Halloween: Get the facts fright

A year ago I was at Edinburgh Airport, heading back to Sweden after 1,5 week in Carlisle. I found an issue of The Scottish Sun in which they wrote about Halloween. They said, most people had a vague idea about Halloween and what it's all about, that is ghastly ghosts and witches.

The Scottish Sun, October 29th 2013

Maybe you have bought a suit to scare the hell out of everyone you meet. Maybe you have
cut out a pumpkin. Maybe you have filled up your storage with a lot of sweets to restrain all the horrible monsters at your door, screaming trick or treat. But why?

As said, most people have a vague idea what Halloween is all about, but there are more than ghosts and witches. There are theories about this period of the year is a sort of a thin line between our profane world and the so called other side. Medium Joan Charles says: "It has long been one of the most important times of the year when our departed loved ones come close and can connect with those they've left behind" (The Scottish Sun, 2013).

American tradition, many would say, but in fact, Halloween has roots a lot older than that. The Celtic festival Samhain (or Samain as the festival could be spelled as well) underlies Halloween (Cunliffe, 1997 / The Scottish Sun, 2013).

During this festival Celts made fires as sort of cleansing ritual. Summer was at its end and winter was about to start (The Scottish Sun, 2013). Barry Cunliffe (1997, p 189) writes in his book The Ancient Celts that the festival Samhain more was about the year was at its end and new year was about to start.

Samhain fell on November 1st, and as said above, it was a line between two years, end of the year that passed and beginning of a new year, and as such, it was a dangerous time: spirits from people who had died were about to roam freely (Cunliffe, 1997, p 189).

A theory, according to The Scottish Sun (2013), is that Celts' cleansing fires during Samhain, attracted insects with its light, and insects in turn attracted bats - a fantastic feast for them, all insects at one place.

Celts were really superstitious (The Scottish Sun, 2013), noted also by Roman Julius Caesar, who wrote about it in his text Commentaries on the Gallic War (Cunliffe, 1997, p 185). He imagined that bats feasted out of Celts' deceased ones. That is one theory of how the vampire developed.

Trick or treat-part of Halloween can be traced back to Middle Ages, where beggars occupied themselves with "souling". They went from door to door and begged for food. They said something like they would beg for people who felt sorry for them. 19th century kids to Scottish and Irish travellers picked this up. They danced outside houses for money and cookies (The Scottish Sun, 2013).

All Hallows Day, All Saints Day, where we're honouring our deceased, are also originated with the Celts Samhain. But it is the Christian variant (Cunliffe, 1997, p 189).

Resources:
Cunliffe, Barry (1997). The Ancient Celts. London: Penguin Books.
Get the facts fright (The Scottish Sun, October 29th 2013)

Good morning Wednesday

I've been sleeping pretty well this night, eventuellt if I believed for awhile last night that the really curious family hamster would knep me awake with its movement in our ventilation system, where it had out mistakenly though it was blocked by 2 heavy books. She's a strong little one that hamster. Eventuelly, se came upp again. No fun in there and longer.

But now I am heading for a new day. What to do today? I'm going to read some psychology, lecture 7, which I've received in written form. Only one out of eight lectures is filmed in some way for this course, I prefer filmed material. I think you get another contact with teacher studying at distance as I do. You hear his / her voice (and you see power points) - that is the most ordinary sort of lecture. Best is when you see the while teacher, face, movements, I believe.

Well, let's start the day now. See you! :-)

When Cultures Collide

Must say this book offered a pretty useful reading. My edition was, however, from 1997, so much has happened after that, but it still gave a good foundation about cultures.

Cultures could be divided into 3 groups:
- Linear active
- Multi active
- Reactive

Linear active cultures plan, organise and act in a decided order, do one thing at a time. British and Swedish cultures are among these.

In multiactive cultures, you're pretty vivid, talkative and gladly do more than one thing at a time. Instead of acting according to a planned order, you do what is most interesting or relevant at the moment. Lewis put Italians, Latin americans and Arabians to this group.

In reactive cultures, politeness and respect are important. They listen without interrupting, carefully considering what has been said before they decide. Chinese, Japanese and Finish cultures belong to this group.

