Weekly
Tuesday 82 10% 67
Wednesday 80 10% 68
Thursday 83 20% 68
Friday 87 10% 67
believed that the souls of the deceased were freed for one day of the year and could be reached for communication and interation. In Celtic, Samhain means “summer’s end.” Summer’s end was a particularly important date as it marked the move into the winter. It was an importnat time for people who survived by hunting and harvesting. The cold, dark time of winter was strongly associated with the concept of human death. On the date of Sahmain, Druids (Celtic Pagans) would celebrate the holiday via a great fire festival encouraging the
dimming sun not to vanish. In celebration, Druids would dance around bonfires to keep evil spirits
away and afterwards would leave their doors open at night in hopes that family and other
friendly spirits would join them. During the early Middle ages, Christian influence had strong sway over the Celtic Sahmain traditions. In an attempt to garner converts, early Chrisitianity would often maintain long-held traditions of older religions. Today’s tradition of dressing up in costumes originates from the Druid tradition of adorning themselves with animal heads and animal skins and predicting each other’s futures around the celebratory bonfire. Modern day trickor-treating derived from the custom of guising; a tradition held in Scotland and Ireland during the 19th century where children would scoop up turnips,
Weather
Saturday 78 40% 59
The History of Halloween
Trey Henderson Editor-in-Chief
Halloween, the holiday that we know today to be a fun-filled event of children running through the streets in creative and colorful costumes begging parents and elders alike for handfuls of candy, has not always been such. With origins dating back to the time of the Celtics and Druids, Halloween has been a celebration for more than 2000 years, but during the millenia it has come under great influence from differing groups and religions. The earliest traces of Halloween date back to the Celtic festival known as Samhain (pronounced sah-win), the Celtic New Year. Samhain was also known as the day of the dead, where the Celtics
ERAU Gears Up For
Homecoming
Festivities Wesley Lewis Assistant Director of Media and Marketing
What’s Inside
When you think of ERAU, many things come to mind: the Wright Flyer, Propellers, and great possibilities of what the future holds for fellow classmates and yourself. Thus, to help capture this sense of the future, this year’s Homecoming theme is “A Glimpse into the Future: The Greatest Adventure Lies Ahead.” We want to capture the energy and excitement of the future and celebrate the possibilities of human
imagination. We therefore invite all student organizations, campus departments, and members of the ERAU community to participate within the Embry-Riddle Homecoming 2013 festivities. There are a variety of ways to get involved with Homecoming this year. For student groups and organizations, we invite you to participate in the Homecoming competition with events taking place all week. If you have an artis-
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tic flair you should try your luck at either the Spirit Sign Competition on Monday or chalk out on Legacy Walk for the Chalk Art Contest on Tuesday. If you don’t have that artistic eye, but have the moves to rock it, strut your stuff at Air Jam on Wednesday evening. If you have spirit and want to show the world, come participate in the Homecoming Parade with a float on Saturday, Nov. 9. We also award points to student organizations for just attending events such as Air Jam and the Comedy Show! The winner of the overall Homecoming Competition will be announced at the Bonus Bucks Auction on Nov. 20. For more details on the competition, please check out the Homecoming page on ERAU Connection. Applications are due by Oct. 18 at 5 p.m. We want to recognize amazing individuals who capture the spirit of ERAU and make us proud to be Eagles! Therefore, we
Homecoming Court and Events
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carve out faces on them and use them as lanterns, this was to see with and to ward off spirits. Since the days of turnips, pumpkins have, of course, taken the stage in their place and have become the icon of modern day Halloween. The children, laden with their turnip lanterns would then go from home to home where they would often be rewarded with cakes, fruit, or money after doing a short performance of singing, dancing, or playing an instrument. This has since evolved to the modern tradition of saying the phrase “trick or treat!” Despite the unusuality of the things we do nowadays in celebration of Halloween, much of it has historical context and reference to previous religions and their respective celebrations of the time.
request campus departments and student organizations to nominate individuals for the homecoming court. Nominees must have at least junior class standing with 58 credit hours, 2.5 CGPA, and be a registered ERAU Daytona Beach student. Nominations will close on Oct. 18 at 5 p.m. through the Homecoming ERAU Connection page. The court will be chosen by a vote of the student body during the last week of Oct. All court candidates require a $20 nomination fee. The King and Queen will be voted on during Homecoming Week and announced at the basketball game on Nov. 9. For further information about homecoming court and homecoming activities, check out the B section of this issue of The Avion.
Women’s Soccer Wins Senior Night
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“Escape Plan” Fails
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