HALLOWEEN, OCTOBER 31

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HERE ARE A FEW FACTS AND TRADITIONS

Halloween will be on Saturday this year, the best day in years.
Halloween is always on October 31 in the United States.
The following day, Sunday, will be the day to “fall back” and reset our clocks for Daylight Savings.
Halloween is never a public holiday, but a visible cultural observance.
It is also called “All Hallows Eve”, “Hallowe’en” and “All Hallows”.
Halloween originated as the Celtic Festival of Samhain, roughly 2000 years ago.

SOME HISTORY

The Samhain Festival was held to welcome the harvest and usher in the “dark half of the year”. Celts believed that the veil between the living and the dead “thinned” on this night and the ghosts of the dead returned to the world of the living. They would wreak havok and destroy the crops. Villagers then would dress in costumes to drive the spirits away. They also set out elaborate banquet tables to pacify any malevolent ghosts.

Roughly 500 years later, a semblance of trick or treating began. Villagers would go door to door – singing, dancing and enacting short plays in exchange for food and drink.

“All Soul’s Day” (created by the Catholic church) furthered the door to door tradition in 1000 A,D,. This was an attempt to honor the dead . Poor villagers would walk from house to house in wealthier neighborhoods. They would receive “soul cakes”, which were small sweet cakes spiced with cinnamon. In return, they promised to pray for the souls of deceased relatives of the wealthy families.

Trick or treating began in Europe, most likely by the Scottish and Irish, as they disguised themselves with costumes. Irish immigration came to America and All Souls Day became “All Hallow’s Eve” and then Halloween. The American version was somewhat rough. Young Americans used Halloween as an opportunity to prank people, often resulting in real property damage, As we lived through the Great Depression, the modern practice took shape: candy in exchange for not getting pranked. Kids would ask “trick or treat” at the door. Most homeowners would choose the treat and popcorn balls, baked goods, peppermints and lemon drops were offered.

Now, Americans spend over ten billion dollars a year on the Halloween holiday, second only to Christmas.

AFFILIATE MARKETING

Affiliate marketing works like this:

The merchant: creates the product and sets up an affiliate program
The affiliate: promotes the product via social media or a website
The consumer: clicks the unique referral link and makes a purchase
The payout: the merchant tracks the sale via cookies and pays a commission

Check my upper menu – BECOME AN AFFILIATE MARKETER – for all the details. The simple diagram below will show how this works, though no suit or briefcase will be needed. We work at home in front of a computer.

AMAZON

The “merchant” in the above affiliate marketing breakdown is usually Amazon for me. I can depend on excellent service and quick delivery, especially for Prime buyers. Today, I am straying from my usual content of fitness or athletic items. It’s all about Halloween this time. Amazon has about anything anyone could need and at very reasonable prices. The links below will show pictures, full idescriptions and similar links. Look around!

CANDY TREATS, etc.

Assorted chocolate candy, 2 pound variety pack

TWIX caramel chocolates, 50 % off

Skittles variety mix

Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookie packs

Variety packs of snacks – Chips Ahoy, Oreo and Nutter Butter

Halloween chocolate mix, 5 lbs,

York peppermint patties bulk pack

Welch’s fruit snacks

MASKS

Monster masks

Hockey mask