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Today I'm with some artworks by a Japanese artist named Utagawa Kuniyoshi. He was one of the great masters of the Japanese ukiyo-e style of woodblock prints and painting.
Ukiyo-e means "Pictures of the Floating World". It was popular from the 17th through the 19th centuries and included many subjects. Kuniyoshi's subjects included landscapes, beautiful women, Kabuki theater actors, and mythical animals. He is best known for depictions of the battles of legendary samurai heroes.
Like many creative people, Kuniyoshi loved cats, and his students remarked that his studio was overrun with them. Being a cat myself, I don't really like the negative connotations of the word "overrun". I think it is better to say that his studio was "embellished" by many cats.
His love for cats became evident in his work, and they appear in a number of his finest prints. He even did a whole series of them laying in forms of Japanese characters, which is not normal behavior found in Western cats.
In the 1840s, the Tokugawa Shogunate were confronted by an economic crisis in Japan. To counter it, they introduced the Tenpō Reforms which, among other things, forbade any representation of Kabuki actors, courtesans and geisha. They believed that these were luxuries that society could not afford, and depicting them would be purposely provoking society through subversive ideas. I suppose it was easier to issue such a mandate than to address the causes of the crisis.
Kuniyoshi bypassed the censorship however, by illustrating famous Kabuki actors in animal form, mainly cats, with occasional small clues that hinted at an actor's true identity. Apparently cats shown in luxurious professions did not provoke society.
The painting on the top shows cats acting out Chapter 10 of an 11th Century Japanese literary work called "The Tales of Genji". The other shows cats playing a game called Kemari, which was kind of like hacky-sack, and was popular with the upper classes.
Click https://mistysworldboutique.etsy.com to visit my store. These artworks and many other images are available on magnets and postcards.Japan
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Despite my resolution to not speak about Christmas until after Thanksgiving, I'm going to do it anyway. Afterall, I'm a cat so I do what I want.
I figure I have to act since that season to go deeply into debt is rapidly approaching. So before you spend hundreds of dollars at 17% interest, I wanted to suggest an alternative.
Today I'm promoting the Custom Pet Magnets that my Meowmy makes in her Etsy store. For less than $10 USD you can get one of these with the image of a loved one's pet, or even with your own pet. It's the perfect gift that keeps on giving, reminding everyone each time they pass the refrigerator, of the most important member of the household. They're also nice reminders of the happy memories that furry family members gave so selflessly before crossing the Rainbow Bridge.
If you need a gift for someone who has no pet, simply take them to adopt a pet, and then buy a magnet afterwards. Just make sure they understand that a pet is forever, not just for Christmas.
My Meowmy has not only made these magnets with cats and dogs, but with rabbits, hedgehogs, goats, horses, donkeys, chickens, pigs, a lizard, and even with humans too! She'll put anything on a magnet ... as long as it's legal.
Check her Etsy store by clicking http://[email protected] and read her reviews. And if you buy, use the code LISA2024 for 15% off. Just a few statistics about pets before I close: Sharing your life with a pet can decrease blood pressure, cholesterol levels, triglyceride levels, feelings of loneliness, anxiety, and symptoms of PTSD. And it also provides increased opportunities for exercise and outdoor activities, better cognitive function in older adults, and more opportunities to socialize.
Wow, quite a lot of responsibilities we pets have. I'm glad I never signed a contract agreeing to any of that.
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Due to the laziness of my Social Media team, I'm reusing an old photo from last year for today's Halloween post.
