The History Of...
Ireland is where Halloween's roots began, but it's known there as Samhain Night. Samhain actually means festival of fire, which literally means, a festival of fire. Every Samhain Night, the dead revisit the land of the living, and the Celts burned large bonfires to ward off the evil spirits. This is called paganism. ;)

Pope Gregory IV set the date for All Saint's Day (aka All Hallows' Day) on November 1, 835. This caused October 31st (which was Samhain Night) to be known as All Hallow's Eve, or Hallowe'en. In the end, All Saint's Day was moved to April 20th, the Celts didn't want to give up their pagan ritual and this is how Halloween began.

How It's Celebrated:
In Ireland, it's celebrated a bit differently than America (from what I'm reading). It's celebrated with fireworks, kids getting turnips instead of Whoppers, and they light bonefires to ward of demons (but I think we all know it's because of tradition!). In any case, Halloween is celebrated by kids and adults dressing up as creatures from the underworld, knocking on people's doors to gather candies and, in the case of the Celts, turnips. In America, most of us go to parties themed in Gothic attire, hang out with friends, trick-or-treat, or just sacrafice animals / small children to the lord of darkness, Lucifer. El Diablo. Satan. But not me...

How I Celebrate The Walking of the Dead:
I celebrate by starting on October 1st. I decorate my house in a black/orange theme, place pumpkins around my house, spider webs (sometimes natural), and every other Halloween themed décor. Then, around the end of the first week, I begin the watching of horror/funny horror films, every night, until Halloween week, in which I watch the true classics. The original black & white Frankestein, Dracula, and so on. We also play games dedicated to horror, such as Silent Hill, Alone in the Dark, Castlevania, and other classic 'horror' games. On Halloween, we watch movies, wait for kids, hang with family and friends, and/or go trick or treating (two years ago was the last time I could go because of work, but that time I went as a crack head with powder all over my face. People loved the voice I pulled for them.). This year, I think I'm going to trick or treat. Candy is so fun to collect! Then, the end of the night, I go to bed and, non-traditionally, have nightmares.

What About GameSpot?:
For a special 'treat' on GameSpot, I'm going to try and recommend and (if possible) review a game/movie everyday until October 31st. Everyday, check back here to get a new and exciting blog post of a review, why I selected that game/movie for the day, and try to find great Halloween decorations for your own house. Have a Scary Dinghyween! Muhahahaha!!

P.S. - Hope you guys enjoy my Halloween themed profile. Special edition, why don't we?

~Dinghy