What's up with the Halloween avatars???

[Centexfarmer]

Gosh, just when I finally succumb to the pressure and decide to post a pic of my package as my avatar for 24 hours Corny goes and does this...

Damn that short little German man...

The one with the bunched up velcro?

Seen it.

 

[Willie Boy]

Viola! Avatars back to normal. Thanks, Corny - Good fun!

However, whilst we’re on the subject . . . .



Yeah, I'd vote for Dame Edna on Australia Day:



Or a Kangaroo:

Or some Australian footballers:



Still, Australia Day is not until January 26th, so we have quite a while to select which Aussie image ‘takes over’ the avatars on that day.

And why not? Google highlights certain anniversaries from time to time - perhaps Corny’s Halloween ‘treat’ can inspire other occasions to be celebrated on JUB!

I vote for the roo's.

 

[Corny]

I got a good chuckle out of the bitter Aussies As somebody already said .. quite out of character I will expect your wrath about american coca cola christmas soon.

But my dear Aussies .. maybe you need to learn a bit about the background story to the avatar
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack-o'-lantern#Folklore

It's not an american thing, it's an old irish tale, and the Irish say that his spirit spooks around the night before All Saints. All Saints is celebrated almost everywhere (but especially in eastern europe) in some fashion and it is an important holiday of the catholic church.

I too hate it that kids start trick or treating here - because that's just not the tradition here. It is a silent night, and on All Saints you go and light candles at the cemetery. But also here, the night before is a "spooky" night. Not with the American Halloween craze, but because of .. welll .. nobody knows for sure. The origins are unclear, many suspect celtic origins but there is no proof for that. Most people believe it's just because it's the night before All Saints

 

[LiquidSky]

I loved it!

 

[Críostóir]

I too hate it that kids start trick or treating here - because that's just not the tradition here. It is a silent night, and on All Saints you go and light candles at the cemetery. But also here, the night before is a "spooky" night. Not with the American Halloween craze, but because of .. welll .. nobody knows for sure. The origins are unclear, many suspect celtic origins but there is no proof for that. Most people believe it's just because it's the night before All Saints

It is a remnant of the old Celtic New Year, Samhain (pronounced SOW-uhn), which is also the modern Irish word for "November." It's the last word of a phrase meaning "the three days at the end of summer." The Celts recognized two seasons, summer and winter, and winter, as the dark season, began the year. When the first hard frost occurred, the harvest was pretty much over (that is, most things are ruined if they're not barned or cellared before the hard frost hits); they celebrated that as the end of a year.

It was said that the veil between the worlds was thin then, and that the returning spirits of the dead could be seen. People left out dishes of food for their returning ancestors, and wore outlandish costumes so as not to be recognized by dead who might be grudging! Cross-dressing was especially common. Also you could fool your neighbor into giving you a treat. And just as the year begins with its dark half, so does the day: Samhain began with night.

When Christianity came to Western Europe, the general practice was to let people keep celebrating their holidays with whatever rituals they had, but to infuse them with Christian meaning (this is as neutrally as I can put it, as a Wiccan myself). So the honoring of the evergreen trees (especially the sacred plants holly, ivy, and mistletoe) became associated with the birth of Jesus, and the Mighty Dead became the Holy Dead--that is, saints, hence All Saints Day aka All Hallows Day, and the day before was All Hallows Eve or Hallowe'en (just as Christmas Eve is the day before Christmas Day), with an apostrophe to indicate the omission of the 'v'. Most people don't write it with the apostrophe any more, let alone pronounce it that way.

I didn't go to a party or do trick-or-treating or wear a costume last night. I was in ritual with my fellow Wiccans, talking to the dead and calling them to remembrance. It's a very solemn night for us, involving a fair amount of tears, but then we move on.

The teacher whose 5th grade Comparative Religion class I spoke to earlier this month pointed out to the kids that Christmas has two stories: the Jesus story and the Santa Clause story. She said it's kind of like in America we only know the Santa story about Halloween. I thought that was actually pretty brilliant.

 

[josher]

TriBi summed up our feelings about it very nicely. Halloween is an American thing and I don't care to be associated with it, thank you very much.

I wonder what the reaction would be if TriBi decided to give every Jubber an Edna Everage avatar for 24 hours on Australia Day.

I worship Dame Edna, so I'd be quite happy with that.

 

[DonQuixote]

Some of us would enjoy it immensely, because we don't take ourselves too seriously.

I already sent Corny a PM thanking him and joking about the possibilities.

BUT, we wouldn't want to offend some of our more sensitive souls. The Boys from NZ might take exception.

 

[Willie Boy]

Yes. All Hallow's Eve has come and gone. It is now All Saint's Day. Maybe we should now have saints for avatars?

 

[chillyboi]

My Av stays put

my siggy will be decorated as the season see's fit

 

[Willie Boy]

Everyone's avvy's stayed put, they just got... preempted for Halloween.

 

[ozguy]

It's not an american thing

All the crap that's being foisted on us down here now throughout October is, believe me!

"Passionately Australian" ..... See!

 

[Willie Boy]

All the crap that's being foisted on us down here now throughout October is, believe me!

"Passionately Australian" ..... See!

Ahhh, You're just upset 'cause the Americans thought of it first.... be honest

 

[Willie Boy]

Yes, but it does make for entertainment when there's nothing on tv.

 

[DonQuixote]

There certainly was a lot of "entertainment" here this weekend!

I even got an update on some stories by an author or two who found some time to devote to their storyline thread - this with hectic work and school schedules.

Thank you, guys, we appreciate it!

 

[Rex]

It's amazing how much people become such babies over the simplest things.

I like your banner but don't get loud with me. Anyway the avs are back and I can't believe this thread went this long. Since the mods decided to give everyone their avs back there won't be any problems.

 

[Willie Boy]

But I want the Jack'o'Lanterns back! I think we should keep them through Thanksgiving.