Hello All,
As with the first reading from Eliade, focus on the larger structure of ideas, not the individual examples.
One concept that Eliade discusses in this section is the idea of pre-creation chaos and invasion of the dead as part of a larger system and ritual of renewal. During these celebrations or ritual periods, "the dead invad[e] the earth, communicat[e] with the living, and thus creat[e] a confusion that announce[s] the close of the current cosmic cycle" (p. 73).
One current example of this is our celebration of Halloween. For this post, describe your favorite Halloween costume from childhood (or adulthood, if you still celebrate). If you are offended by Halloween, describe the costume that most offends you.
Calie
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Halloween costume as a child was a Sleeping Beauty dress that my mother's friend gave me. It was a light blue color, just like in the movie, and it had long sleeves that came to my wrists. The skirt of the dress had a top layer of white gauze over it. The dress was long and I had to be careful not to trip on it. To me it was beautiful and I felt like a real princess.
Amber Gilliam
ReplyDeleteI don't celebrate Halloween and the costume I find most offensive is either the devil costume or the grim reaper. I have to put both because I consider them the same evil.
Francisco Hernandez
ReplyDeleteI do not celebrate Halloween. I also agree with Amber. The costume, which I find the most offensive is the devil; especially when I see a child dress as one.
Thalia
ReplyDeleteI do not celebrate Halloween. I must also agree with Amber and Francisco, the costume I find the most offensive is a devil costume.
My favorite Halloween costume as a child was the year I dressed up as a Flapper from the 20’s. My mother made this costume for me and it was so beautiful and fun to wear. It was pink with purple fringe it also had a sparkly head band with a purple feather in the back. I loved that costume and the memories it bring. I still have it today.
ReplyDeleteChika Nwanonenyi
ReplyDeleteI used to be a Jehovah's witness so I did not celebrate anything. Years after my family left the congregation, I celebrated Halloween for the first time. I was in sixth grade and I was a witch. Halloween is whatever to me and I just like it cause you get a lot of candy.
Rogelio Alvarado
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Halloween costume when I was a kid was dressing up as a vampire because I got to paint my face white with dripping blood and sharp fangs with a red cape and dressed in black. It was also the most poplar costume because it was homemade with which I once won a contest and a lot of candy for sure.
I did not dress up in costumes as a child but last Halloween was the first time I wore a costume and I loved it. I was a black fairy with glitter all over. I guess you can say I was a girly gothic fairy. It was also a conservative costume also, not like bra and panties like we see now a days.
ReplyDeleteMaricela I.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Halloween costume as a child was a witch. I enjoyed dressing up like a witch because I already had a long black dress at home, and the only thing I had to buy was the hat. I was not an evil witch, I was the nice one. It was fun dressing up for Halloween and going with my siblings trick-or-treating.
Rosa Mendoza
ReplyDeleteI came to the United states when I was fourteen years old, and in Mexico where I came from people don't celebrate Halloween. I never had a favorite Halloween costume when I was little. I personally don't celebrate Halloween, but I'm not offended by people that do celebrate Halloween. Even though I don't celebrate Halloween I enjoy watching most of the costumes that children wear the day of Halloween except for one. I don't think is appropriate for children to wear devil costumes how some students mentioned on their posts.
Ashley Corvera
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Halloween memory would have to be when I was 5 years old, I was a dinosaur. A woman who lived in my neighbor was close to my parents and decided to make costumes for all my sisters and older brother. The dinosaur costume suited me because I wasn't the typical girly girl, I hated dresses and loved playing outdoors. I felt the costume fit my personality.
As for costumes present day, I feel as if people don't take the time to be creative and buy their costume in a package that barely covers your body parts. However, the people that create their own costumes, are always fun to look at.
Hilda NIeblas
ReplyDeleteThe Halloween costume that I remember the most is when I dressed up as Selena when I was six years old. My favorite singer was Selena and I wanted to be just like her. So when my mother asked me what I wanted to be that Halloween I said Selena. My mother had a sowing machine and she made me a dress like the one that Selena wore in one of her music videos. It was a long white dress silver beads. She made my hair look exactly like the one in the video and I was really excited. Every time I think of Halloween I think of that costume and how I felt when I wore it.
Ariana Branson
ReplyDeleteMy favorite costume that I wore as a child would have to be when I went as Jasmine, from Aladin. I loved that costume because it was the first time I actually got to pick out my own outfit. And my sister and I both got to dress up together as princesses and it was fun.
Diala Nimri
ReplyDeleteAs a child, i did not celebrate halloween, and even now, i do not care much for it, but if i had to pick my favorite costume that i've worn, it would have to be princess jasmine. I have been told numerous times that i look like her, and i was even convinced after wearing that costume!
Gonzalo Heredia
ReplyDeleteI don't celebrate Halloween, not even as a child. I don't really find any costume offensive, a least no the ones i had seen, but if i have to choose one, it would be any that doesn't have anything to do with the actual holiday, like celebrities' costumes.
My favorite costume as a child was the pink ranger from Power Rangers. I was so into that cartoon, and my brothers and I dressed up like the characters.I was really into boy things growing up. I like Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers, and Street Fighter. Getting to play pretend with my brothers was the best. Every year when Halloween comes around I get excited to choose a different costume and be creative.
ReplyDeleteAs a child I remember my most common costume was dressing up as a witch, I would paint my face green, and my mother would tease my hair to make it look messy. I would also add fake toy spiders in my hair. I no longer dress up as a witch, I like to change my costumes every year.
