Halloween during a pandemic

This past weekend was Halloween and it was a very different experience from years past.  Since the coronavirus arrived this winter communities around the globe have had to take precautions to prevent the illness from spreading.  While it has been a long time since our I Spy a Friend blog spot has shared news the arrival of the virus which has no borders seemed like a good time to share what our experiences have been these last months.

Large gatherings and spending time with folks outside our immediate family have been stopped to help contain the spread of the virus.  Non-essential workers have been working from home and many children are not able to return to the classroom but relying on distance learning.  The isolation in some ways has taught us to be more creative.  As an example, the fact that we not be gathering for Halloween parties and walking through our neighborhoods to enjoy the collecting of treats to enjoy for days or weeks to come meant this year we needed to approach it differently.  In our home the Halloween candy usually lasted up to Thanksgiving when we had lots of special foods including special desserts to enjoy.  

One of the ways in which Wilmington families celebrated included organizing an outdoor Halloween parade and party at one of the many parks in the county.  Cars were decorated with orange and black streamers, bats, skeletons, cats and fantasy figures of all types.  After a parade where anyone who wanted to walk a mile (exercise is important while we are waiting for regular activities to resume), wearing masks of course, could collect bags of wrapped candy from the rear trunks of the cars which were left open.   In neighborhoods around town some households placed tables in their front yard with bags of treats for anyone to come and pick up.  One of the families in my neighborhood crafted a very cool device where you walk up to the front gate and from the sidewalk you catch a trick or treat as it slid down a long pipe (see photo below). Other families shared that they stayed home and watched scary movies, made papier mache masks, played charades and organized a scavenger hunt. 

The other interesting thing over Halloween weekend was the arrival of the blue moon which happens every 2-3 years.  Technically it is a moon that occurs in a year that has 13 full moons instead of 12.  Have you heard the expression "once in a blue moon" well it's referring to something that doesn't happen on a frequent basis and supposedly is considered modern folklore since it started with an editor of the Old Farmers Almanac sometime in the mid-twentieth century.  The moon will not look blue unless you use a blue filter.  The "blue" color reference comes the from phenomenon caused by the eruption of a volcano in Indonesia in 1883. Plumes of ash rose to the top of the earth's atmosphere and the moon turned blue.     

There is an important election happening this week in the United States and this month is the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the sailing of the Mayflower from England to America.  I will speak more about the Mayflower voyage in my next post and hopefully have some of our Doncaster friends post news about how they are celebrating the occasion.

Remember to wear your mask, wash your hands and socially distance.  We want everyone in every community to be safe.  

Marilyn Cantarella

Sister Cities Association of Wilmington