Samhain Sunday

The sun was shining, it was chilly, but not windy.    By the time late afternoon came, it was in the mid 50s and quite nice.

I worked this morning on Condo stuff, and ancestry.   Then after lunch I prepared the colcannon for the Samhain Dinner with my CWI friends this evening.

We started gathering at about 4PM.   There ended up being an even dozen people around the table.   We enjoyed wine and/or coffee/or tea while we caught up with old friends and introduced ourselves to new.   The food, as in all potlucks, was exceptional.   Good harvest foods.   The colcannon, a veggie casserole full of fresh veggies, a harvest soup, a potato casserole, fresh wheat bread, scones and for dessert an apple bar, a pumpkin bar and a cheesecake.    Anybody who went home hungry had noone to blame but themselves.  This is a fun annual event.    I should have thought to invite you all.   I carved a rutabaga into a Jack O Lantern and them read the legend to the attendees.    I have a nice container of rutabaga for my veggie this week and the Jack O Lantern will last until then.  

In case you don't know the legend of the Jack O Lantern, I will end with it.

Dia Dhuit

Mary

The tale—and there are variations—is of a no-good drunkard named Stingy Jack who invited the Devil to have a drink.
Stingy Jack, not wanting to pay, convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin so he could pay the barkeep.
The Devil did so, and Stingy Jack promptly dropped the coin into his pocket, where he also kept a silver cross, which prevented the Devil from retaking his original form.
In order to free himself, the Devil promised to leave Stingy Jack alone for a year and to swear he would not take Jack’s soul upon death.
A year later, Jack again tricked the Devil. This time, Jack convinced the Devil to climb a tree to fetch an apple. Jack trapped the Devil in the tree by carving a cross into its trunk.
The Devil promised to leave Jack alone for 10 years so Jack would free him from the tree.
Time passed and Jack died. Because of his ne’er-do-well lifestyle, though, Jack was turned away from Heaven. The Devil, remembering Jack’s tricks, kept his promise and wouldn’t claim his soul.
Banished to walk the world as a spirit trapped between life and death, Jack was given one burning coal to light his way. Forlorn, he placed the coal inside a hollowed out turnip and was left to wander for all eternity.
Stingy Jack soon became known as Jack of the Lantern. The name was eventually shortened to Jack O’Lantern, and the Irish and Scottish began the custom of carving scary faces into turnips or potatoes to decorate their doors and windows in order to ward off evil spirits.
The tradition made its way to the United States and soon pumpkins—larger and easier to carve—replaced potatoes and turnips as Halloween’s most notable decoration.