To all the Seasonal Wisdom readers out there … Happy Vintage Halloween! This autumnal holiday is one of our favorites, particularly all the strange and wonderful Halloween superstitions, folklore and strange facts.

Come join us as we look back at this popular holiday, whose history is stranger than fiction. All these vintage Halloween cards are courtesy of RiptheSkull on Flick. Read more if you dare…

Halloween has many strange traditions you probably didn’t know.

This vintage Seasonal Wisdom post takes you back in time to learn strange Halloween facts and folklore rituals, with more vintage cards from RiptheSkull on Flickr.

From ghoulies and ghosties and long-legged beasties, And things that go bump in the night, Good Lord, deliver us!” Old Cornish Prayer

Halloween has long been considered a scary night, when the veils between the living and dead are especially thin. Read old and often-humorous Halloween superstitions in this vintage Seasonal Wisdom post.

Pumpkins are a common symbol of Halloween. They’re easy to love in the garden and the kitchen, especially when they aren’t flying through the sky.

Learn more about growing and eating pumpkins here.

See unusual pumpkins, winter squashes and gourds.

When I was a little girl, this scary old poem was one of my favorites. Little Orphan Annie by James Whitcomb Riley.

Be sure to read this poem aloud with lots of gusto.

You aren’t the only one who finds Halloween a scary place in terms of all the calories.

Here are different Halloween candies with the lowest calories. Definitely worth a read!

Hope your Halloween is fun, safe and happy.

All vintage Halloween cards in this post are courtesy of RiptheSkull on Flickr.

Contributor: As another New Year begins, it’s interesting to consider the traditional Chinese solar calendar, which featured 24 mini-seasons closely tied to what was happening in the natural world.  These 24 solar terms helped farmers remember their way through nature’s growing cycles.

This sounded like a topic we had to explore further at Seasonal Wisdom, so we asked Ann Bingley Gallops of NY-based Open Spaces Feng Shui to provide a quick overview of these fascinating 24 solar terms that make up the Chinese solar calendar.  It’s little wonder why these nature-oriented calendar terms still ring true to us today. Come take a peek.  All photos  courtesy of Jeriff Cheng on Flickr.

Seasonal Wisdom readers may remember these helpful winter, spring, summer and  fall Feng Shui tips for your home from Ann Bingley Gallops of NY-based Open Spaces Feng Shui.

Here’s what she had to say about the 24 solar terms in the traditional Chinese solar calendar:

As a Feng Shui consultant I am exposed to many fascinating aspects of ancient Chinese culture and how these ideas can benefit us in the world today.

A primary concern that drove the foundation of Feng Shui and many other East Asian concepts was the need for farmers to protect their crops under challenging circumstances ranging from armed attacks to a vague understanding of when to plant and harvest crops.

Feng Shui branched off to create ideas such as the Commanding Position, helping farmers decide on the best locations to place their farms for safety and abundant growth.

The crucial need to know how to manage their farms for the greatest health and profit caused them to invent an annual calendar called the Solar Term, in which the year is divided into 24 narrowly-defined “seasons,” which told farmers what to expect from the climate as the year went by.

The divisions were created using the traditional Chinese solar calendar, according to the point at which the sun reaches 24 equally-spaced points along the ecliptic longitude.

Many, many centuries later, these 24 seasons still have relevance today.   

Some of the seasons define annual solar events, such as the Spring and Fall Equinoxes and Summer and Winter Solstices.

Others have wonderfully evocative names that embody the wonders of the changing year such as Waking of the Insects (March 5), Slight Heat (July 7), Heavy Snow (December 7) and so on.

I find myself musing on these mini-seasons as each year goes by and hope you will enjoy knowing about them too.

