Happy Samhain All You Pagans

I like to consider myself a poster Canadian, with a concoction of nationalities coursing through my veins. I am ½, eighth generation French Canadian, ¼, fourth generation Newfie/Brit and ¼, second generation Irish.  It is those ¼ Irish genes that make celebrating Halloween almost a genetic necessity.  In addition, I am driven to introduce the tradition to as many cultures as I can. Hence the fourth annual HIT Halloween celebration was born.  

Halloween is believed to have begun as a pagan festival called Samhain.  Samhain was a time used by the ancient Gaels (Celts) to take stock of supplies and prepare for winter. They believed that on October 31^st, the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead overlapped and the deceased would come back to life and cause havoc such as sickness or damaged crops.











They celebrated with huge bonfires, dressing up in costumes consisting of animal skins and heads in an attempt to fool the spirits into believing they too were spirits and leave them alone.  As time passed, the animal skins and heads were replaced with masks. 

Those pesky Christians got involved when they named November 1^st as “All Saints Day”, a celebration of martyrs.  The day was also called “All Hallows” and the night before, October 31, Samhain, became known as “All Hallows Eve” and eventually “Halloween”

 

 

 

It is suggested that trick-or-treating" dates back to the early All Souls' Day parades in England. During the festivities, poor citizens would beg for food and families would give them pastries called "soul cakes" in return for their promise to pray for the family's dead relatives. The distribution of soul cakes was encouraged by the church as a way to replace the ancient practice of leaving food and wine for roaming spirits.

 

 

 

In the mid 19^th century, the great potato famine saw hundreds of thousands of Irish immigrants settle in North America, bringing with them the traditions of Halloween. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the late 1800s, there was a move in America to mold Halloween into a holiday more about community and neighborly get-togethers than about ghosts, pranks and witchcraft. By the turn of the century, Halloween parties for both children and adults had become the most common way to celebrate the day.

 

 

Beginning in the 1920’s, the centuries-old practice of trick-or-treating was revived. Trick-or-treating was a relatively inexpensive way for an entire community to share the Halloween celebration. In theory, families could also prevent tricks being played on them by providing the neighborhood children with small treats. A new American tradition was born, and it has continued to grow.

 

 

Spooky pumpkins started out as spooky turnips. Turnips were hollowed out and spooky faces were carved into them. Lit with candles, they were carried or left in windows or front doors to scare away the spirits of the dead. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When the tradition arrived in North America, pumpkins replaced turnips as a cheaper alternative for scaring away the spirits. I believe that it was also the birth of pumpkin pie. They had to do something with all those pumpkin guts!

 

Today, we spend an estimated $6 billion annually on Halloween, making it the second largest commercial holiday in North America. Can you imagine if this celebration catches on in China?  You might want to start buying shares in candy companies because I think I have lit the fuse. 

 

 

 

Happy Halloween everyone and a special Happy Samhain to all you pagans

 

A River Runs Through It

Clean, fresh water in China is a vanishing commodity. As reported by the Economist (Oct. 12/2013):

“The shortage is worsening because China’s water is disappearing. In the 1950s the country had 50,000 rivers with catchment areas of 100 square kilometres or more. Now the number is down to 23,000. China has lost 27,000 rivers, mostly as a result of over-exploitation by farms or factories.” “According to the land ministry (China), more than half the groundwater in northern China is too dirty for a person to wash in, let alone drink, and some is so poisonous it cannot even be used in the fields.”

 

The village is blessed with a crystal clear river running through its very heart.  But despite its current picturesque quality, it too has been misused.  

 

  

 

 

As the mountain was logged off, it became difficult for the villagers to make a living. Fish from the river a source of food now became a source of income but fishing was a time consuming process. Someone got the great idea to poison the river causing the fish to die and float to the surface where they could quickly be gathered and moved on to market. The result was over fishing and the disappearance of fish from the river. 

 

 

The same scenario is repeating itself with the frogs. Kilometres and kilometres of frog fencing has been erected along the river leaving the frogs little chance to survive and procreate.  This will surely result in the complete decimation of the highly lucrative frog industry for the village.   

 

 

 

The river is one of the major attractions for tourists that are now coming to the village.  

 

 

 

 

The sound it makes act like a soporific, lulling unsuspecting hikers into long naps on the sun warmed rocks that line the river.

 

 

 

  

 

 The water was freezing.

But it put some pep in our step.








 

After an 8 hour hike, I was regenerated by a few mouthfuls of Baijiu. Baijiu is a potent 40-60 % white alcohol that has been around for a few thousand years. It is made with anything that will ferment.  Baijiu is best taken in small amounts or not at all. I remember my first Baijiu experience at a dinner with some Chinese beaurocrats. Almost a week later, I burped and could still taste it.
 

