Listen to Chanida talk to Khun Warut Promboon about how he and his little son will celebrate Halloween in America. Nittaya and Chamroen present the news weekly roundup, followed by the Top 5 Movies and this week's movie review of the Japanese horror film remake, 'The Grudge' starring Sarah Michelle Geller. We say goodbye with music from that spooky group, 'The Adam's Family'.
Halloween in New Jersey:
Halloween's origin dates back to Celtic customs of over 2000 years ago. The Celts are ancient Europeans who came down from the Alps to fight the Roman Empire. Eventually they were pushed north and became the ancestors of the peoples of the UK: the Britons, the Irish and the Scottish.
The Celts celebrated their New Year on November 1, making October 31 the day the spirits and ghosts roamed the earth in search of bodies to possess. The Celts built bonfires and dressed up in costumes to ward off the evil spirits.
Later, the Romans combined two of their own customs with those of the Celts: the commemoration of the passing of the dead and the honoring of Pomona, the Goddess of trees and fruits. Pope Boniface IV replaced the ‘pagan’ Roman feasts with All Saint’s Day, a Christian Festival, which was eventually celebrated on November 1 and called Hallowmas. October 31 then became All Hallow's Eve or Halloween.
Nowadays, Halloween is more fun than fright. Adults dress up in costume and eat, drink, and party. Children go out with their parents to the neighbors’ houses and ask for candy by ringing the doorbell and shouting “Trick or Treat!” Khun Warut Promboon is the Assistant Manager of Credit Risk Management for a big insurance company in New York City. He lives in suburban New Jersey. Khun Warut is planning to take his 3-year-old son, Matt, trick or treating. Young children in America often wear playful instead of scary costumes. For example, this year Matt is dressing up as Thomas the Tank Engine, a train locomotive with a cheerful human face, which is based on a series of popular children’s books. Let’s hope he doesn’t get a ‘tummy-ache’ from all those sweets!
