[	Tags	|	colleen gleason, emmy rossum, matthew macfadyen, max, movie, shane brolly, vampires, victoria gardella	]
[	Current Mood	|	happy	]
[	Current Music	|	To the fairies they draw near	]

Shane Brolly

Matthew Macfadyen

Tilda Swinton

Julie Andrews

Emmy Rossum

[	Tags	|	hogwarts hufflepuff ravenclaw gryffindor	]
[	Current Location	|	Spinner's End	]
[	Current Mood	|	thirsty	]
[	Current Music	|	Éanair (Lúnasa)	]

Which Hogwarts house will you be sorted into?

[	Tags	|	celtic, halloween, irish, jack o' lantern, jack skellington, pumpkin, samaine, samhain, turnip	]
[	Current Location	|	B.P.R.D.	]
[	Current Mood	|	hungry	]
[	Current Music	|	What's this (N B4 Xmas)	]

So, today’s Samhain, now called “Halloween”. In Ancient times, this festival was an important one, and it celebrated end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture. It is still a custom in some places to set a place for the dead at the Samhain feast, and to tell tales of the ancestors on that night, since boundaries between the world of the living and the world of the dead becomes thinner, at times even fading away completely, allowing spirits and other supernatural entities to pass between the worlds to socialize with humans. Bonfires and ‘cattle-slaughtering’ also played an important part in that festival, but I prefer sweets to meat. XD Anyway, people would slaughter cattle and stock grains to survive the winter. This was also a good time to stay home and tell stories to the family.

“When the Romans made contact with the Celts, they added their feast of the dead to Samhain. The Christians subverted the recognition of Samhain to honor the saints, as All Saint's Day on November 1st and named October 31 as All Hallow's Eve. Although using different nomenclatures, all of these festivals and feasts are celebrating the accessibility, veneration, awe, and respect of the dead.” (Wikipedia). 

“The Romans adopted the Celtic practices as their own. But in the first century AD, Samhain was assimilated into celebrations of some of the other Roman traditions that took place in October, such as their day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple, which might explain the origin of our modern tradition of bobbing for apples on Halloween.

The thrust of the practices also changed over time to become more ritualized. As belief in spirit possession waned, the practice of dressing up like hobgoblins, ghosts, and witches took on a more ceremonial role.

The custom of trick-or-treating is thought to have originated not with the Irish Celts, but with a ninth-century European custom called souling. On November 2, All Souls Day, early Christians would walk from village to village begging for "soul cakes," made out of square pieces of bread with currants. The more soul cakes the beggars would receive, the more prayers they would promise to say on behalf of the dead relatives of the donors. At the time, it was believed that the dead remained in limbo for a time after death, and that prayer, even by strangers, could expedite a soul's passage to heaven.” (Halloween)

It is also said that Samhain could be the Celtic New Year, but this is controversial.

And below, there’s Jack O’ Lantern’s story. I’ve always asked who the heck or what the heck was Jack O’ Lantern and nobody would explain me. Either they didn’t know or they didn’t want to tell. Now the mystery is solved.

First, you will all notice that he is “Jack O’ the turnip”.  Here’s why:

“The custom of Halloween was brought to America in the 1840's by Irish immigrants fleeing their country's potato famine. At that time, the favorite pranks in New England included tipping over outhouses and unhinging fence gates.

The Irish used turnips as their "Jack's lanterns" originally. But when the immigrants came to America, they found that pumpkins were far more plentiful than turnips. So the Jack-O-Lantern in America was a hollowed-out pumpkin, lit with an ember.” (Halloween)

Sources: Stolen Stories. Great site, worth checking.

                 Halloween

                  Wikipedia

[	Tags	|	harry potter, innocent, severus, snape, theory	]
[	Current Location	|	Aina	]
[	Current Mood	|	cold	]
[	Current Music	|	Belle - Notre Dame de Paris	]

Well, who knows… It might be crazy, I might be wrong… But I sincerely believe I am NOT!!! So, there you go! XD *Contain spoilers if you haven't read the books!*

I believe Snape was in love with Lily (and it was evident she also liked him, since she stood up for him, then he calls her "Mudblood" and she gets SO upset-Book 5 chapter 28, page 571). But he never had the courage to tell her that, and even if they dated at some point, I think Snape ruined everything, since he was already working for Voldemort (he threatened James when he was bullying him "You.. wait..." – Book 5 chapter 28, page 569) and was friends with Lucius Malfoy. Whatever the reason, Lily started going out with James to make Snape jealous. Well, you know how those things works, they always backfire. She married James, had Harry and Snape thought he was angry enought to kill James and the baby, then revealed the whereabouts (but he never meant to kill Lily, that's why Voldemort was hesitating in book 3, chapter 09 pg 179 “Stand aside you silly girl… stand aside, now…”-Snape might have done some kind of deal with Voldemort). Snape suddenly realizes what he had done but it's too late. Now he sees in Harry a lot of James, hates that (I bet he wanted Harry to be his son) and the worst is seeing LILY'S EYES all the time.

Now, as for Snape killing Dumbledore... It was part of a plan (who knows what Jo Rowling has in mind), and Snape HAD TO do it. He didn't want to, remember?  (pg.380 Book 6, Hagrid heard a conversation between Snape and Dumbledore 'he shouldn't have heard').

“Well - I jus’ heard Snape sayin’ Dumbledore took too much fer granted an’ maybe he – Snape- didn’ wan’ ter do it anymore-“

“Do what?” (Harry asks)

“I dunno, Harry it sounded like Snape was feelin’ a bit overworked that’s all – anyway, Dumbledore told him flat out he’d agreed ter do it an’ that was all there was to it. Pretty firm with him.”

(…)

Then Hagrid tells Harry, to finish:

“I know what yeh’re like abou’ Snape, Harry, an’ I don’ want yeh ter go readin’ more  inter this than there is.”

 And don't forget the Unbreakable Vow (Snape and Narcissa, Book 6)... So, Snape would rather die than kill Dumbledore.

When Harry (thinks) he hears Dumbledore 'pleading'... He hears "Severus, please..."  (pg. 556, chapter 27) Sounds like a request to me... Or a polite command, as you know Dumbledore. Dumbledore, BEGGING FOR HIS LIFE?! NEVER. Of course Snape would be VERY angry. I would. He didn't want to do it.... But he had to. And he did. Then Harry calls him a "coward". To do what Snape did takes a lot of courage. Remember that even Harry had to do something he hated when he gave the potion to Dumbledore in chapter 26, Book 6.

“Hating himself, repulsed by what he was doing, Harry forced the goblet back towards Dumbledore’s mouth and tipped it, so that Dumbledore drank the remainder of the potion inside.”  (Book 6 pg 534, chapter 26)

And Snape could have killed Harry whenever he wanted. He had all the chances in Book 6 chapter 28, for example... And he only blocked Harry's spells... And Dumbledore was NOT on the way anymore... If Bellatrix is stupid enough to swallow his lame excuses, I wouldn't be.

Now, since Jo likes killing main characters and she said two more would be victims now... Snape might die saving Harry, or doing something heroic/stupid... 

Any opinions?