With me here in Halloween Town is Sally, a ragdoll-like toxicologist who was created by evil scientist Doctor Finkelstein.⚗️🧪 She understands that Halloween is not just a holiday; it's a lifestyle!👻
Her romantic interest is Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town.🎃 Jack understands the power of a good marketing campaign, and the importance of wasting no time in shifting from one revenue-generating holiday quickly to another. 📈💰 So here we see Jack trying to push a Christmas card off on Sally while she's still trying to enjoy Halloween.🎄
Personally, I side with Sally! Halloween should be enjoyed and experienced to its fullest! In fact, even "Sandy Claws" said about Sally, that "She's the only one who seems to make sense in this insane asylum."🤪
So please click https://mistysworldboutique.etsy.com . All Halloween items are now 20% off. Have a Happy Halloween and enjoy the Halloween lifestyle 🎃👻
#nightmarebeforechristmas #thenightmarebeforechristmas #christmastime #christmasdecorations #christmascrafts #handmade #refrigeratormagnets #refrigeratormagnet #fridgemagnet #magnet #fridgemagnets #magnetcollection #magnetcollector #etsyshopowner #artmagnet #artmagnets #vintagechristmas #vintagechristmasdecor #vintagechristmaspostcards #santaclaus #fatherchristmas #vintagethanksgiving #vintageholiday #vintagegraphics #vintagegreetingcards #thanksgivingdecor #mistysworldboutique
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It's autumn in the Northern Hemisphere, and as such, it's a time of harvest.🌽🍎🥔🌰🎃 Historically there are a wealth of harvest festivals, but a more recent one is the celebration called "Thanksgiving".
Besides being celebrated in the USA and Canada, Thanksgiving is celebrated in some form in a number of other countries too. And even though it's springtime south of the equator, Thanksgiving is celebrated at this time of year in Brazil and Norfolk Island. I have no idea what they harvest there for the holiday.🌴
Behind me is a vintage Thanksgiving postcard with a Cornucopia, or a "Horn of Plenty". In Latin, "cornu" means "horn" and "copia" means "plenty". It's usually shown as a wicker basket overflowing with fruits, vegetables, nuts and flowers. It's a symbol of abundance, and in North America it's come to be associated with Thanksgiving. Its history goes back much further though.
Way back in the days of Ancient Greece, mythology tells the story of a Titan named Cronus. Cronus was a patron of the harvest, but he was a bit paranoid over a prophecy that his children would overthrow him. His plan to prevent the prophecy was to devour his children. 🙀
After five devourings with no intervention by Children Protective Services, Cronus' spouse Rhea decided to hide the sixth child, Zeus. Fortunately there was a magic goat around to nourish Zeus, but as the future leader of the gods, he had some godlike strength, and one day he accidentally broke off a horn of said goat, which poured forth never-ending nourishment.
Another myth, though, says that Hercules fought a river god named Achelous for the hand of Deianeira. Achelous took the form of a bull and Hercules broke off one of his horns which nymphs then filled with the choicest fruits of the autumn. The myth doesn't say why the nymphs were just standing around with these "choicest fruits" with no place to put them before that🤷🏼♀️
Later, drinking from horns modeled after the Cornucopia became common with Bronze Age Greece, Germanic Tribes, Celts, Romans and Vikings.
Holiday postcard images are available on refrigerator magnets, postcards, etc from my shop. Click https://mistysworldboutique.etsy.com ✅️
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With Halloween almost upon us, I have today a vintage postcard image of a witch, because Halloween is the season of witches, right? Well not entirely. This is an Easter witch, but since I can't read Swedish, I thought it looked good for Halloween.
According to traditions in Sweden and parts of Finland, on Maundy Thursday, the Thursday before Easter, witches would fly to an island called Blåkulla to cavort with Satan. The tradition goes back to the Thursday when, according to Christian beliefs, Judas betrayed Jesus. This was believed to be a day when evil was released into the world, including witches.
In the Middle Ages, it was believed that these Easter witches would come out of hiding to steal brooms and livestock on which to fly to Blåkulla, landing on rooftops along the way and causing all kinds of havoc. Fearful people would hide their brooms, make big bonfires and paint crosses on their cattle.
According to a 2013 article in "The Atlantic", rebellious women in Medieval Europe learned to make a powerful hallucinogen from ergot, deadly nightshade, henbane, mandrake, and jimsonweed. The article says that they applied this to the end of a broomstick. 🧹 They then allowed it to be absorbed into their bodies by sticking the broomstick in places that a decent cat like me can't mention.😬🙀 Eventually the standard image of a witch was with her riding a broomstick.