Here are the 24 Solar Terms of the traditional Chinese Solar Calendar:

• Spring Begins  ———-Feb. 2-5
• The Rains ——————Feb. 18-19
• Insects Awaken ———–March 5-6
• Vernal Equinox———–March 21
• Clear and Bright ———-April 5
• Grain Rain —————–April 21-22
• Summer Begins ——-May5-6
• Grain Buds —————-May 21-22
• Grain in Ear —————June 5
• Summer Solstice ———June 21-22
• Slight Heat —————-July 7-8
• Great Heat —————-July 23-24
• Autumn Begins ——Aug 8-9
• Stopping the Heat ——-Aug 23
• White Dews —————Sept. 7
• Autumn Equinox——–Sept 22-23
• Cold Dews —————-Oct 8-9
• Hoar-Frost Falls———Oct 23
• Winter Begins ——–Nov 7-8
• Light Snow —————Nov 22-23
• Heavy Snow ————-Dec 7-8
• Winter Solstice ———-Dec 21-23
• Slight Cold —————Jan 5-7
• Great Cold —————Jan 20

Source: People’s Daily Online

All photos courtesy of Jeriff Cheng on Flickr, who documents the different 24 seasons beautifully throughout the year.

About the Author: 

Ann Bingley Gallops, owner of Open Spaces Feng Shui in Brooklyn New York, is an expert Feng Shui consultant, blogger and speaker. A Feng Shui consultation with Ann helps you get unstuck, create a positive environment where you can blossom and thrive, and attract abundance in every part of your life.

Ann is the author of Map Your Space To Change Your Life: A Guide To The Feng Shui Bagua. She practices Feng Shui with an MBA from Columbia University, a Practitioner’s Certificate from the Western School of Feng Shui, and Red Ribbon Professional membership in the International Feng Shui Guild.

Follow Ann on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, and on the Open Spaces Feng Shui blog.

Happy November! In this month, “the eating of Honey … Ginger … and Goats Milk are very wholesome and profitable to the body … and Cinnamon … drunk often this Moneth give health, and are commendable.” wrote Richard Saunders in Apollo Anglicanus, The English Apollo back in 1665.

The early part of this month has long been a popular time for weather predictions, including this old English proverb: “If there’s ice in November to bear a duck, there’ll be nothing after but sludge and muck.”

Look for more fall and holiday posts coming soon — plus several giveaways — as we prepare for this festive time of year. Cheers! Photo courtesy of ecstaticist on Flickr.

It’s that time again — when days grow shorter and colder, and masses of children descend on my front porch at Halloween demanding “tricks or treats!”

In honor of this frightfully fun holiday, Seasonal Wisdom is sharing a “mish mash” of resources for Halloween. Come on in … if you dare!

Spellbound Mums: It’s hard not to get enchanted by these strangely beautiful mums from Raker, which featured three varieties of mums in the same container. Talk about fall color! We found them so pretty, it was scary.

These new mums are part of Raker’s Living Color Fundraiser program. If your school or community group is trying to raise money, Raker offers various bedding plants, containers and hanging baskets for fundraising programs for non-profit groups.

Ghost Tours: Halloween is an ideal time to hear ghost stories, visit haunted houses and learn the legends of wandering souls.

In the Washington, D.C. area, you’ll find a wide variety of ghost tours, guaranteed to make your skin crawl.

In Atlanta, Roswell Ghost Tour is celebrating 13 years of walking tours conducted by paranormal investigators. And they swear they tell only the truth, not “made-up stories.”

In Seattle, Market Ghost Tours is considered the experts of haunted, sordid details of this waterfront city.

And here’s a nationwide directory of ghost tours and haunted houses from MapMuse.

Halloween Superstitions: If you’re looking for old superstitions about Halloween, don’t miss this vintage Seasonal Wisdom post.

Plus, more! You’ll find lots of strange facts and folklore about Halloween — plus vintage cards from riptheskull on Flickr — in this vintage Seasonal Wisdom post.

Junk Food: What’s really scary is how much junk food and candy gets eaten at Halloween. An estimated 35 million pounds of candy corn alone is sold each year, according to inquisitr.com, which features lots of fun Halloween infographics in this article.

In New York City, Farm2Me is trying to make a difference. The organization is organizing a Halloween trick or treat event on Oct. 31, 2012 with sustainable and organic food vendors.

It’s a great way for families and kids to sample healthy alternatives to normal Halloween treats. Vendors are sampling free, kids can come trick or treat, there will be live music, organic BBQ, and of course, the NYC Halloween Parade.  RSVP for free sampling, hourly free meal giveaway raffles, $50 gift certificates and more.

