Halloween has a celtic origin: it was celebrated especially in the celtic parts of Britain and France. There, it was called Samhain, which literally means "the end of the summer". In fact, this day was the end of a celtic season because it was time to harvest the previously grown crops and to decide which animals to kill to have food during the winter.
The Celts believed that the veil between dead and people alive was at its thinnest, so the souls of the dead people came to their respective homes to mingle with their families. In order to please these spirits and ward off the bad ones, Celtic people left some food and candies outside their houses (that's where the current "trick or treat" comes from). Furthermore, people used to disguise (normally with animal heads and skins) to protect themselves from bad spirits and lit candles to guide their relatives' soul home, usually inside turnips. Bonfires were also established as a cleansing method and herders use to walk between two bonfires with their cattle (especially in Scotland). It was also an appropriate night for divination. The most popular divination method was to drop egg whites into water and foretell the future based on the shapes.
When Christianity arrived on these islands, there was an attempt to turn this celtic festival into a religious one, because celts were supposed to worship the Devil, even if this evil character never existed in the Celtic culture. That's how this festival became an important religious day (All Saints' Day) and the night before was called All Hallows' Eve (hence Halloween). The Irish emigration to North America during the 17th century was the reason why all these customs arrived in the USA. Over time, instead of turnips, they started to use pumpkins, much bigger and easier to hollow out.
This picture shows a turnip carved by Irish people celebrating Samhain in the 20th century.
This famous saying was coined in Pembrokeshire (Wales) in the mid 19th century, with other similar phrases such as "Eat an apple on going to bed, And you'll keep the doctor from earning his bread" or "Ait a happle avore gwain to bed, An' you'll make the doctor beg his
bread".
I've read a post about the benefits of eating apples and I'm going to sum up the 8 good points mentionned in such text:
1- Apples contain Vitamin C, which helps greatly our immune system.
2- They contain flavonoids which, as well as having antioxidant effects, prevent both coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease.
3- They're low in calories compared with any other sweet product (only 70-100 calories), but they contain sugar alike, so the desire to eat sweets disappear when taking an apple.
4- They help prevent cancers (colon, prostate and breast).
5- As this fruit contains phenols, it reduces bad cholesterol and increases good cholesterol.
6- They prevent tooth decay, produced by a bacteria that dissappears in a very high proportion (80 %) thanks to the liquid apples had inside them.
7- In addition, due to the phytonutrients they contain, apples prevents neurodegenerative disorders (say Alzheimer's and Parkinsonism).
8- Eating 5 apples a week reduces breathing problems such as asthma.
So, we can understand why it's claimed that eating apples is so healthy.
Vuelta a los clásicos musicales en este blog. Otra gran canción que todos conocemos y que tanto incita a bailar. Hay muchas versiones diferentes, pero creo que me quedo con la de Tom Jones.
Love is in the air everywhere I look around Love is in the air every sight and every sound And I don't know if I'm being foolish I don't know if I'm being wise But it's something that I must believe in And it's there when I look in your eyes. Love is in the air, in the whisper of the trees, Love is in the air in the thunder of the sea, And I don't know if I'm just dreaming, I don't know if I feel safe, But it's something that I must believe in And it's there when I call out your name. Love is in the air, love is in the air, oh, oh, oh, oh, uh, Uh, uh, uh. Love is in the air, in the rising of the sun, Love is in the air, when the day is nearly done, And I don't know if you are illusion, Don't know if I see truth, But you are something that I must believe in, And you are there when I reach out for you. Love is in the air everywhere I look around Love is in the air every sight and every sound And I don't know if I'm being foolish I don't know if I'm being wise But it's something that I must believe in And it's there when I look in your eyes. Love is in the air, love is in the air, oh, oh, oh, oh, uh, Uh, uh, uh.
Duffy es una cantante que el mundo acaba de conocer. Y ha sido un gran descubrimiento. Esta chica, con su voz tan peculiar, ha revolucionado el mercado musical, además de haber puesto de moda un estilo que se había quedado anticuado. Salida del concurso OT (versión británica), esta chica galesa realmente ha demostrado lo que significa el triunfo, todo lo contrario de los concursantes del mismo concurso en España. A ver cuándo en España nos salen concursantes como esta y llegan a darse a conocer en todo el mundo.
Cualquier cosa que pueda decir de esta canción no podría igualar todo lo que me hace sentir... así que os dejo la letra y el vídeo. Gran canción y gran artista.
Turn around, Every now and then I get a little bit lonely and you're never coming around Turn around, Every now and then I get a little bit tired of listening to the sound of my tears Turn around, Every now and then I get a little bit nervous that the best of all the years have gone by Turn around, Every now and then I get a little bit terrified and then I see the look in your eyes Turn around bright eyes, Every now and then I fall apart Turn around bright eyes, Every now and then I fall apart
Turn around, Every now and then I get a little bit restless and I dream of something wild Turn around, Every now and then I get a little bit helpless and I'm lying like a child in your arms Turn around, Every now and then I get a little bit angry and I know I've got to get out and cry Turn around, Every now and then I get a little bit terrified but then I see the look in your eyes Turn around bright eyes, Every now and then I fall apart Turn around bright eyes, Every now and then I fall apart
And I need you now tonight And I need you more than ever And if you'll only hold me tight We'll be holding on forever And we'll only be making it right Cause we'll never be wrong together We can take it to the end of the line Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time I don't know what to do and I'm always in the dark We're living in a powder keg and giving off sparks I really need you tonight Forever's gonna start tonight Forever's gonna start tonight
Once upon a time I was falling in love But now I'm only falling apart There's nothing I can do A total eclipse of the heart Once upon a time there was light in my life But now there's only love in the dark Nothing I can say A total eclipse of the heart
Turn around bright eyes Turn around bright eyes Turn around, every now and then I know you'll never be the boy you always you wanted to be Turn around, every now and then I know you'll always be the only boy who wanted me the way that I am Turn around, every now and then I know there's no one in the universe as magical and wonderous as you Turn around, every now and then I know there's nothing any better and there's nothing I just wouldn't do Turn around bright eyes, Every now and then I fall apart Turn around bright eyes, Every now and then I fall apart
And I need you now tonight And I need you more than ever And if you'll only hold me tight We'll be holding on forever And we'll only be making it right Cause we'll never be wrong together We can take it to the end of the line Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time I don't know what to do and I'm always in the dark We're living in a powder keg and giving off sparks I really need you tonight Forever's gonna start tonight Forever's gonna start tonight
Once upon a time I was falling in love But now I'm only falling apart There's nothing I can do A total eclipse of the heart Once upon a time there was light in my life But now there's only love in the dark Nothing I can say A total eclipse of the heart