With a delicious village dinner and a few shots under my belt, it was off to our Kang for a good night’s sleep.

A Kang is an elevated platform built from bricks. Hot coals are placed in or a fire started in small firebox built into the platform and acts to heat the bricks of the platform making for a cozy and warm bed.

I must admit to being a bit nervous sleeping over a roaring fire. In my dreams, I saw myself, covered by a black crispy coating with a gooey, runny inside, kind of like a marshmallow.  Perhaps it was the Baijiu.

It was an early start, the next day.  We had to catch a bus to the main town at 4:45 AM and it was a struggle to pull ourselves out of the Kang.

The Village People



It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.

We were invited by our friend branson to visit what he likes to call his village. He has been traveling there for many years. Not an easy place to get to. A 2 ½ hour train ride to the city of Wuchen, famous for their rice, then a rented van and 3 more hours of travel time brought us to his village located in the Dong Shan or East Mountains. The village began life as a Japanese work camp, built to house workers who logged the large trees that covered the mountainside.

  

Young man, there's no need to feel down.
I said, young man, pick yourself off the ground.
I said, young man, 'cause you're in a new town
There's no need to be unhappy.

 Meet Grandma. She followed her husband to the village in the early 60's. She has outlived him and raised a family of 8. Many who still live in the village. She told us stories of  trees so big it took two people to put their arms around them and eating fish from the river that ran through their village. The fish have all disappeared and only small scrawny trees cover the mountain side. There has been no logging for many years. For the last decade the village has been slowly  transitioning into a tourist destination.


 

Young man, there's a place you can go.
I said, young man, when you're short on your dough.
You can stay there, and I'm sure you will find
Many ways to have a good time.

Meet the ladies at the local 7-11.When the munchies strike, they got you covered but only from 11:00 ish to when ever.

 

It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A. 

 

 

The village has running water or perhaps "walking water" might be more appropriate.

 

 

 

 

 

  

No man does it all by himself.
I said, young man, put your pride on the shelf,
And just go there, to the Y.M.C.A.
I'm sure they can help you today.

 

 

Nonie inspecting dinner or is the dinner inspecting Nonie? 



It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.

 

 

 

 

These happy retirees kept asking us why we waited so long to retire. We had no response.  

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Young man, are you listening to me?
I said, young man, what do you want to be?
I said, young man, you can make real your dreams.
But you got to know this one thing!

 

 

Their kitchen was stocked with the latest gadgets.  

 

It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A. 

 

 

Meet the "frog hunter". He was busy harvesting live frogs. Soon to be another vanished species of the village.













The villagers have constructed kilometres of plastic fencing along the river. The frogs, drawn to the water, are stopped by the plastic wall making them easy prey for the "frog hunter".  We hiked up the creek for hours and found no part of the river not fenced in.  

 

 

 

No man does it all by himself.
I said, young man, put your pride on the shelf,
And just go there, to the Y.M.C.A.
I'm sure they can help you today.

 

 

 

Found this little guy making a valiant attempt to breach the wall. Gave him a hand up and over the fence. The villagers have no concept of managed harvesting and along with the fish, deer, bears, the frogs will probably be hunted into extinction.

 

 

 

 

  

 

It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.

 

 

Meet our hosts. They were the first family to see the potential for tourism in the village. With  money earned inviting tourists into their home, they built a larger home, then a second home for grandma.  Many other families are now getting on the bandwagon and new and larger homes have and are sprouting up around the village to accommodate the growing demand. The Chinese are moving into the cities, but still crave a little nature, once in a while. All be it, one without any animals

You can get yourself clean, you can have a good meal,
You can do whatever you feel ...

 

 

 

 

 

This giant wok kept us well fed. All the food we ate was made or grown in the village.

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.

 

 

It's 4:30 AM and the tofu guy has been up for hours preparing fresh  and tasty tofu for the village. His secret ingredient, the ash that fell into the tofu from the ever present cigarette dangling from his mouth.  

 

 

 

 

 

They have everything for you men to enjoy,
You can hang out with all the boys...

 

 

 

Meet the guys. With not a lot of action in the village, the tofu guy commands an audience. Perhaps they get to lick the spoon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's when someone came up to me,
And said, young man, take a walk up the street.
There's a place there called the Y.M.C.A.
They can start you back on your way.

 

And of course Nonie has to put her two cents in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Young man, young man, there's no need to feel down.
Young man, young man, get yourself off the ground.

 

 

The village is not rich but everyone had a smile. Even the corn bugs were smiling. Neighbours were helping neighbours and we were welcomed where ever we went. It was a nice escape from the big city.

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.