GREEN HALLOWEEN – Great Tips

the ever popular Halloween Scarecrow

HALLOWEEN (also spelled Hallowe’en) is an annual holiday celebrated on October 31. Also known as All Saints’ Day, it is considered a secular (non-religious) celebration, but some people feel the holiday has pagan religious overtones because of its roots. Halloween is also called All Hallows or Hallowmas in celebration of saints associated with Christianity. It’s become a universally loved holiday that many use as an opportunity to dress in their favorite hero character outfits. For others (as it was originally intended), Halloween is time to deal with “evil spirits”, archetypal dark images symbolic of human history’s shadow side. This includes dressing as characters from Science Fiction and Horror films. Today, Halloween is celebrated in many countries East and West. Our TIP is to have a Green Halloween and encourage everyone you know to do the same. For more information about our services as it relates to our ISA TIPS BLOG, visit our Domestic Staffing website).

The colors orange and black with symbols like JACK-0-LANTERN PUMPKINS carved out, is strongly associated with this holiday. Along with wearing costumes of ghosts, skeletons, whatever “terrifies”, going with children around the neighborhood to “trick-or-treat”, attending costume parties (Universal Studios hosts Halloween Eve), ghost tours, bonfires, visiting haunted attractions, acting out and reading aloud scary stories, and watching horror films to “scare oneself” (or each other) to take the edge off whatever fears might “plague”, by using our creative imagination to dissolve them.

Halloween Jack-O-Lantern

If you’re in Hawaii on Halloween Night, the highly experienced John McCreary (who played at Saint Andrews Cathedral for decades and performed at Notre Dame in Paris), will play at Hawaii Theatre in accompaniment with the wonderful 1923 silent film The Hunchback of Notre Dame (see 1939 trailer starring Charles Laughton as Hunchback) For Halloween’s chocolate loving folks (like me), chocolatier Oliver Kita created several goodies including individual colorful bon bons, great organic ghosts, and my favorite; shoes: one for The Wicked Witch of the West, and one for The Good Witch, to satisfy several versions of your preferred chocolate treat (see our post  Organic Flowers floral shoes)

This fanciful holiday celebration was traditionally done to remember there is a thin line between humans and evil spirits that might come to haunt. The need to ward off harmful spirits led to wearing costumes and masks as part of the rituals practiced, their purpose to disguise oneself as a harmful spirit, thereby avoiding harm (reminds me of the film Orpheo Negro, a classic Brazilian movie with a hot samba soundtrack; hear jazz-bossa-nova main theme version Paul Desmond recorded in 1963). There is no better way to go Green Halloween then with Organic Materials supporting that message to others. One of the classics is making a HALLOWEEN SCARECROW from hay, straw, pumpkins, and old used clothing, like this clever one above (my nephews would like this one…) Don’t forget using recycled crayons for decorating your pumpkin, or for organic clothing for baby, available at Habitots (link: Have an Earth-Friendly, Etsy Halloween)

chocolate Wicked Witch shoe from Oliver Kita

Although HALLOWEEN is mostly a holiday for children to make believe (I know people who do this all year long), many adults go to great lengths creating costumes and holding competitions or giving themed event parties. However you celebrate, encourage everyone to play in a safe and green way, make/buy organic treats, wear costumes that don’t contain harmful plastic or other toxic materials, and remember fire laws wherever you are, including having on hand a quick to get to Fire Extinguisher in your home and office.

skeletons ready for the fashion runway

Starting as a kid I’ve made masks from food, natural materials, found objects, stage and fx makeup, whatever let my imagination soar (also guaranteeing nobody else will have the same mask). Stores are filled with mass-produced costly Halloween decorations that aren’t very original. Why spend money on plastic junk when you can use things you have around the house to make your own creepy concoctions? GO GREEN by skipping the shopping spree; instead have a fun-filled weekend craft marathon with friends, family, kids, and pets too.

Another great TIP? Having a party? Our suggestion is put a green hand in your punch bowl.

Make a Green Ice Hand

Things You’ll Need:

• Latex Gloves
• Water
• Green vegetable food dye
• Punch Bowl or container of choice

PREPARATION: Fill a pitcher with filtered water to which you added green vegetable dye. Fill your glove with the green water and tie off the end really well by folding it over a couple of times tightly, then clipping it shut securely. Place the glove into a bowl (for any dripping) and put into freezer for 24 hours. Remove glove and voila! A GREEN hand to go with your brew (you can also add green dye to the liquid of your choice if it’s light colored). Each time someone dips into the punch, a green hand will float, and keep your liquid cold.

Vala art - from "Dance Macabre" series

Finally, let’s not forget the amazing art for scary story book covers. Some of my favorites are by ED VALIGURSKY (who I learned died on Sept. 7th at age 82). We wish Valigursky a peaceful passing to The Other Shore, and thank him for his contribution of images to science fiction art work– well known by those of us passionate about Sci-Fi. Valigursky (or “Valla”, as he signed his artwork), is an important science fiction artist. His art covers created for magazines (Amazing Stories, If, Fantastic Adventures), and paperback covers (Ace and others) during the 1950s-1960s, were an integral part of SF history illustrations. I love his Dance Macabre series (selling on eBay among other science fiction works). Valla was known for his images of robots and machines, but went on to an even more successful career in historical and military illustration. To fans of science fiction he’ll always be known among the great SF artists of the 50s-60s period.

HAVE A HAPPY GREEN HALLOWEEN!

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