While most of these witches only flew in their minds, the Church saw fit to blame them for such calamities as warfare, social unrest, famines, and the plague. Hence, in the 1600s, over 200 suspected witches were tortured to death in Sweden.🔥
As time passed and people became more enlightened, nostalgia for rural folk superstitions grew, and the Easter Witches were brought back in celebrations, only now in a cute, friendly role. Since they were said to love cats and coffee, they were now believed to fly with these things, pausing on rooftops to leave blessings of prosperity and joy, and hot copper pots of coffee on the stove.🫖
Today at Easter, children in those countries dress up as these kind witches and go door to door for treats, kind of like a second Halloween in the springtime.
Vintage holiday images, art works and more are available on refrigerator magnets, postcards and other things in my shop which you can visit by clicking https://mistysworldboutique.etsy.com ❤
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As I mentioned in a previous post, Halloween used to be a celebration that was mainly for young adults, and many Halloween games focused on divination, and learning the future of one's love interest.💘
In this vintage postcard, a prolix rhyme states that by looking into an apple-strewn tub of water on Halloween Night, the face of one can be seen who will love with a love that's true and pure.🪣💝
In this case, the woman seems to be looking at her own reflection. She seems content though, that she herself is her one true love. It should be a perfect match, unless she has dome kind of multiple personality disorder.🤔
However, all is not rosy and bright. Across from her is a man wearing a woman's shoe, with a menacing look on his face. He's grinding a cigarette over the tub while possibly thinking of dunking the woman in the water to see if she's a witch.💦🧙🏻♀️ I think that was another fun Halloween game from several centuries prior.🙀
Vintage holiday images, art works and more are available on refrigerator magnets, postcards and other things in my shop which you can visit by clicking https://mistysworldboutique.etsy.com ❤
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Here I am with another vintage Halloween postcard. I sell these on refrigerator magnets, postcards and other things in my shop which you can visit by clicking here https://mistysworldboutique.etsy.com .
Even though the US Postal Service has raised their rates for the next three months,💰 I've kept my shipping prices the same. It's my purrsonal sacrifice for truth, justice and the American way! 🇺🇸 Plus I'm afraid that my sales will suffer if I raise prices.📉🙀
So ... about this postcard .... I honestly don't know what the fluff is going on here.🤷🏼♀️ It looks like a woman is leading a pumpkin-headed man through a field of giant thistles by pulling a waffle on a chain.🧇🎃
Nothing on the internet is written about such a Halloween ritual, so I consulted my local source of ancient knowledge, who said that the waffle looks like some device for sowing seeds, and the pumpkin-head seems to be dropping seeds behind it.🌱🌱
I suppose that's more logical than a waffle on a chain, but pumpkin seeds are sown in late spring, not autumn.🤔
Perhaps it's symbolic, and these two are sowing seeds of hope for the future.😊 Or maybe they're government workers, sowing seeds of discontent.😬
I'm open to suggestions on this one.🤷🏼♀️ Thanks for reading.🤗
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Here I am supervising the production line in the printing of Vintage Halloween postcard reproductions. My human mom does a pretty good job at this, but I still feel the need to perform quality control, just to be sure.✅️
I sell these old postcard images, not only as postcards, but as magnets, stickers, and buttons too. Please click on the link in my bio to visit my store.
Originally, US Postcards could only be mailed by the US Government. Apparently postcards were considered vital to national security. Then in 1898 the US Congress passed the "Private Mailing Card Act" which allowed private companies to produce postcards as well.
By 1910, automobiles were affording more people access to the Post Offices, and this was the start of a period known as the "Golden Age of Postcards." It lasted until 1930 when telephones began to replace mail as the preferred way to send greetings.
During those 20 years, over 3000 Halloween postcards were manufactured. Although designed and published by US companies, most were printed in Germany, which had superior lithographic techniques. As always though, humans like to start wars, and World War I ended the German printing of US cards.😔
The first postcards focused on fortune-telling and romance, which used to be central themes of Halloween. Bobbing for apples was originally a method of determining one's future spouse. Another method was burning nuts on a hearth, with the nature of the future marriage being foretold by whether the nuts popped or burned quietly.
