Halloweb
Halloween is traditionally the time
for costumed children to indulge in sanctioned blackmail. (“Trick or treat?”
Think about it.) But there are plenty of other ways to celebrate All Hallow’s
Eve.
Modern observances derive from
ancient Pagan and Catholic rituals all squished together into lucrative
opportunities for retailers and dentists, and as always, the helpful online
community is just itching to help you get into the scary spirit.
The Halloween Forum
(www.halloweenforum.com) is the virtual, year-round meetinghouse where novice
and diehard revelers come together to discuss all things Halloween. The posts
range from requests for snacks to terrify guests with (fortunately, “Need
Finger Sandwich Recipes” did not elicit any replies that featured actual
fingers as an ingredient) to gloating from frighteners with exceptionally
tricked-out yards. There are also costume ideas, tips for using your fog
machine, and a plea from a guy with a 200-year-old house who wants to make it
haunted, presumably without having to off anyone in it first.
The custom of leaving a
jack-o-lantern in front of your home stems from an age-old desire to keep evil
spirits from crossing the threshold. Europeans originally employed painted or
hollowed-out turnips, and when they hit North American shores they began to use
our native pumpkin.
But anyone who doesn’t relish the
notion of being up to their elbows in pumpkin entrails may want to check out
the Carve-O-Lantern (www.screensavers.com/landing/halloween.html), a customizable
screensaver that allows virtual carvers to neatly fashion gruesome or goofy
visages with the help of various templates. There’s also a freehand tool that
enables you to design your own jack-o-lantern face or leave a
passive-aggressive message for nosy types wondering why your computer screen is
on fire. Just don’t let them smash it.
— Dayna Papaleo
This article appears in Oct 26 – Nov 1, 2005.