Linear active trusts information. Multi active prefer personal contacts. And the reactive combines the two of them.

Lewis tells language is vital for how we think and not just a tool to tell thoughts. Notion of brain paths differentiates. In Britain, thoughts run along British brain paths, and those are different from brain paths of other nationalities. An Englishman, a Chinese and an Italian experience the same happening. First the experience is a sort of kaleidoscope and must be registered by brain. And brain mainly do this by help of language. It results, the three of them see three different things. Lewis illustrates with "fair play". It could be something else for a German person, as he/she has to translate the word ny help of other words. In a society lacking organised games, "fair play" may lack meaning.

But Lewis warns. It's a bit risky to use stereotypes. This is all about getting a bigger picture of a people in a whole. A Dane could be quite like a Portuguese. But a Danish choir or a Danish football team are easy to distinguish from their Portuguese equivalences. Generalised, national characteristics are rarely applicable to individuals, Lewis tells, but for several members out of a specific cultures, it is.    

Brits as well as Swedes see the space around them, within 1,2 metres from themselves, as their territory, and they do not like this being offended by someone they do not know (and in that case, they will probably rear away to restore the distance). However, people close to us we accept at a distance of 0,6 metres. But there are cultures, book exemplifies with Mexicans, who talk to strangers with 0,5 metres distance. They could understand our rearing as they are physical distasteful.

In the end of the book, Lewis means that if you have an cross cultural understanding, you will accept differences, and use this in a positive way.

This book will give you a good foundation to build this cross cultural understanding of yours.


About the book:Lewis, Richard (1997)
When Cultures Collide - Managing Successfully Across Cultures (link intends an English edition from 2005)

Some old coins

New stuff in my Family Binders, foreign, non-valid coins I saved from some trips I did in the 90's.

In 1993, I went to St Petersburg in Russia. Small coins is nice to put in between photos and bigger stuff, I think.

In 1997, I was in Lloret de Mar, Blanes, Barcelona och the amusement park Port Aventura in Spain. I have 1 100 pesetas left from this trip.

The coins. One from Russia and three from Spain.

Russian coin in place in the Family Binder.

1 000 pesetas next to photos from the streets
of Lloret de Mar in Spain.

100 pesetas next to Dragon Khan at Port Aventura in Spain. I was not able to ride that one, because it was a bit too windy the day I visited the amusement park. If you knew me at that time, you'd also know I rode about everything in an amusement park. Everything! So consider my disappointment when this one, which I had read about before I came there and was looking forward too, wasn't available the only single day I was there.   

Orange became black

I've been changing the paper pieces of my Family Binders. White papers and a black filter pen... it'll probably always be possible to buy, and from that, I'll have a bit of a consistency in system, at least on the face of it. Earlier, I have used a vague coloured paper and an yellow-orange kind of filter pen. But then again... to always find the same nuances in the stores... Much better now. :-)

Before

After

Let the walls inspire you

Among all articles that I have written, I found such creative ideas. What about this one about wallwords in the horse stable, as I wrote for the Swedish equestrian magazine Equipage in 2009.

I read in my article that the trend of wallwords was born in 1996, but first it mostly was a trend for creative creative upperclass homes. Professional work costs.

But then there were those vinyl decals... they made wallwords cheapier and it was easy to put words on your walls.

Erika Hermander in the Swedish net store My First Room says in the article that:

"Many has white or unicoloured walls and wallwords on those walls give you an opportunity to strengthen the style you want for your home in a good way - often better than for example a picture."

It is not only about to fill out unwanted emptiness. Words well thought out attract curiousity, inspiration and thoughtfulness. Words and phrases choosen for its appropriateness can strengthen the atmosphere of both home and stable.

But if you do not want to have vinyl letters on your wall, you could paint them yourself, with or without patterns. Your own painting will, of course, be unique, and that could be fun too.

Words and wallwords is told to be helpful in identifying and fulfill our goals and dreams. Written goals are more often fulfilled than told ones. The process of formulate helps us visualize and remember.

But also, there has to be action too. Words may do you more effective in your work toward success. But you have to do the work itself.