Cabbages once played an important part in Halloween games too, with the shape and taste of a stalk telling something about one's future mate. I guess young ladies of that time considered most prospective husbands to be cabbage-heads.
In the 1920s, the theme gradually changed to children performing acts of mischief. In the early 20th Century, pranks played by children on Halloween were common. The holiday was sometimes referred to as "Gate Night" as children would often steal gates. I imagine that business-minded children would be running some gate sales on November 1st.💰
Trick or treating didn't really become popular until the late 20s or early 30s.
Please click https://mistysworldboutique.etsy.com to visit my store. These Halloween postcard images shown here, plus many other images and artworks are available on magnets, stickers, etc.
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Please click to visit my store https://mistysworldboutique.etsy.com . The Halloween postcard image shown here, plus many other images and artworks are available on magnets, stickers, etc.🎃
This vintage Halloween postcard is from sometime in the early 20th Century. It shows a variation of the apple bobbing game, where instead of sticking one's head in germ-infested water, players would instead attempt to be the first to bite an apple on a string. No records exist as to whether the players bit each other in the process.
Here there are only two players, a boy and a girl. The boy seems to have lost his competitive spirit and isn't even trying. Perhaps this is an act of chivalry, or perhaps the placement of the girl's hand caused him to forget about the game entirely.🙀
In folklore and mythology, apples are often regarded as sacred, mystical or even forbidden.🍎
Most people know of the story of Adam & Eve in the Garden of Eden, where Eve was tempted by the serpent to eat the forbidden apple.🐍 Except the fruit in that story is never actually named. In their conversation, it was only referred to as the fruit of the tree in the midst of the garden. In the Hebrew Bible, the term "peri" is used, which could refer to any fruit.
In the 4th Century, Pope Damasus tasked a scholar named Jerome to translate the Hebrew Bible into Latin. For the Hebrew word "peri," Jerome chose the Latin word "malus" which had two meanings, "evil" and "apple". Jerome may have come up with a little pun in his translating. He certainly was in no hurry. The whole thing took him over 20 years. He was probably an hourly worker.
In the Middle Ages, the word "malus" came to refer to any fleshy, seed-bearing fruit. Probably like "Coke" can mean any soft drink in America's Deep South. When Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel, he drew the serpent around a fig tree.
It was German artist Albrecht Dürer' who in 1504, first drew Adam & Eve with an apple tree, and that painting became sort of a template for future artists.
By the 17th Century, countless artworks showed the apple as the forbidden fruit. John Milton firmly established it when he used the Apple in his 1667 poem, "Paradise Lost."
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Another early 20th Century Halloween postcard. Four pumpkin-headed hoodlums are causing mayhem. Imagine the pandemonium the next morning when all straight things will be out of kilter and people will be walking across forbidden grass.🙀
I did a post a few weeks ago about scarecrows being brought to life, but I couldn't find records of any other creatures of that time who had pumpkins as heads.🎃 Except possibly the Headless Horseman from Washington Irving's 1819 story, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow".
In that story, set in 1790, residents of Tarry Town, New York told of a ghost of a Hessian soldier who lost his head to a cannonball during the American Revolution. According to the legend, he haunted a little glen outside of town called Sleepy Hollow, where he rode in search of his head.
The story centers around a superstitious school teacher named Ichabod Crane who had recently moved to Sleepy Hollow. He competes with handsome local mischief-maker "Brom Bones" for the attention of Katrina Van Tassel, the daughter of a wealthy Dutch farmer.
A harvest party was held at the Van Tassel farm with most of the village in attendance. Stories of the headless horseman were told, and Brom added that he had raced the horseman one night through Sleepy Hollow, only to have the horseman vanish in a flash at a wooden bridge near a church.
