Well, my daughter is looking forward to this evening. She will be going Trick or Treating. It’s the first time for her. She’s going with her best friend, O.
I’ll be tagging along. I still have to sew a Halloween bag to hold all the goodies that she receives, but that can be easily whipped up on one of my Brother sewing machines.
Halloween has an interesting history and has been around for hundreds of years. As a child, I remember doing a bit of research to see how Halloween originated.
During my research, I discovered it was a combination of more than the Samhain holiday. It received influence from Catholic Hallowmas period of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. Also bits of the Roman festival of Feralia is sprinkled into our modern day Halloween.
This will be the first year that my daughter participates in Halloween. Some Christians, don’t celebrate this occasion, because of its “pagan roots.” Interestingly enough, some of the same people that feel this way, have no issues celebrating Christmas or having the “Wedding March,” played at their wedding. Yeah… those have “pagan roots” too.
When I first heard about The Lost Boy Project, I thought it had something to do with the movie, The Lost Boys, starring Cory Feldman and Cory Haim. Ok don’t laugh…
Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the project focuses on the First World War, and explores the numerous young lives that were lost during that period. World War 1 was supposed to be the war to end all wars, wishful thinking…
I liked that The Lost Boys Project includes knitting to tell the history of those who fought in this particular war.
From the site… Artists Michèle Karch-Ackerman and Barbara Pratt standing in front of Karch-Ackerman’s The Lost Boys, May 13, 2012. Photograph by Janine Frenken.
Michèle Karch-Ackerman’s Lost Boys is part of a nationally-touring installation ongoing since 2003. It explores the loss of young lives during the First World War and in particular, the Newfoundland regiment who fought in the battle of Beaumont Hamel. It weaves together the story of James Barrie’s Peter Pan with the stories of so many lives lost in the First World War, and expresses loss, remembrance and consolation.
Knit your own Lost Boys Project (WW1) Sweater
If you’re feeling crafting, you can knit your own Lost Boy Sweater. This Lost Boys Project is in Canada, but if it ever makes its way to our area, here in the USA, I’d attend. In Canada, over 68,000 people were killed during WW1.
I must say that this project has me thinking about the Civil War, especially about underage boys that fought during the war. As a child, I’d read accounts of young boys that lied about their age, so they would be able to fight. You also had women who lied about their gender to fight during the Civil War. They disguised themselves as men. I didn’t read about it in history books. I found that out on my own. Back in the 1970s (and 1980s) I had to do most of my research at the library.
In 1861, Sarah enlisted as a private in the Second Michigan Infantry. She used the name Franklin Thompson. Sarah deserted on April 19, 1863. She had malaria, and feared that hospitalization would reveal her gender.
Both the Union and Confederate armies forbade the enlistment of women. Women soldiers of the Civil War therefore assumed masculine names, disguised themselves as men, and hid the fact they were female. Because they passed as men, it is impossible to know with any certainty how many women soldiers served in the Civil War. Estimates place as many as 250 women in the ranks of the Confederate army.
I really love history, and have always been fascinated with the Civil War, and so I’m especially thankful for resources such as Mikes site, Daily Observations of the Civil War, that focuses on the Civil War.
