When my children were young we enjoyed reading Frederick by Leo Lionni. It was a small book about a mouse family preparing for winter. Unlike his family members gathering food, Frederick gathered the rays from the sun, colors from the meadow flowers, and words for stories. In the cold, dark days of winter Frederick’s offerings warmed and cheered the family.
Walking through a cemetery in October, I sometimes think of Frederick as I see trees sparkling with colors of red and gold, hues reflected on the headstones and bringing cheer to those visiting their loved ones’ graves.
Fallen leaves rustle and dance across the landscape creating unique autumn music. I fondly remember long-ago pleasures of fall: jumping in leaf piles with my brother, picking apples from trees in our backyard, and the Halloween treats our neighbors smilingly bestowed on small gremlins and witches--happy memories to store away for the years ahead.
Halloween originated with an ancient Celtic festival where people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. The Irish tradition of carving scary faces on turnips moved to the US in the form of pumpkin ack-o’-lanterns. Today, as a secular celebration in the US, people can comfortably flirt with the paranormal and outlandish.
All Saints Day is celebrated on November 1, and All Souls Day on November 2, a day when many cultures honor their departed by bringing flowers to the cemetery. Similarly, in Mexico, this Day of the Dead includes colorful masks echoing the skull carving of an early Charleston gravestone.