After the party, Ichabod had to ride home alone through Sleepy Hollow. There in the dark, he met a silent rider. When Ichabod saw that he carried his head on his saddle instead of the customary place on his shoulders, he took off at full gallop with the headless horseman giving chase.🐎 Upon crossing the bridge, Ichabod looked back to see the horseman hurl the head towards him. It struck him, knocking him from his horse.
In the morning, Icahbod was gone. Only his borrowed horse, his trampled hat and a shattered pumpkin remained at the bridge.
With Ichabod gone, Brom married Katrina. The old Dutch wives said that Ichabod was taken away by supernatural means. Irving never said directly what happened to Ichabod, but he does say that Brom "was observed to look exceedingly knowing whenever the story of Ichabod was related."😉🤭🤫
Please click https://mistysworldboutique.etsy.com to visit my store. The Halloween postcard image shown here, plus many other images and artworks are available on magnets, stickers, etc.🎃
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This vintage Halloween postcard shows a clock at midnight, and below is a warning that the hour is here when witches appear. And lo and behold, the shadow of one is visible on the left.🙀
The origin of the term "Witching Hour" is uncertain, but it may go as far back as 1535. At that time, when Europe was in a panic over witches, the Church forbade activities between 3am and 4am, as it was believed that this was the time of peak supernatural activity.
I personally have witnessed peak activity at this hour, though I wouldn't consider it supernatural. It's the time when many humans rise from their beds and stumble to the bathroom, having to relieve themselves after a night of drinking.🚽 It's also the time when we cats are most active, probably because we don't want some drunk human tripping over us in the dark.🥴
The hour of midnight is considered a magical time because of liminality, which refers to the psychological process of transitioning across boundaries and borders. At midnight we transition from one day to the next, so therefore, midnight is a nether time, being neither one day nor the other.
Anything in such nether realms was considered magical, being betwixt and between, and neither here nor there. Shorelines were such, being neither land nor sea, as was twilight, being neither day nor night, and crossroads, which were neither one road nor the other.
Halloween is celebrated on the date of the ancient Celtic Festival of Samhain, marking the end of the harvest time and the start of winter, or the darker half of the year. The Celts had four seasonal festivals, the one opposite Samhain being Beltaine. Samhain and Beltaine were liminal, or threshold festivals, when the boundaries between worlds thinned and spirits could cross over.👻
In Ireland these spirits were called Aos Sí, and in Scotland they were called Sìth. Somehow both terms are pronounced the same, meaning some people don't know how to use Latin letters. These spirits were like fairies or elves, and in the postcard it looks like a tall, blonde one is lurking behind the clock, waiting to mug the witch.🧝♀️🧙🏻♀️💥
Link to my store https://mistysworldboutique.etsy.com .❤
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A hundred years or so ago, Halloween parties were more for young adults than children. One of the main activities during Halloween were games from which to learn one's future spouse.🤵👰🏼♀️
There were many different variations of these games, but most involved looking into a mirror at midnight to see the face of your beloved.🪞 Kind of creepy that one's beloved might be stalking up silently from behind.😬
Anyway, some involved holding a candle, others involved eating an apple, and one required a young woman to walk backwards down a staircase while holding a mirror. That last one was good if the woman hoped for an ambulance attendant as her beloved.🚑
Another variant required the brushing of hair for the spell to work, and that seems to be what the young lady in this vintage postcard is doing.
On the other hand, she looks kind of young for such a game. More likely, she noticed her premature thinning hair, and the magic book on the floor is her attempt to gain thicker, fuller locks before she ends up bald at the age of twelve. This old postcard could serve as a warning to have homes checked for radon levels.☢️
Please visit my store by clicking here https://mistysworldboutique.etsy.com . Vintage Halloween and other holiday images, as well as artworks and other themes are available on magnets, postcards, stickers, etc.
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"Little Johnny was shocked to learn that the IllumiCati had been holding their Secret Society meetings beneath his staircase."
Whatever these cats are, the sight of them has shocked the poor, one-legged child so much that he's about to light a broomstick on fire. 🧹🔥
The conical hats worn by these Cats in Hats indicate that they either consider themselves to be in a separate class from average anthropomorphic cats, or that they've mugged a group of garden gnomes. For this post, we'll assume the former.
