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The Carolina Panthers are set to play a Thursday Night football game this week, on October 29, against the Green Bay Packers. The game is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. and will be played away.
App State will have a Saturday night game on October 31, which is Halloween, versus Georgia Southern. That game will also be away.
College basketball has started this week, with most teams having already played their first games. Fans are encouraged to check their team's website for schedules.
Halloween Traditions and History
Halloween falls on Saturday, October 31. The holiday, also known as All Hallows Eve and All Saints Eve, has been observed for hundreds of years and has both pagan and Christian roots. It is celebrated in numerous countries always on October 31st and initiates the triduum of Hallowtide, a time in the liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints (hallows), martyrs, and all the faithful departed believers.
References to such celebrations date back hundreds of years, even to the Romans. According to scholars, All Hallows Eve is a Christianized feast influenced by Celtic harvest festivals, with pagan roots in the Gaelic Samhain. Samhain, derived from the Old Irish term for Summers End, was the first and most important of the four-quarter days in the Gaelic calendar and was celebrated in Ireland and Scotland around October 31st. It marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter (or the darker half of the year). The souls of the dead were said to revisit their homes, and places were set at the dinner table or by the fire to welcome them back. The celebration included eating, drinking, rituals, and games, often using nuts and apples. Bonfires were lit, and their flames, smoke, and ashes were deemed to have protective and cleansing powers.
In Ireland in the 16th century, this often involved going house-to-house in costume (or disguise), normally reciting verses or songs in exchange for food. In Scotland, youths went house-to-house with masked, painted, or blackened faces, often threatening mischief if they were not rewarded or welcomed. The word Halloween dates back to about 1745 and is of Christian origin, coming from a Scottish term for All Hallows Eve, meaning hallowed evening or holy evening. Today's customs are influenced by folk customs and beliefs from Celtic-speaking countries, such as Ireland. Typical Halloween activities today include trick-or-treating, costume parties, decorating, carving pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns, lighting bonfires, apple bobbing, visiting haunted house attractions, playing pranks, telling scary stories, and watching horror films. In many parts of the world, Christians observe All Hallows Eve by attending church and lighting candles on the graves of the dead. Be sure to buy extra candy this week--you would not want to run out.
All Saints' and All Souls' Days
All Saints Day is on November 1, and All Souls Day is on November 2. All Saints Day is a Christian festival celebrated in honor of all the saints, known and unknown. It is also known as All Hallows Day, Hallowmas, and/or Feast of All Saints Day. It always follows Halloween (October 31) and precedes All Souls Day (November 2). Christians who celebrate All Saints Day and All Souls Day believe there is a bond between those in heaven and those living. It is a national holiday in many historically Catholic countries. In Western Christian practice, the celebration begins at Vespers on the evening of October 31st, All Hallows Eve, and ends at the close of November 1st.
All Souls Day commemorates the faithfully departed, in particular one's relatives. In Western Christianity, the annual celebration is held on November 2, following All Saints Day. It may also be called Feast of All Souls and Commemoration of the Faithfully Departed. On this day, Catholics in particular pray for the dead. It serves as a day to remember those who have died and is related to Saturday of Souls, the Day of the Dead, Halloween, and Blue Christmas.
Daylight Saving Time Ends
Daylight Saving Time (DST) ends on November 1, the first Sunday of November. Clocks should be set back 1 hour, leading to sunrise and sunset each coming an hour earlier. DST exists to make better use of natural daylight by shifting it to the evening hours, initially intended to save energy and boost economic activity, though the benefits are now debated. Popularized during World War I, the concept of aligning daylight with active hours began with Benjamin Franklin, but the primary goal shifted to maximizing daylight for activities after work and increasing retail sales. Remember to Fall Back, as they say, before you go to sleep Saturday.
Daniel Boone's Birthday
Daniel Boone would be 291 years old this week. He was born in Pennsylvania, near Reading, in what is now Exeter Township, Berks County, on November 2, 1734 (according to the new Gregorian calendar), or October 22nd (according to the first Roman calendar). He was born in a log house on a farm in Oley Township that was later designated as the Daniel Boone Homestead. Daniel Boone never lived in the Town of Boone, NC. His family moved to Mocksville, North Carolina, when he was a teenager (approximately 80 miles east of Boone), where he married Rebecca Bryan. He was 21 at the time, and Rebecca was only 17. They went on to have 10 children and cared for many more. Happy Birthday Daniel.
Election Day Reminder
Election Day is on November 3. Don't forget to vote, unless you already did (by mail or by early voting). This election is a big one, referred to as the Mid-Terms. The President is not on the ballot, but one Senator and several House of Representatives are. Check your county's website(s) for voting locations, future dates, and more information.
Originally reported by wataugademocrat.