La Toussaint, Dia de los Muertos, All Hallows

Tags

Costumes, Death, fun, graves, halloween, Keppoch, life, PEI, traditions

Today 1 November, we are approaching the end of the year, only 60 days left and Christmas is only 55 days away. Every first of November in Mexico we use to visit the cemeteries as Mexicans do to honour their dead by making beautiful flower decorations over their graves. Graves became carpets of flowers and small candle lanterns were also placed by the tombstone to shine at night. The display at night was stunning, hundreds of candles flickering in the dark and all those multicoloured carpets of flowers often in a pattern was a sight to behold. The work that went into it was impressive, it required often to clean the grave area and prepare it for the display. Whole families came to work, showing that their dead meant something to them despite being gone to the Spirit world. Of course all these Mexican tradition came with a lot of sweets, sugared skulls, chocolate coffins, on wedding cakes a male and female skeleton replaced the figurines of the bride and groom. It is not Halloween but instead a celebration of Death which will come to all of us.

People decorate graves with flowers and candles but also bring food, fruits and sweets for their dead. This is a tradition we also found in our cultures like Vietnam. These Mexican women also spend time at the graves of relatives, it is a social event.

This tradition also held in Poland but it was more a display of lanterns and a bouquet of fresh flowers. Then on Remembrance Day, the military would invite all the military attaché of the different Embassies in Warsaw to participate in commemoration at the grave of their soldiers. The Polish military would on that day have an honour guard at various military graves. Canada has military graves in Poland, mostly airmen who were shot down by Nazi occupiers. We also have one memorial on a street and in this case a large plaque on a building wall recalls the event. In this case the Ambassador had to climb a ladder since the plaque was about 15 feet up and place a great wreath on a hook below the plaque. I was always afraid His Nibs would fall off in the process. The weather in Warsaw was always bitter cold on that day and sometimes it rained, but nonetheless attendance by Embassy staff was de rigueur, it was all very official.

Now in Charlottetown for Halloween we were invited to Keppoch (pronounced Kepic) for a Costume dinner party last night. This area is across the river from us on the point at the entrance of the Strait, it is a narrow passage taken by all ships in and out of Port Charlottetown. It is a very green rural area with affluent houses and a few lighthouses to guide ships through the water channel.

VIew from Keppoch, the other side is Rocky Point and Fort LaJoy

Everyone had a really great costume and it was loads of fun. A good dinner and good conversation. The film shown after dinner was Rocky Horror Picture Show, made in 1975 that was 45 years ago and looking at it now after many years I suddenly thought how dated it is, almost embarrassingly so. Another world and another time, loads of social and political messages in the camp goings on a reference to that time in history. I had never noticed on the costume of Dr Frank-N-Furter the red triangle, a reference to political prisoners identification badge in Nazi concentration camps.

It was a great evening with good people all around and we had a blue Moon last night.

A crow, a safari huntress and Count Dracula enjoying a drink.

So today being Sunday 1 November, our clocks went back one hour and suddenly it is dark at 04:45 pm. strange really.

No end to fun things to do

Tags

Beaches, fun, PEI, River Clyde, Summer

One of the many pleasures of living on the Island is the impromptu nature of many gatherings or visits. Per example a neighbour or friend will drop by to say hello, they will not stay more than 10 minutes but it is a social call nothing more, a quick coffee.

Often parties are given and you get an invite at the last moment, are you free for a drink, one may ask? Just pop over which often means walking over a couple of blocks, this is a small town.

Or you invite people thinking we will be 4 or 6 all together but on the Island it is likely that you will be 12 to 16, everyone brings a bottle and have a drink and then leave and you inherit all the unopened or half empty liquor bottles. You would not see this in Ontario, it is not done, this is typical Island.

Last weekend we had heard of the River Clyde Pageant organized by the daughter of a friend of ours. I did not have a ticket but a few days prior was invited to attend, the site of the Pageant is about 20 minutes outside of town in New Glasgow, PEI. The banner photo at the top of my blog is the area in question, the River Clyde meanders and ends up in the Atlantic.

I was told it was sold out, many more people showed up than were expected and the whole Pageant taking place along the river banks was magical, so well done with a shoe string budget and the help of neighbours and friends all coming together to make it happen. Afterwards a picnic dinner cooked up by Chef Emily Wells was served on the terrace in front of her restaurant The Mill, like always her food is wonderful. All you had to do was to make a donation to the Pageant.

I saw a lot of people I knew and the whole evening was great fun, very relaxed. Next weekend another party in the countryside is planned.  On any given day, the beach is an option, set in a National Park with pristine sand as far as you can see, quiet and pleasant.

I have a tan, the first in since I was a kid, this is a great Summer!