HemsyFanatic811

Where I work, retail men's clothing/boots, we are busiest in the summer and at Christmas. So, the two happiest times of the year are ruined. oh well.
At least, I have a full time job with benefits. That is a lot more than a lot of people have, especially in my state. WV is a poor state.

karamel

aww just gotta make other times of the year happy

HemsyFanatic811

Yes I try and do that. I'm big into Dept 56 and decorating so I decorate for Halloween and right now, I have a summer village up on my big dining room table. I decorate for Christmas so I just start it early, like right after Halloween.
Thanks for the sympathy and back at ya! The older I get, it's just harder to deal with the stress of it plus being on my feet for 9 hours a day. Things are starting to hurt now that never hurt before.

karamel

hope you have a good labor day weekend

tanaja

So, I'm back home. So sad.

Wish you all great labor day weekend.

karamel

welcome back

tanaja

My resolution for new (school) year (from September to June): I will try to read 70% of books from Rory Gilmore book list. It's mostly classic anyway.

HemsyFanatic811

Very good resolution to make!

karamel

good luck with it

karamel

hope everyone had a great weekend!

tanaja

So! Any Halloween party or other interesting Halloween activity? Anyone?

karamel

nope, just bingei watching new season of Stranger Things

you?

tanaja

We love to adopt american fan holidays like Halloween or Valentine's Day, but Halloween is not really mainstream holiday in my region. I think, that Halloween has an origin somewhere in Ireland/ Great Britain as an ancient Celtic festival (but I attended many Halloween events in my life nevertheless).

November the 1st is also All Saints Day and in (catholic) central and southern part of Europe (Italy, southern Germany, Poland, France, Spain, etc.) is tradition, that people return to their home cities and lay flowers on the graves of their deceased in these days.
So, I was on the cemetery yesterday.

However, we have another similar holiday as Halloween - Shrovetide - when people dress up in a masquerade costumes and there is a Carnival. It's the last weekend before the Ash Wednesday (about 46 to 50 days before Easter). And are you familiar with/do you celebrate Shrovetide?

Do you have a similar tradition? A day, when you visit the graves of your deceased?
Ethnology is actually not so very boring after all (well, in my opinion ).

karamel

well in Chinese culture, we have something called Ching Ming or tomb-sweeping day which not really a day but usually month of April is when you go to the cemetery to pay respect to the dead

tanaja

That's really interesting. Thanks. I didn't know that.