How do you plan to celebrate Halloween this year?

Disclosure: Seasonal Wisdom was sent these garden mums from Raker to review at no charge. But I was not paid to write about this product, nor was I instructed what to write. My opinions are my own.

Guest Post: Another amazing autumn is here! Seasonal Wisdom is delighted to feature these fall-based Feng Shui tips from NY-based consultant Ann Bingley Gallops of Open Spaces Feng Shui.  Learn how you can use the timeless lessons of Feng Shui to enjoy this season to the fullest. Here’s what Ann has to say …

Use Fall To Your Advantage, Feng-Shui Style

We’ve entered the heart of Fall, when gardens show signs of fatigue after their summer activity, and plants and trees begin their annual shut-down.

It’s time to shut down the irrigation system, turn off the fountain, bring in remaining goodies from the garden and start covering things up for the hibernation of winter ahead.

How are you feeling, right now? Are you consolidating your summer gains and buckling down for a winter of concentration and focus?

 In Feng Shui, fall is the season of the Metal element, which signifies “contracting” action: consolidation, fall harvest and a sense of completion in the cycle of the year.

Feng Shui’s Five Elements are Water, Wood, Fire, Earth and Metal; each is associated with a particular time of year.  Learn more about the Five Elements.

Faded flowers photo courtesy of Garda on Flickr

Metal is symbolically represented by the various shapes, colors and textures that appear in autumn. For example, Metal appears in the pale shades of a fading hydrangea.

Photo courtesy Snap Man on Flickr.

Metal is also symbolized by the round shape and condensed nature of rocky boulders as they begin to dominate the autumn landscape

In Feng Shui you need each of the Five Elements in your life for distinct aspects of energetic balance.

Metal is the element of discernment, organization and planning, paralleling your activities during the fall as you assess what has occurred thus far in the year and make plans to consolidate those gains over the winter.

Use the strengthening power of Metal to your advantage this fall.  You can signify your dedicated Intention to do this in your space with metal objects, items that are round or oval shaped, and objects in shades of pastel or white.

As you place these objects in your home or office, dedicate their placement to your goals for months ahead.  Place your plans more firmly into the “real” by grounding them with your Intention, as embodied in the items you are placing.

Here comes Winter – what do you wish to have accomplished by the time the re-awakening of Spring arrives?

Here’s to good Chi!

Learn More: See Ann’s Feng Shui tips for Winter and Spring, created for Seasonal Wisdom readers.

About the Author 

Ann Bingley Gallops, owner of Open Spaces Feng Shui in Brooklyn New York, is an expert Feng Shui consultant, blogger and speaker.  A Feng Shui consultation with Ann helps you get unstuck, create a positive environment where you can blossom and thrive, and attract abundance in every part of your life.

Ann is the author of Map Your Space To Change Your Life: A Guide To The Feng Shui Bagua . She practices Feng Shui with an MBA from Columbia University, a Practitioner’s Certificate from the Western School of Feng Shui, and Red Ribbon Professional membership in the International Feng Shui Guild.

Follow Ann on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, and on the Open Spaces Feng Shui blog.

Thanksgiving is nearly here. So, we’re sharing some great Thanksgiving entertainment resources to ensure you have a healthy, delicious and safe meal.  Illustrating this post are wonderful vintage Thanksgiving cards from riptheskull on Flickr. Enjoy!

Turkey Times and Cooking Tips: If you’re like most Americans, it’s not every day that you cook a large turkey for family and friends. So, you probably have a few questions … like how much turkey will you need? How long should you cook your turkey? To stuff or not to stuff a turkey? And why would anyone brine a turkey?

Learn how long to roast a turkey, and get basic safety advice from the USDA.

General cooking tips about roasting turkeys can be found from Whole Foods, including how to brine a turkey.

Heritage Turkeys or Locally Raised Turkeys:

In recent decades, we’ve lost many wonderful heritage turkey breeds, as food producers have focused mainly on the Broad Breasted White turkey found in grocery stores all over the United States. As a result, some of the nation’s most delicious tasting breeds of turkeys have simply disappeared.