Such hats were worn by Mongolian warrior queens a few thousand years ago to indicate high social status. The style was later worn by nobel women of Western Europe, and this is the origin of the classic princess hat.
Conical hats have long been associated with magic and sorcery. The shape represents a cone of power, allowing the wizard to concentrate his energy so that he can be centered. Originally wizard hats were brimless, however, J.R.R. Tolkien depicted his wizard Gandalf with a brimmed hat.🧙🏻♂️ The inspiration for that was from Odin the Wanderer, as Odin's hat was drawn with a brim when he wandered seeking knowledge.
Tall, golden conical hats embellished with stars and moons were worn by priests in the Bronze Age to denote their ability to read the stars. Such early astronomers were thought to have magical powers.🌌🪄
The Church frowned on such hats, associating points with the horns of the devil.👹 In the Middle Ages, some European Jews were required to wear such hats, called Judenhats, to signify their religion. Conical hats became associated with religious outsiders, and this is one of the thories as to the origin of the classic witches' hat.
In the 19th Century, pointed hats called "Dunce Caps" were used for humiliation and punishment in schools. The origin was possibly from a 13th century magician called John Duns Scotus who believed humans act as a funnel for wisdom. His followers were ridiculed by humanists and reformers as enemies of learning.
The Halloween postcard image shown here, plus many other images and artworks are available on magnets, postcards, stickers, etc. Please click https://mistysworldboutique.etsy.com to visit my store
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This is a postcard image from around 1910. Something below the kilt of the pumpkin-headed violin player is terrifying the poor cat,🙀 but in general, characters with pumpkin heads at that time were not scary.
One famous one was Jack Pumpkinhead from L. Frank Baum's second Oz book, "The Marvelous Land of Oz" in 1904.🎃 In that book, Jack was a scarecrow made by an orphan boy named Tip to scare his guardian, a witch named Mombi. But instead of being frightened, Mombi decided to try out her newly purchased "Powder of Life" on Jack.
Unlike most jack-o-lanterns, Jack's head still contained pumpkin's seeds and pumpkin guts, which acted as his brains.🧠 Although not known for his intellect, he wasn't altogether stupid either. When Mombi asked him what he knew, he replied that he didn't yet know what there was in the world, so it would take him time to determine if he was very wise or very foolish.🤔
Jack appeared in other books too, eventually settling down in the Winkie Country where he grew pumpkins to replace his heads as they eventually spoiled. How sad that humans cannot do the same.
Another character with a pumpkin head was from an 1852 short story by Nathanial Hawthorne. In that story, a witch named Mother Rigby created a scarecrow which she named Feathertop. Happy with her creation, she brought him to life, giving him the appearance of a handsome human man through the use of a magic pipe which he had to keep smoking to remain alive.
Feathertop fell in love with a local girl named Polly Gookin. All was well until they passed a mirror, which revealed Feathertop's true nature. Polly ran away screaming, and Feathetop ran home to throw away his magic pipe, telling Mother Rigby before he did so, that he had seen the monster that he really was, and no longer wished to live.
Mother Rigby lamented that the world contained so many vain and conceited charlatans who don't even know their own emptiness, yet her creation, who did know, had to come to an end.😔 She honored his wishes and did not reanimate him, instead letting him serve as a scarecrow where she said he would do more good than many living men.
Link to my store https://mistysworldboutique.etsy.com
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Bobbing for Apples wasn't always a children's game where a group of kids stick their unwashed faces in the same tub of water.😬 It wasn't always associated with Halloween either. It started in Europe hundreds of years ago and it had to do with romance.💘
In the game, apples are placed in a tub of water.🍎 Being less dense, they float. According to Sir Bedivere from Monty Python, this could mean they're witches, but for our purposes, the apples are just apples.
