Fall into October!

Changing leaves, crisp apples, and pumpkin everything is all around. It’s officially fall… or autumn depending on which you prefer. Fall is the only season with two names, or actually 3 depending on how far back you want to investigate. The original name for this season was “harvest” since the months of the fall season are when the farmers reap all of the crops grown over the summer. “Autumn” is a reference to the autumnal equinox, when the sun shines on the equator for an equal amount of time during the day and night. Then “fall” comes from the idea of the falling leaf which is a typical sign of the season depending on what climate you live in.

Speaking of falling, this month World of Liberty celebrates Columbus Day which honors the discoveries made by the great explorer Christopher Columbus. His brave quest in 1492, upon 3 ships proved that we should not fear falling off the edge of the earth because the world is actually round, not flat. Can you imagine thinking that you would fall off the face of the earth if you sailed too far out into the ocean? Seems silly to us now, but back in 1492 things were a lot different. The whole point of the voyage was to discover the New World. Columbus did find a New World, but it was not India as he originally thought. It was America! Native Americans were the actual founders of America and inhabited the land prior to Christopher’s search. We commemorate October 11th as Columbus Day, also referred to as Discoverer’s Day, in celebration of the discovery and voyage to find the New World and proving the world is round.

United Nations Day also celebrates the world and it’s people on October 24th. Do you feel a theme happening in October? World of Liberty is a big fan of the organization known as the United Nations and their efforts towards world peace and the betterment of humanity ranging from world hunger to the environment and health issues.  This year United Nations Day, which is always on the 24th and Make a Difference Day, which is the 4th Saturday of the month, will be one in the same.  Make a Difference Day was started back in 1990, and created to encourage people to volunteer in their communities by helping others. So whether it’s helping a neighbor with household chores, volunteering at a soup kitchen, or donating old clothes to the goodwill, get out there and make a difference in your very own community. You can even make it a monthly activity with friends.

Now to reward yourself for making a difference, grab your friends and a pumpkin for Carve a Pumpkin Day which also falls on Halloween, October 31st. The most popular day for pumpkins all over the world. Under the supervision of an adult, carve out a Jack O’ Lantern face of your own design, or trace a pattern onto your orange gourd for a more intricate look, or just go silly with glitter, glue, and markers for the most outlandish porch buddy you can imagine.

In the spirit of traditional Halloween festivities, walk your neighborhood to check out all the other pumpkins while participating in the long time custom of trick or treating. Have you thought of your costume yet? Dressing up is one of the best parts of Halloween. The whole act of wearing a costume stems back thousands of years  when the Celtic people believed ghosts roamed the earth on this one night a year. So the townspeople would wear masks and dress up as ghosts and ghouls to fool the spirits. Over time different traditions developed, such as bonfires and parades in which people would beg for treats like pastries and money. Sounds very similar to what we now know as trick or treating right? Well, trick or treating came into existence when Halloween came to America and the immigrants from Europe started their own version of Halloween festivities. As years went by, Halloween lost it’s religious and superstitious overtones and became more about the community and fun. Get your creative juices flowing and craft up a fun costume.

While you’re in the pumpkin spirit don’t forget to check out our 1st app, It’s Raining Pumpkins in Delaware!

Fall into adventure this October!

Love,

Liberty Lane