Thankfully, that’s changing. As Grist reports, heritage turkeys are making a comeback.  Now it’s easier than in recent years for you to purchase and taste these rare birds. This is great news for those who value food diversity, and want to eat healthier, better tasting turkeys. In fact, your purchase of of a heritage turkey helps to keep these breeds alive.

Learn how to find a heritage turkey in this Turkey Guide from Slow Food USA.

Besides the Turkey:

Just because it’s Thanksgiving, doesn’t mean those side dishes can’t be healthy and delicious.

How about a recipe for Pear, Prosciutto & Hazelnut Stuffing from EatingWell.com?

Or, a Smashed Spiced Sweet Potato recipe from EverydayHealth.com, with cumin and chili powder?

Love Green Bean Casserole, but don’t love the canned soup in most recipes? Try this version from A Veggie Venture. She says it’s the “world’s best green bean casserole.” Although I can’t confirm this claim myself, I’m definitely tempted to try her healthier version this year.

Want more? Here are different Thanksgiving side dishes from Delish.com.

Drink up! Matching the right wine with all those unusual Thanksgiving flavors can be a challenge.  Wine Spectator says, “… even the Pilgrims would have a hard time finding the right match.” Here are their tips for wines for Thanksgiving.

Want something more exotic to drink this Thanksgiving? The Huffington Post has eight Thanksgiving cocktails with ingredients like maple syrup, apple brandy, cinnamon and other yummy autumn flavors.

Thanksgiving Decorating Ideas:

Looking for inspiration for your Thanksgiving home decorations? You’re in luck.

There are lots of decorating ideas from HGTV, including easy tips and videos about topics like setting a stylish table and decorating with autumn touches.

From attractive fall wreaths to elegant table centerpieces, Martha Stewart shares her favorite Thanksgiving decorating ideas here.

For a fresh and modern way to decorate this Thanksgiving, check out these colorful, hip ideas from Hostessblog.com

Easy, Green Thanksgiving:

From pesticides and artificial additives to food packaging chemicals, there are lots of things you don’t want to eat this Thanksgiving.

Keep your family healthy and well by paying attention to some of the latest food safety research findings and advice from Environmental Working Group. From using safe cookware to selecting the right foods, this article has lots of news you can use.

Expert Advice: Even if you’re a newbie, there’s help for you. For instance, 11 of the nation’s top chefs offer their advice for hosting a wonderful thanksgiving, especially if it’s your first time.

However you decide to celebrate, remember to have fun, give thanks, and eat well.

And if you’re having a little trouble feeling grateful on Thanksgiving, keep in mind these wise words …

“Let us rise up and be thankful,

for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little,

and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick,

and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die;

so, let us all be thankful.”

Buddha

Halloween has many old, strange traditions that you probably didn’t know.  Take a trip back in time to hear about some of the fascinating folklore, illustrated with vintage Halloween postcards, courtesy of riptheskull on flickr.

All Hallows’ Eve or Hallowe’en has long been known as a frightening time when the ghostly spirits were said to run free, along with evil witches, fairies and goblins.

In Scotland and Ireland,  the sunset on October 31 until the sunset on November 1 was known as Samhain. As the Old Irish tale Tochmarc Emire explained, Samhain was “when the summer goes to its rest.”

The Welsh called this day Nos Galan Gaeaf or “winter’s eve.” The next day, Calan Gaeaf, was their “first day of winter.’

As  nature starts to go into dormancy now, and the outside world often looks dead and dreary, it’s understandable why anxiety and fear would settle into the hearts of earlier cultures, who had to survive until the next year’s growing season in spring.

Along with evil spirits, the souls of the dead (especially of family ancestors) were believed by many cultures to be wandering around now too.

In Wales, the family would place a bit of food on the windowsill for their ancestors. They asked for protection on this evil night, and encouraged them not to haunt the family.

