Halloween Traditions

Ever wonder how some Halloween traditions began over the years? 

Stuart Miles

Costumes      Dressing in costumes began in the Pagan Celtic roots of Samhain (pronounced “sow-en”). One theory is they dressed as ghouls to fool evil spirits to leave on October 31, so they would not be possessed by these spirits. Another concept is they dressed in costume just for fun, and to misbehave. Yet another theory is that faeries would dress as beggars asking for food, which would also be the beginning of the "trick or treat" practice. After the Catholic Church replaced Samhain with All Saints Day, people would dress as dead Saints and devils for their festivities.


Trick or Treat     This practice might have had its start in the legend from Celtic days that faeries would dress as beggars going from door to door asking for food, and those that did not show hospitality would be harshly dealt with by these magical faeries. On All Souls Day, the poor would beg for "Soul Cakes" (sweet pastries) in exchange for prayers for their departed loved ones, hurrying up their passage to heaven. Sometimes people in costumes would sing and perform in exchange for food, ale, or money. In the United Kingdom, Guy Fawkes effigies (or known as “statues”) to be burned were prepared by children, going door to door, asking for a penny for Guy, on Guy Fawkes Day. Some background on this is on November 5, 1606; Guy Fawkes was executed for attempting to blow up England's Parliament. Fawkes, along with an extremist Catholic organization he belonged to, wanted to remove the Protestant King James from his throne. The English wasted no time to have a celebration to replace All Hallows Day, so Guy Fawkes Day was celebrated from then on.

Bonfires        These have two origins. The first is the sacred ritual of extinguishing home fires, and one sacred bonfire is lit in each town for the end of the New Year. Some say the reason home fires were put out is to scare away evil spirits from homes, while others say that home fires were supposed to be lit from embers from the sacred bonfire to start the New Year. The second origin was from Guy Fawkes Day in the United Kingdom to burn effigies of the Catholic pope, and later of Guy Fawkes himself.

Apples     They are the seasonal fruit and also the symbol of the Roman goddess Pomona, commonly known at the time to possess qualities of knowledge, resurrection, and immortality. Bobbing for apples, peeling a long apple peel, and other influences of the fruit were thought to foretell the future, on this night of Samhain.

(m_bartosch)

Jack o'lanterns     These come from the Irish folk tale of Jack, who tricked the devil, but was not allowed in heaven or in hell. The devil, taking pity of Jack, gave him an ember to light his way on his eternal walks on Earth, carried in a hollowed out turnip. Because of their size and availability, pumpkins were substituted for turnips in the United States. The Celtics did use a hollowed out rutabaga to carry an ember from the sacred Samhain bonfire home to light their home fires, but the importance and origin to the Irish tale of Jack is unknown.

Ghost Stories     Ghost stories probably have their roots in the original Celtic belief that the spirits of the dead (both good and bad) wandered the Earth on October 31 (Samhain). Later, when the church replaced Samhain with All Saints Day and All Souls Day, the dead were remembered, and spoken about. In the United States today, they are used to amuse and scare children (and some adults) to get them in the "spirit" of Halloween. 

Source: http://www.halloween-history.org/ 26 October 2011.

Halloween Candy - A Sweet Fact

Stuart Miles

Did you know?  One quarter of all the candy sold annually in the United States is purchased for Halloween.  What was your favorite candy to get when trick or treating?

The History of Raine Inc., Developed from Hands-On Military Use

Raine, Inc. began on June 16, 1986 when the rights to the product line were purchased from SFW Preferred Products, Inc.  The products are and continue to be very high quality nylon accessories built and designed for rigorous field use. Randy Jacobsen, the prior owner, started the business in 1983 based on his designs developed during his duty as a military rigger in the Army.  He was the first to develop a covered watchband using Velcro®.  He was the first to develop an entire line of zippered notebooks devoted to military use.       

John Raine purchased the rights to Jacobsens’s product line on June 16, 1986.  The original line consisted of 36 products (products #0001 through #0036).  More products were added as customer demand warranted it.  As of 2011, Raine has over 550 products.  Jacobsen worked for Raine for the first 5 months and then returned to develop the Muncie Army Navy Store, which he still owns.  He is currently under contract with Raine to provide Design and Manufacturer consulting services.

Raine’s operations started in a 600-sq ft. building in Daleville, Indiana.  The company moved to a 2200 sq. ft. building in Chesterfield, Indiana in 1990.  The company moved to its current location in Anderson in 1994.  The facility expanded from 4000 to 13,000 sq. ft. in 1996 and then to 22000 sq. ft. in 1999.

Raine has enjoyed excellent growth by selling products to the Army Air Force Exchange Service, Army Navy Stores, Uniform Stores and other military exchanges.   This success was based on the philosophy of producing “honest” products with innovative designs that provide performance when absolutely needed. 

Raine products now can be found in any U.S. Army Air Force Exchange store around the world. They are extremely proud in what they produce and sell which is:                          Tough gear for military operators and warfighters.

For a complete list of Raine’s products, go to http://raineinc.com.

Click here to become a fan of Raine's on Facebook and receive 10% off your online order.

The High Tech Warfighter

There were two significant features I noticed at the AUSA conference in Washington DC last week: first, all the stars (as in General officers) and second, all the high tech “toys”.  Of course there were the missiles, drones, guns and vehicles. What stood out the most was the hi-tech warfighter gear. All soldiers will eventually be equipped with GPS, iPhones, iPads, soldier Cams in addition to their weapons. Currently battle uniforms are being designed to accommodate all this gear. This represents a great opportunity for Raine to develop the cases for these items.  I assure you, Raine will be on top of this.

I do hope the soldiers still learn the old school skills of compass and map reading. After all, the new gadgets will only last as long as the battery.

John Raine

President

Pen & Pencil Holder (Product 0069)

This video shows a high quality, durable answer to putting ink pens and markers in your shirt or pants' pockets.  Made in the USA by Raine Inc.  Video is brought to us by Military Uniform Supply.

October10-12: AUSA conference in Washington D.C.

The 2011 Association of the United States Army’s Annual Meeting and Professional Development Forum will take place October 10 - 12 in Washington, D.C.  The theme this year is America’s Army: The Strength of the Nation^TM.

Except for some minor changes in the program, the 2011 meeting is essentially the same as in previous years. A preliminary agenda was published in the September 2011 issue of ARMY Magazine.

Berry Amendment Compliance is Important to Raine

Raine Inc. can be Berry Amendment compliant on their products.  Raine can work on a case by case basis depending on the item needed. Click here to view the letter certifying the Armband ID Holder as Berry Amendment compliant. (Product #025JA)  

Raine takes pride in providing quality, American made products from start to finish.