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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 26, 1989)
IANR Open House New Directions-Benefits for You October 27,1989 Headquarters for Exhibits & Tours: -East Union 32 Exhibits 8 Tours CTour* Begin crt 10:30 a.m., 11:00 a.m.T^| 2:00 p.m., 3:30 p.m._J LFree Admission Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources University of Nebraska-Lincoln ine insiiTute of Agriculiture and Natural Resources provides informa tion and educational programs to al people without regard to race, color, national o'lg'n, sex or handicap D A N C E \sP -*-x UNL Students, Youth 18 and under Tickets: $13, $9 1/7 pricet j A Mid-America Art* Alliance program with the jupporl of the Nebraska An* Council and ihc National Endowment for the Art*. ForTIcketsCall 472-4747 (Monday-Friday,JT-SpnQ History behind Halloween . has religious beginnings By Henry Battistoni Staff Reporter Now considered a holiday of candies and costumes, Hallow een was originally a religious observance. Halloween is another one of those pagan observances Chris tians took over that later became a secular holiday. Halloween had its beginning some 2,000 years ago in England and Ireland. It marked a festival to honor Sambain, theCeltic god of death It also was the date of the Celtic and Anglo Saxon New Year. On Halloween, the spirits of the dead were supposed to return to their homes. Being the beginning of the dead winter months, the festival placated the supernatural forces directing nature. Divination was best practiced at this time. The Druids had their people extinguish hearth fires and then built a huge bonfire of oak. During the ceremony, par ticipants often wore the steins and heads of animals. Animals and crops were sacrificed and the animals’ remains searched for tokens of coming fortunes. At the end of the ceremony each family took fire from the bonfire to renew the family hearthfire. Around 43 B.C. the Romans conquered the Celts. The Roman habit of assimilating the tradi tions of conquered peoples went to work merging Hallow een into Feralia, a Roman holi day honoring the dead in late October. The Cells eventually were Christianized. In 800 A.I). the church named November 1 All Saint’s Day and November 2 All Soul’s Day. The people joined their old beliefs with the Chris tian holidays. Halloween was not popular ized until the 1800s in the United > States. Though early settlers / were largely Anglo-Saxon in descent, their strict beliefs pre vented wide growth of the cele- fi bration. When masses of Irish y and Scottish immigrants arrived jo in the U S with their tradition of /L Halloween and their costumes fjL the holiday grew quickly in fa popularity. JA Ghost-hunting in Lincoln won’t generate many finds By Mark Nemeth Staff Reporter_ A couple of years ago, I dis covered “The Guide to the Ghosts of Lincoln, ’ by Alan Boye. My friends and I were interested at first, not so much by ghosts, but by local ghosts When we asked around about the stories, people were skeptical. 1 called Boye, hoping to get more details about the stories he wrote, but there were none. We read articles about local ghosts at the Lincoln Jour nal-Star, but they were mostly cute. We checked out books about ghosts and poltergeists, and found out why people are pessimistic. We went to the haunted houses and haunted places, but didn’t find much. At Antelope Park, we looked tor me woman wno roams around the golf course near the Pavilion — no luck. We also remembered a story about a guy found dead in a swimming pool near there. No one, including the dogs, found anything. A man supposedly was mur dered at the corner of 20th and Washington streets. Apparently there’s a colder feel to the cor ner, but there’s also a creepy feeling and look to it. It’s diago nal to the street light. Ghost sto ries say he was shot by a man who sped by in a car. Another man was murdered in the park at 20th and Lake streets, behind Lincoln General Hospital , and is said to walk up and down the street and throughout the park. The park ^does feel cold, but it also is 'lower than the ground level near it. It’s a creepy park anyway. An interesting story in Boye’s v book is “Just Go East On O.’ W'e / went East on O looking for the ' house in the story, and thought it was the first haunted-looking house on the right. It was instead t a modern-looking house with - toys scattered along the lawn 4 farther down on the left. The * owners weren’t home, and we , . /y/j /nt / /* * /./ //1 /A. / / fa J never, learned more, but the story is intriguing because there were several men who wit nessed poltergeist activity. Is it foolish to entertain the possibility of ghosts? How are ghost stories explained? Can ghosts’ existence be attributed to psychology or dreams? How is a poltergeist phenomenon ex plained? By objects moving and being moved, sounds like doors, cupboards and windows un locking, opening, closing and locking on their own, physical attacks, footprints, and other events mostly removed from personal psychological interpre tation? Certainly, many stories are flawed with the associations of hoax, superstition, prank and inconsistency. But are there not viable unexplainable mysteries concerning ghosts? Though most thinking today does not concern the possibility of ghosts, what if ghost cynicism is naive? Will we be ridiculed in 50 years? Dr. Donald Jensen, professor of psychology al the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, believes that there are psychological explanations for ghosts; that "real experiences are interpreted as ghosts.” He said that most visions of apparitions are hallucinatory experiences or could be ex plained psychologically. Stories of poltergeist phe nomena , he said, lack the quality necessary for its scientific accep tance. These stories are gener ally "real human experiences misinterpreted,” he said, sight ing pranks and story inconsis tency as two causes of that mis interpretation. Jensen teaches a summer reading course con cerned with this and other issues of parapsychology. Let’s at least consider the possibility of ghost and polter geist phenomena, if not to have a better understanding, then to at least know what to say to one. / A/ j v 4m mu f’f/Vr yj 'DUDS'nSUDS DRYCLEAN n LAUNDRY Lincoln's 1st Laundry/Entertainment Center PRESENT THIS COUPON FOR JYYQ wash dry fold service free <■ DROP-OFF WASHES lop bxxltivi wusIhts only-- A I - -Dryiixi customers only (10 pound innwn6m) FULLY ATI ENDED LAUNDRY AND EWLKTAINMI N1 CLN1I R SNACK LIAR AND LOUNGE • OKKiH T Cl I AN AIWOS11 <1 Rl J POOLTAULE • DIG SCRLLN LV • VIOL O GAMES V. i WASH. DRY AND FOLD SERVICE • HEAVY DU IY WASHI.RS * won .SSLONAl. DRY CLEANING AND SHIR L I AUNDKY | WE ACCEPT COMPETITOR'S COOIONS • STAIN REMOVAL l I I I fXID.S n SODS 939 N. 2 Yth Start (atlfiM rnl lo Lony John Silver*) 475 7837 (SODS) 7 00 a.m. I HX) p.n*. (wash off) 0|«ii 7 (lays NODODY "DUDS" IT CLI?AN17JK MOV. 19. 1989 nni ii kmisiomi w ixnkis NOT GOOD WITH ANY OTHER OFFER _ Same delicious New York style pizza. Same irresistible Hot Hoagies. Same garden fresh salads. Same friendly atmosphere. Same Knudson Family Ownership. Same Convenient Location. Just one thing is NEW at 13th & Q St. formerly Pontillo's Pizzana the name. Tire Italian Maslorpicco Place -- ] LARGE PIZZA FOR THE PRICE OF A l MEDIUM | Limit one pizza per coupon. i As many loppings as you like for the medium price. Dine in, tarry Out or call lor Delivery in Service Area. EXPIRES One coupon per order, please. NOVEMBER 30, 1989 13th & "O" St/473-1246 3 14th & Superior/433 6000 ^ I 743 So. I llh SI./477 6661 ‘W’ | I 44th & O St/473 4070 U> 1 4120 So. 48th S1./4M3 2881_ TWO 12” COMBINATION HOAGIES | & One Quart of Pepsi $6.95 plus tax | Dine In, Carr) Out or (all lor Deliver) in Service Area. EXPIRES I One coupon per order, please. NOVEMBER 50, 1989 I 15th & "0" SC/*7) 12-tft A Nth & Superior *5) 6000 . 74) So. I Ith SI./477 6661 'W • I 44lh 8 O' Sty47) 4W0 ^ |D 2 4120 So. 48th Sty 485 2881_UX&W 11IC1 | TWO 8” CHEESE STEAK HOAGIES | & One Quart of Pepsi $5.95 plus tax • Two 8" Cheese Steak Hoagies with thinl) sliced steak, sauteed onions and Swiss cheese served on an Italian Loaf. Dine in, Carr) Out or call for Deliver) in Service Area. EXPIRES I One coupon per order, please. NOVEMBER 50, 1989 | 15th k "O' Sly47) 1246 A . Nth It Superior/45) 6000 • 74) So. II Ih SC, 4 77 6661 W I 44th & o Sty 47) 4070 -M » ** y> 5 4120 So. 48th St., 485 2881_^ 11|C1