands.
Typhoon Kong-Rey struck Taiwan as a Category 4, the biggest to make landfall in nearly 30 years. Lot of wind, rain and lost power, but the damage was minor. Blame global warming, for Taiwan usually doesn't get any typhoons after September, and in two days it will be November. Kong-Rey has weakened into the Tropical Storm, and is next headed to Japan, Will it strengthen?
Kong-Rey had come last year, our Diamond Princess cruise would have been in jeopardy.
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