ReplyDeleteBaleria
My favorite Halloween costume was when I went as Pyramid Head from the Silent Hill series, I spent days working on that costume and although I never got to wear it to any parties and only showed it off to a few friends, I was very proud of my work. Interestingly enough, the Pyramid Head is an executioner and tormentor of troubled souls. So I guess that fascination with death thing really applies.
ReplyDeleteIf not the Pyramid Head costume, then it would be when my brother and I dressed up as Ninja Turtles. I was Donatello.
Bryce
Hello everyone,
ReplyDeleteSince I was born in Mexico, I didn’t get to celebrate Halloween, but instead celebrated “El Dia de los Muertos” which means the Day of the Dead (November 1st and 2nd). I remember when my parents use to take me to “El Mercado” which is like a market, but out in the open, I guess kind of like a swap-meet. While walking through I remember seeing so many different vibrant colors and exquisite smells. It is customary to create an alter for the people that have passed away by providing all the foods, drinks and anything else the dead used to love when they were alive. It is believed that on November 1st the soul of the children come down to visit and on the 2nd the soul of the adults. One of my favorite foods my grandfather always makes is “Pan the Muerto” which is a sweet bread. I also love to see “Las calaberas” which are skeletons who are dressed and act as if they were still alive. It is also very common to have a skull made of sugar with different designs and have ones name on its forehead.
Once we arrived to the Untied States, we incorporated both traditions, especially ever since the birth of my two daughters. They all love Halloween and my youngest, Kristine, got to wear Simba from the Lion King for three years in a row, and the only reason she stopped wearing it was because she grew out of it. My other daughter who is named after me, Zully, loved the costume of Tweety Bird when she was about five years old. I don’t get to dress up anymore, I feel it’s more of a kid’s thing and enjoy seeing them so excited about what costumes they want, about which house is the scariest one, but most importantly because we get to spend more quality time as a family. My grandfather did join us last Halloween and also got to bake “Pan de Muerto” it was great. - Zully
The only costume that I remember from childhood was when I dressed up like Pippi Longstocking.I had long brown hair, and to make my hair like Pipp's we used a coat hanger shaped to make my pig tails that were braided stick out like hers. I told my seven year old daughter about it and she wants to do the same for next Halloween.We have fun with Halloween and try to keep the evil aspect out of our celebration.
ReplyDeleteRegina
As some of you, I also grew up in Mexico. Compared to Halloween, “El dia de los muertos” is more traditional and meaningful. It is a time of remembrance of those who came before you and have passed away, a time to realize that thanks to them you are now here. I also enjoy Halloween though. As a teenager and as an adult, my favorite costumes have been vampires and zombies. I am fascinated with vampires’ thirst for blood and by the living dead as it relates to humans—at a philosophical level of course. “Vampires and philosophy,” read it. In addition, I have nothing against the devil: I don’t believe in it.
ReplyDeleteJoanna
ReplyDeleteAs a young child the Halloween costume that i remember is being a pink power ranger. I use to watch that show all the time. I was all pink, with my hair up, wearing my mask, and trying to do the tricks that i saw on TV. Its the one i most remember because my mother made it for me.
Growing u, I never celebrated Halloween but i always wanted to because of all the candy. As i got older, I got over the idea of getting free candy and I avoid being home on Halloween night because in not going to give free candy. The costume that I find most offensive is the Devil and the Witch, I don't think that children should be disguised as such scary and evil beings.
ReplyDelete-Cristina Elizondo
My sincere apologies to those of you that dislike Halloween, but I must admit is one of my favorite made up holidays. My favorite Halloween costume was a homemade witch costume my mother made for me, because she had no money to purchase a real one. I was seven years old that Halloween and I still remind my mother of the great costume she created for me.
ReplyDeleteMaria Gonzalez
Ashly Anfield
ReplyDeleteI dont care to much for Holloween. I find all the costumes that potray something evil to be offensive. The devil is so evil and i dont like the fact that people are disguising themselves in the likeness of him or his evilness.
i do like Halloween for the simple fact that i grew up in a funeral home and it was really when we had the most fun. think about casket dead people and emboldening room and plenty of dead people how much more do you need
ReplyDeletekevin petetan
Lauri Slocumb
ReplyDeleteIn up-state New York where I grew up as a child we celebrated everything! That’s what New Yorker’s do. Eliade explains in his book how we repeat ritual like ceremonies of life and death whether it be of people, seasons, or of our crops. This correlates to the changing of seasons that I grew up with. In the fall when the leaves began to change color and fall off the trees we knew Halloween was coming. I loved the fall and still do. I miss living in an area where there are four seasons. Living in Bakersfield, Ca children miss out on so many traditions four seasons has to offer: planting in the spring, ice skating on a pond, raking the leaves into big piles and then jumping in them, preparing for the harvest, playing in the snow. As a child I liked Halloween. My favorite costume was a Cinderella costume my mother made me. Today I don’t celebrate Halloween I am not offended by it or anything, and I don’t begrudge people who celebrate it. Halloween has changed over the years and become very scary. My grandchildren celebrate Halloween, but they only go to sponsored events to “Trick or Treat” The one costume I really do not like is the Grime Reaper! It reminds me of death. I have never worried about, or thought about age or death, until my last birthday, and then I met, mortality head on for the first time.