Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Oíche Shamhna--Halloween

The Irish called it Oíche Shamhna and we call it Halloween. The pronunciation of Oíche Shamhna is incredible, though it follows Irish orthographic and pronunciation rules. An approximation might be /EE-huh HOW-nuh/. Literally it means "the night or eve of Samhain." Samhain can mean the feast of November 1 (All Saints Day in the Christian calendar) and the word can also just mean "November."

We know it as the day the sharp line between the living and the dead is blurred. It's the day the Melonheads of Kirtland are out an about (and boy are they peeved--all the local teenagers driving down the road-that-I-shall-not-name, past the ruins of Dr. Crowe's burned-out mansion; and days of incredible weather, cold, ferocious winds and driving rain--no wonder the Melonheads are in a bad mood!). I'd just let them be. Don't take the risk!

I've had a few minor encounters with the Melonheads. Years ago I had one who was a student in one of my classes. And I've caught fleeting glimpses of them in the woods on the Chardon-Kirtland border. It's like seeing a deer running in the deep woods; you just aren't exactly sure what you are seeing.

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