Along with drawing double crosses, as in this vintage postcard, people in earlier times employed different ways of keeping away evil …

“These included the placing of food on the doorstep to appease any witch

who might approach the house; the putting of salt in the key-holes;

the safe locking up of all the domestic and farmyard animals;

the killing of a cockerel and hanging of its tail feathers on stable doors…”

Cambridgeshire Customs and Folklore, Enid Porter

On this night, young women often used mirrors in a variety of complicated rites to reveal their future lovers. The face seen in the mirror was the person she would eventually love.

Other love divination games included fortune-telling puddings with apples and cream. The puddings contained two rings, two coins and two marbles. What you found in your pudding revealed whether you would be wed (rings), wealthy (coins) or single and childless (marbles).

Apples were used in other ways, including the popular game of bobbing for apples. Each apple was named for a certain person, and people dove for the apples that floated in a pail full of water.  Seizing an apple in one bite was very good fortune indeed.

Not surprisingly, this was also a night to forecast death and misfortune. As John Sinclair wrote in the 1790s about Scotland …

“They set up bonfires in every village. When the bonfire is consumed,

the ashes are carefully collected in a circle. There is a stone put in …

for every person of the several families … and whatever

stone is moved out of its place, or injured before next morning,

the person represented by that stone …

is supposed not to live twelve months from that date.”

Today we celebrate with pumpkins, but in earlier days, lanterns made of hollowed-out turnips, and carved with ugly faces, were carried around to represent goblins. In parts of the UK, these lanterns were called “spunkies.”

British historian Ronald Hutton says children would carry their spunkies around town as warnings of death, singing:

“It’s Spunky Night, It’s Spunky Night,

Gie’s a candle, Gie’s a light.

If ‘ee dont, ‘ee’ll have a fright.”

These lanterns were called Jack o’Lanterns in eastern England, because they looked like flickering flames in the marsh, explains Hutton.

As large numbers of Irish and Scottish immigrants came to the United States in the 19th century, Halloween grew in popularity in this country. Old traditions were adapted into the ones we know today, and it still remains a spooky time for kids of all ages.

However you decide to celebrate Halloween, here’s hoping you have a fun and safe holiday. Don’t forget to hang some juniper branches and dried rosemary on your front door to keep away evil spirits!

Learn more:

Frightfully fun Halloween superstitions.

A spooky old poem for children of all ages.

Pumpkins – folklore, growing tips, nutritional facts and serving ideas

Selected sources for this post included:

The Oxford Book of Days

The Stations of the Sun

Heaven & Hearth

Vintage Halloween postcards from RiptheSkull on Flickr.

Post copyright Teresa O’Connor, Seasonal Wisdom.

Colorful fall leaves in red, orange and yellow have long been considered a beloved symbol of autumn. Learn why autumn leaves change colors, and celebrate this beautiful natural process that occurs each year in much of the United States. All photos copyright Teresa O’Connor.

Why Leaves Change Color: As nights grow longer, autumn leaves change colors, because the chlorophyll in leaves starts to die away.

Chlorophyll gives leaves their green color. It’s also vital for photosynthesis, which is the chemical reaction that enables plants to use sunlight to manufacture sugars for their food. (Hey, plants have to eat too!)

As this chlorophyll production slows down and then stops, the carotenoids and anthocyanins present in the leaves become more noticeable. Carotenoids produce yellow, orange and brown colors in plants. Anthocyanins produce reds, blues and purples.

Different tree species turn at slightly different times and have different color effects, as you can imagine. The weather plays a big role too. Learn more about why leaves change color from the USDA Forest Service.

Science aside, the pure visual beauty of changing leaves has inspired artists, photographers, poets and authors for centuries. Consider this poem, which seemed perfectly timed for today’s post.

Last Week in October

The trees are undressing, and fling in many places –

On the gray road, the roof, the window-sill –

Their radiant robes and ribbons and yellow laces;

A leaf each second so is flung at will,

Here, there, another and another, still and still.

Thomas Hardy (1840-1928)

As leaves fall and winter draws nearer, is it any wonder that people in earlier times grew worried about the upcoming cold months?  That’s why falling autumn leaves were caught mid-flight and preserved, either to decorate the winter home or as a good-luck charm against catching colds.

So, before all those fall leaves disappear in your area for another year, take a moment to catch a few yourself. Then let me know how you use them throughout your home … or even, whether they keep you safe from colds this winter! More fall tree pictures. Advice for preserving leaves and flowers from the Maryland Cooperative Extension.

