Trick or Treat :)

No matter what your age, the last night of October is always one to look forward to celebrating. Halloween means kids running around in costumes, family and friends getting together and a chance talk with neighbors. What other holiday do you have an excuse to eat all the sugar you want and wear whatever you want?

When we think of Halloween in America, many traditions are associated with the holiday. The most common tradition is dressing in halloween costumes, which has European and Celtic roots. These cultures believed they could avoid being recognized by the ghosts that came out on the night of Samhain by wearing masks. They would also place bowls of food outside their homes to satisfy the ghosts and prevent them from entering the home, which could be where trick-or-treating originated. Other sources point to beggars in Ireland who made their rounds to homes of the rich to ask for money and food. They would threaten them with “evil spirits” if they did not give.

The Batman phenomenon hit this summer with the release of The Dark Knight. This year, Amanda and her roommate Rachel opted for Batgirl and Supergirl (pictured above) as they celebrate Halloween tonight with friends in Pittsburgh. My nephews Milton and Brandon opted for the Joker, as portrayed by the late Heath Ledger from this past summer's blockbuster, The Dark Knight.

As an added Halloween Treat, below (courtesy of YouTube.com) is the first Silly Symphonies release, The Skeleton Dance (1929). It is probably one of the most entertaining and imaginative animation shorts ever made, featuring the animation of Ub Iwerks and the music of Carl Stalling.

In this short, four human skeletons dance and make music around a spooky graveyard. When the skeletons first appear you can somewhat see why in 1929 some people thought this was too gruesome for a cartoon. The fact that it is in black and white enhances the eerie graveyard setting.

Sit back and enjoy and hopefully your day was more treats vs. tricks ]:)

The Skeleton Dance is a Silly Symphony Cartoon ©Disney