While there were many versions, in one of the most popular, each apple represented someone special. If the bobber, who was usually female, bit the apple with a love interest on the first try, fortune had smiled on them and they were destined to be together.💞 If on the second try, they'd have a relationship, but it would not last.💔 But if three or more tries were needed, it just wasn't going to happen.❌️
My question in regard to the above scenario is, if she failed on the first two tries, why did she keep trying?🤔
Another variant said that the first girl to bite an apple would be the first to be married, and another said that if a girl put a bitten apple under her pillow, she would see her true love in a dream. And she'd probably see ants when she woke up.🐜🐜
In time, interest in the game faded except in Scotland and Ireland. There it became incorporated with the Celtic harvest of Samhain, where apples represented fertility and abundance. Samhain was celebrated on the night of October 31.
In this Halloween image that I have today, the girl on the right seems to have been upset that two of her companions bit apples before she did. She's therefore eliminated the competition by mounting their heads on the back of the bench supporting the tub.🙀 Jealousy can be frightening.
The Halloween postcard image shown here, plus many other images and artworks are available on magnets, postcards, stickers, etc. Please click https://mistysworldboutique.etsy.com to visit my store
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Please click to visit my store https://mistysworldboutique.etsy.com. The Halloween postcard image shown here, plus many other images and artworks are available on magnets, stickers, etc.
This particular vintage Halloween postcard is from sometime around 1910. Just a nice scene showing some kids being led by an adult disguised in a bedsheet and a pumpkin, with a boy in the front eating his mask, and a girl doing all the physical work. The only thing I find strange about this picture is that they seem to be transporting a weird tree that looks like something from a Dr Seuss book.😮
I looked it up, and it's apparently a Joshua Tree which only grows in the higher elevations of the Mojave Desert in North America.🏜 Not the typical item one would expect to be transported on a Halloween Party rowboat.
My expert analysis of this mystery is, that groups like this were involved in smuggling operations, and used festive Halloween costumes as cover. No records exist of the smuggling of Joshua trees, so they were probably hollowed out and used to hide the true contraband. Most likely they were full of Halloween goodies, and smugglers wished to avoid paying high sugar confectionery duties and taxes.🍫🍬💰
Yes, I'm happy with my conclusion.🤔 I'm proud to share my knowledge and put my half-semester of Criminology and Sociology to use.😉🎓
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This picture was from a post I did last October. It was the second post I did for this account, and in it I blathered about the history of cats and fiddles, a history that goes back to at least the 14th century.🐱🎻
Since this image sold well last year, I figured I'd post it again for this Halloween.🎃
Most people know that the ancient Egyptians revered, or even worshipped cats. But that stopped when in the year 391, the Roman Emperor Theodosius I banned all pagan worship.
Meanwhile in the Celtic lands was a fairy creature called Cat-Sìth. He was a large black cat with a white spot on his chest, and it was believed that on the festival of Samhain, which took place on the night of October 31, Cat-Sìth would bless any house that left a saucer of milk out for him. 🥛 Those houses that did not put out a saucer of milk would be cursed by having all of their cows' udders go dry.🐄 Kind of like a trick-or-treat prototype.🤔
It sounded like a pretty good deal for just the price of a bowl of milk, but the people of the Scottish Highlands did not trust the Cat-Sìth. They believed that he could steal the soul of a corpse before burial.⚰️
To prevent this, they'd hold watches called the Fèill Fhadalach (Late Wake) all night and day. They'd also try to distract Cat-Sìth by playing games like leaping and wrestling, telling riddles or playing music in the room which held the corpse. I can see how those things might annoy any cat away, supernatural or otherwise.😬
So things were going downhill for black cats, but they really got bad in 1233 when Pope Gregory IX published Vox in Rama. This was a papal decree condemning a German heresy known as Luciferian, a form of devil worship. In one of these banned rituals, a statue of a black cat would supposedly come to life, walking backwards with its tail erect. First new initiates and then the master of the sect would kiss the cat on the buttocks.🐈⬛😚
That in itself seems like the ultimate in degradation, but it started the widespread persecution and dislike of black cats which sadly still carries on to this day.😿
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