Learn how to use fall leaves around the garden.

Coming next … a look at some of Halloween’s strange history. Check it out. If you dare.

“From ghoulies and ghosties and long-legged beasties,
And things that go bump in the night,
Good Lord, deliver us!”
–Old Cornish Prayer

Keep Fires Lit: In earlier times, bonfires were lit on hilltops to drive off witches: and on no account were household fires allowed to go out that night, or evil things might gain an entry. Incidentally, if your fire flame turns blue, it’s said that an other-worldly being has entered the room. Consider yourself warned.

Don’t Turn Around: If you’re walking on Halloween and hear footsteps right behind you – don’t turn around. You might find yourself staring Death in the face. And who wants that?

Meet a Witch: Wear your clothes inside out and walk backwards on Halloween night. It’s a sure way to run into a witch … or at least an angry “trick or treater.”

Predict Future Spouse: Eager to know the identity of your next love? Tonight is the perfect time. Here’s what you do: Go in a darkened room with a candle and step up to the mirror. Look in the mirror, eat the apple and comb your hair … all at the same time. Supposedly, the face of your next loved one – or the devil – will appear over your shoulder.

Most Importantly: Have fun, stay safe and don’t eat too many sweets.

Select resources:
The Perpetual Almanack of Folklore
The Oxford Book of Days

Plus!

Strange Halloween Facts and Folklore (plus old vintage cards!)

A spooky old poem for children of all ages.

Pumpkins – folklore, growing tips, nutritional facts and serving ideas

This vintage Halloween card is courtesy of riptheskull on Flickr.

Halloween is right around the corner. So, I can’t help but think back on the scariest poem from my childhood. Around this time of year, I simply adored this deliciously creepy delight, which was first published back in 1916 and has been frightening little kids ever since. Be sure and read it out loud with plenty of expression.

To all the little children: — The happy ones; and sad ones;
The sober and the silent ones; the boisterous and glad ones;
The good ones — Yes, the good ones, too; and all the lovely bad ones.

Little Orphant Annie’s come to our house to stay,
An’ wash the cups an’ saucers up, an’ brush the crumbs away,
An’ shoo the chickens off the porch, an’ dust the hearth, an’ sweep,
An’ make the fire, an’ bake the bread, an’ earn her board-an’-keep;
An’ all us other childern, when the supper-things is done,
We set around the kitchen fire an’ has the mostest fun
A-list’nin’ to the witch-tales ‘at Annie tells about,
An’ the Gobble-uns ‘at gits you
Ef you
Don’t
Watch
Out!

Vintage card courtesy of riptheskull on Flickr.

An’ when he went to bed at night, away up-stairs,
His Mammy heerd him holler, an’ his Daddy heerd him bawl,
An’ when they turn’t the kivvers down, he wuzn’t there at all!
An’ they seeked him in the rafter-room, an’ cubby-hole, an’ press,
An’ seeked him up the chimbly-flue, an’ ever’-wheres, I guess;
But all they ever found wuz thist his pants an’ roundabout:–
An’ the Gobble-uns ‘ll git you
Ef you
Don’t
Watch
Out!

Courtesy of riptheskull.

An’ make fun of ever’ one, an’ all her blood-an’-kin;
An’ wunst, when they was “company,” an’ ole folks wuz there,
She mocked ’em an’ shocked ’em, an’ said she didn’t care!
An’ thist as she kicked her heels, an’ turn’t to run an’ hide,
They wuz two great big Black Things a-standin’ by her side,
An’ they snatched her through the ceilin’ ‘fore she knowed what she’s about!
An’ the Gobble-uns ‘ll git you
Ef you
Don’t
Watch
Out!


Courtesy of riptheskull.

An’ the lamp-wick sputters, an’ the wind goes woo-oo!
An’ you hear the crickets quit, an’ the moon is gray,
An’ the lightnin’-bugs in dew is all squenched away,–
You better mind yer parunts, an’ yer teachurs fond an’ dear,

Ef you
Don’t
Watch
Out!