Tag Archives: Halloween

Bon Appetit Wednesday! Happy Halloween!

In this 1904 Halloween greeting card, divination is depicted: the young woman looking into a mirror in a darkened room hopes to catch a glimpse of her future husband.

In this 1904 Halloween greeting card, divination is depicted: the young woman looking into a mirror in a darkened room hopes to catch a glimpse of her future husband.

Halloween falls on a Monday this year, which means you can celebrate all weekend! We’re here to make sure your feasting and frivolity is not only fun and delicious, but also ties you back to your ancient past. Check out the links below to learn more about Halloween’s connections to antiquity and scroll down for some yummy ancient treats to make that will be sure to dazzle your trick or treaters! Continue reading

Happy Halloween from AntiquityNOW!

sweet-314234_640Maybe you’re adding the finishing touches to a costume you’ve been hand-sewing for weeks or maybe you’re scrambling to find last-minute costume ideas on the internet. Perhaps you’re preparing to observe an ancient Samhain or perhaps you’re headed to a modern Halloween bash. No matter how you plan to celebrate tonight’s festivities, it’s almost certainly going to involve delicious treats. Feasting on this night is nothing new. Check out our post The Colorful Past of Halloween Treats to learn more about the ancient origins of this holiday and more importantly, the food!

Also, don’t miss this fascinating slideshow of Halloween being celebrated all over the world.

And here’s a recipe for adorable mini ghost cupcakes.

KIDS’ BLOG! Write Your Own Tale of Terror!

book-758978_640What words best describe Halloween? Spooky? Scary? Terrifying? Like many of us, you probably like to be scared. Well, this Halloween we’re giving you the chance to really strut your creative stuff. You get to write your own tale of terror. But we at AntiquityNOW are giving you a challenge. We’re providing you the beginnings and endings of stories, which means you pick one beginning and one ending to bookend your story. And—drum roll—you must include an element of ancient history in your story. Just look around at today’s books and movies. How many have to do with time travel to an ancient place, an artifact that has magical powers or a mystery that had its origins in Ancient Egypt or Rome or Mesopotamia? The distant past is filled with possibilities for storytelling. Continue reading

Halloween, “The War of the Worlds” and Why We Love Flying Machines

"War-of-the-worlds-tripod" by Henrique Alvim Correa,1906

“War-of-the-worlds-tripod” by Henrique Alvim Correa,1906

Happy Halloween! AntiquityNOW has been celebrating Halloween this year with blog posts about doppelgangers, the origins of tricks and treats, modern and 2,000 year old ghost stories, and now, an original short story by author Victoria Weisfeld.

For inspiration Weisfeld draws from the legend of the events of October 31, 1938 when American producer, playwright and actor Orson Welles presented the CBS radio play, The War of the Worlds, adapted from the 1898 novel of the same name penned by British author H.G. Wells.  The play centers around what happens when a Martian craft lands in the small, rural community of Grover’s Mill, New Jersey, which is the setting of Weisfeld’s short story. Continue reading

The Colorful Past of Halloween Treats

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Lads, look at yourselves. Why are you, boy, wearing that Skull face? And you, boy, carrying a scythe, and you, lad, made up like a Witch? And you, you, you!” He thrust his bony finger at each mask. “You don’t know, do you? You just put on those faces and old mothball clothes and jump out, but you don’t really know, do you? – Ray Bradbury (The Halloween Tree)

Remember the sweet satisfaction of a pillowcase, paper bag or plastic pumpkin-head swelling with the weight of Halloween candy? Think of the candy bars, lollipops and bubble gum mingling together in the monstrous payload you’ve been waiting all year to collect and consume in one riotous night of excitement. It’s so exciting in fact, that you may never pause to ponder why on earth you do it. What happy trick of fate empowered you to don a disguise and march up to strange doorways demanding treats? Continue reading

Bon Appetit Wednesday! A 200-Year-Old Recipe for Pumpkin Pie

1024px-Pumpkins_Hancock_Shaker_village_2418Pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin cheesecake, even pumpkin spice Oreos! When the leaves start to change and weather starts to cool, pumpkin season is in full swing. Whether it’s carving one or cooking one, pumpkins just put you into the holiday mood. And we aren’t the only ones to appreciate this icon of autumn. The pumpkin has been serving up nutritious deliciousness for centuries. Today we’re bringing you a recipe for 200-year-old pumpkin pie. You can’t go wrong with this time-honored recipe full of ancient pumpkin goodness. Continue reading

Double Trouble: Doppelgangers and the Mythology of Spirit Doubles

doppelganger500It’s almost Halloween! In our recent posts we’ve been delving into why some of us are so drawn to the supernatural, the paranormal and the scaring the pants off terrifying. In today’s post we hurl ourselves once more into the realm of the supernatural. A twice look at terror, as it were. Continue reading

A Frightful History: Author P J Hodge Presents “The Ghost Hunter”

The Ghost HunterLast Tuesday’s blog explored the neurology of fear and introduced a 2000 year old horror story from Pliny the Younger. Despite its antiquity, this story (actually contained in a missive to an acquaintance by the prolific letter writer) exhibited remarkable 21st century elements. Today’s post is a short story titled “The Ghost Hunter.” Written by Paul Hodge, it is a modern take on storytelling in the gothic style. Notice the common elements with Pliny’s tale: the abandoned residence, unexplained occurrences and a man of doughty character determined to get to the bottom of whatever is going on. Continue reading

Why We Love to Be Scared: Dopamine, Genes and a 2,000 Year Old Horror Story

Image credit: Barbara on Flickr.

Image credit: Barbara on Flickr.

It’s that time of year again.  Halloween.  What is it about houses moaning with restless spirits and apparitions rising from graveyard mists that so intrigue us? Today we have movies, TV shows, video games and books regaling us with the most horror-filled scenarios. Dystopias with—name your monster—demons and vampires and zombies threatening to eradicate our species (as if we don’t do a good enough job on our own).  There are possessions, evil twins, vivified dolls and deranged clowns. We even have self-proclaimed ghost hunters with their own “reality” shows and the ad revenues, market penetration and viewer numbers demonstrating that scary stuff really can rake in the dough. Why is it we are so enthralled and terrified by the supernatural? Continue reading

Guardians of the “Gate to Hell” Discovered Just in Time for Halloween

courtesy of Jim Pennucci

Image courtesy of Jim Pennucci

During the coming weeks, people around the world will celebrate the supernatural and pay respects to the spirit world on holidays such as Halloween, El Dia de los Muertos, the Obon Festival and the Teng Chieh festival.  While holidays arose for different reasons, they each have a connection to the “other side” where the spirits of those who have gone before still dwell.  And now, almost as if on cue, a group of Italian archaeologists has announced an exciting discovery at the ancient “Gate to Hell,” reminding us that our fascination with the afterlife is nothing new. Continue reading