When Katy Yeiser of the A.V. Club asked Jan Terri why she wrote the timeless Halloween anthem “Get Down Goblin,” Terri explained:
“I wrote it because the only major [Halloween] song that I remember was ‘Monster Mash,’ and there wasn’t another one if you don’t count ‘Thriller,’ which I don’t really count. There was not another Halloween song, and that’s why I wrote ‘Get Down Goblin.’”
Which is about the best reason anyone could have for doing anything. So the pick for Monday Night Football tonight is obviously the Chiefs (+3) over the Chargers (4 units), because when there’s only one football game on TV on Halloween, it’s just stupid not to take the home team. But if you need further convincing, Chiefs head coach Todd Haley will be going as Chet from Weird Science (more NFL Halloween costume ideas from Kissing Suzy Kolber here).
And relatedly, some Real Halloween Facts of Wikipedia:
- [Halloween] is more typically linked to the Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-an or sow-in)”, derived from the Old Irish Samuin meaning “summer’s end”. Samhain was the first and by far the most important of the four quarter days in the medieval Irish and Scottish calendar and, falling on the last day of Autumn, it was a time for stock-taking and preparation for the cold winter months ahead. There was also a sense that this was the time of year when the physical and supernatural worlds were closest and magical things could happen.
- Halloween is also thought to have been heavily influenced by the Christian holy days of All Saints’ Day (also known as Hallowmas, All Hallows, Hallowtide) and All Souls’ Day. Falling on November 1st and 2nd respectively, collectively they were a time for honoring the Saints and praying for the recently departed who had yet to reach heaven.
- [T]he carving of jack-o’-lanterns springs from the souling custom of carving turnips into lanterns as a way of remembering the souls held in purgatory. The turnip has traditionally been used in Ireland and Scotland at Halloween, but immigrants to North America used the native pumpkin, which are both readily available and much larger – making them easier to carve than turnips.
- Trick-or-treating resembles the late medieval practice of souling, when poor folk would go door to door on Hallowmas (November 1), receiving food in return for prayers for the dead on All Souls’ Day (November 2). It originated in Ireland and Britain, although similar practices for the souls of the dead were found as far south as Italy. Shakespeare mentions the practice in his comedy The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1593), when Speed accuses his master of “puling [whimpering or whining] like a beggar at Hallowmas.
So, go Chiefs, and hope everyone makes the most of the proximity to the spirit world and everything. We’ll be creeping out over at Highbury Cemetery tonight in our Jose Mesa jersey and Wahoo cap (which only comes out once a year, on this day, of course) so maybe look forward to some Fotos. Either way we’ll see you tomorrow or maybe Wednesday unless something crazy happens. Also, h/t PML and Cheddar Bay re: Jan Terri, of course.
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We’re 17-10-2 (+29 units) picking NFL games against the spread here so far in 2011. 1 unit = one percent of the season’s bankroll.
