Happy Thanksgiving!

Yesterday, America celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday. Thanksgiving is about "giving thanks." Americans take a day to share a meal with their friends and family. Many people also collect food to give to charity or volunteer their time to help the poor. At Thanksgiving we try to stop and appreciate the world around us and say thank you to our friends and family for their help and support. 

But Thanksgiving isn't just a serious holiday.  It is also about eating a lot of really good food and spending time with your family and friends. Each year there is a huge Thanksgiving parade in New York City. Thanksgiving is also a big day for sports. There are many different (American) football games played that day. Many people will go to these event with their friends and family or watch them together on television. 

For many Americans, Thanksgiving is also a sign that autumn is ending and Christmas is coming. After today, Christmas is less than a month away. 

President Obama!

 Wow. This is a very exciting day in America. Whether you supported Obama or not, his win means so much in terms of American history. Obama's victory does not mean that America has solved or eliminated racism and prejudice-- it hasn't and we have a lot more work ahead of us-- but it does mean a major, symbolic barrier has been broken.  It is a very positive sign, to Americans of all ages and races.  

Election day 2008

Right now in America the clocks are about to hit midnight. That means election day in finally here. Each year in the United States the first Tuesday in November is the day that Americans go to vote. They vote for many different political positions (from Mayor to President) and ballot questions (to ask for new laws or governmental changes).

We vote for a President every four years and this year we'll be deciding on a new President. Will it be the Republican, John McCain? Or the Democrat, Barak Obama? There are some very big problems that the next President will have to deal with. The current financial crisis that is hurting so many countries and the war in Iraq are two of the biggest issues for most Americans. But there are still several other areas many Americans are concerned about, particularly jobs, the environment, and health care. 

The election this year has gotten very tense. There are some scary things happening in the world right now and everyone is very worried about choosing the right person to be President. No matter who is choosen, however, something exciting will happen in the White House. We will be electing either our first woman Vice-President or our first African American President. This gives us something celebrate, whichever candidate wins. 

If anyone out there has any questions about the election, please feel free to ask! I'm happy to try and answer. 

Happy Halloween!

To celebrate, I'm getting together with a bunch of other ALTs. We're going to wear costumes and do karaoke. That seems like a fun way to celebrate Halloween in Japan, doesn't it? 

I haven't decided what my costume will be though! I might dress as Mount Fuji. What do you think? Any ideas?

the history of Halloween

Halloween originally comes from Ireland. It is a very old holiday and it has changed a lot from the original version. Because it is so old, the history gets a little unclear. You may hear a few different versions of where Halloween comes from. This is most accurate version that I know.

Today’s Halloween has its roots in Ireland and the holiday of Samhain. Samhain is a very ancient traditional holiday that celebrates the end of the harvest season. The ancient Irish believed that the barrier between the living and the dead disappeared during this time of year. Because of this, it was considered a scary and dangerous time of year. People were afraid that the dead would come visit them and cause sickness or damage crops. To scare or confuse these evil spirits people burned bonfires. They also wore costumes and masks to make themselves look like spirits. At some point people also began going from house to house. They collected offerings (usually food) to be used to appease the spirits and protect both the people and the land. This is where the custom of trick or treating began. The people believed that doing these things would either scare evil spirits away, confuse them, or keep them from being angry. 

Many of today’s American Halloween traditions come from these ancient practices. The costumes which people once wore for protection have now become part of the fun. The jack o'lantern used to be made from turnips, rutabagas, and gourds to keep evil away. But in America, big orange pumpkins are now carved at Halloween. Instead of scaring away visitors, the jack o'lanterns encourage trick-or-treaters to visit and celebrate the holiday. 

a month of Halloween

In America we celebrate Halloween on October 31st. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. As a child, I loved thinking of costumes to wear and how I would make them. My mother is really creative and good and making things so she was always able to help me as well. 

Over the years I have dressed in many different costumes. Some of them were: 

• Little Bo'peep
• Little Red Riding Hood
• The Sugar Plum Fairy
• A Gypsy
• A Book Worm
• The Season of Autumn
• A Mailbox 
• A Princess

I also really enjoy carving pumpkins to make Jack o'lanterns. Each year we would go to the pumpkin patch to choose a pumpkin. There are hundreds to choose from but you look and look to find one with a shape that is right for you. Then you take it home and start to think about what you're going to carve. Will it be a scary face? A funny one? Will you do a picture instead of a face? 

Our pumpkins are usually pretty big so we use a big knife and huge spoon to carve the pumpkin. First you cut open the top (around the stem) and scoop out all the seeds inside. (Usually we save these and will eat them later.)  Next you start cutting the eyes, nose, face and other details. (It's a good idea to draw these in pencil first, just in case you make a mistake.) When you're finished, you put a candle inside, put the pumpkin outside your house and you have a jack o'lantern!

Why do we dress in costumes and carve pumpkins on Halloween? To answer that I have to explain a little more about Halloween. I'll do that in my next post. 

Happy October!

I can't believe it's already October. Time is going by so quickly! This is one of my favorite times of the year. I love the whole fall season. The weather is cool and refreshing, but not too cold, and the leaves begin to change color. Autumn is also when we eat many of my favorite foods. I love pumpkin flavored things and I love Halloween. 

If I were in America right now, I would probably also be eating many apples. It is apple season at home right now. Many people will go to apple orchards to pick their own apples or they will buy them at the supermarket. American apples are a little smaller than the ones in Japan and we have many different kinds with slightly different flavors. 

Instead of eating lots of apples, in Japan I've been trying more food with chestnuts. We have chestnuts in the USA, but we just don't eat them that much. Here in Japan, I see chestnut flavors everywhere! I really like the taste, so I've been trying as many different kinds as I can. The flavor is something new to me, but it still reminds me of the fall season when I eat it.