by James Ruggia
Last updated: 4:00 AM ET, Wed October 1, 2014
PHOTO: Dromoland Castle is making it wonderfully creepy for family guests this Halloween. (Courtesy of Dromland Castle)
As we turn the page into October, the calendar is highlighting two big holidays in front of us: Halloween and Thanksgiving. Halloween and Thanksgiving couldn't be more different. The one merges our historic connection to the pilgrim and our connections to our families. The other borrows very loosely from some of Europe's oldest traditions and transforms a somber remembrance of both the martyred saints of Christianity into a playful recreation of the pagan night spirits who were fearfully worshipped by the pagans that martyred those Christians.
Halloween has its roots in Europe, but those roots predate the enormous seizure of the holiday by costume and candy makers. In Europe, Halloween as we celebrate it is relatively new, but the observance of All Saints' Day on Nov. 1 dates back more than 1,000 years.
Observers light candles and lanterns at grave sites, much as they do for the Day of the Dead in Mexico. America's lighter take on Halloween is now popular in Europe. The Warner Bros. Studio Tour London reminds us that Halloween is just around the corner with its new section devoted to the Dark Arts, encompassing Horcruxes and other sinister wizarding artefacts, in what is the Studio Tour's first permanent addition since opening.
Ireland's Dromoland Castle is offering a Halloween value package, from $478 per night, from Oct. 27 to Nov. 1 that includes such Halloween activities on Oct. 30 and 31 as movie nights, pumpkin carving, castle ghosts, a family Treasure Hunt, a bonfire, a fancy dress disco, water bingo, Halloween games and crafts.
Children under 12 years of age sharing with their parents (maximum two adults and two children) are included in the package at no additional cost. The package also comes with full Irish breakfast daily and children's high tea. Guests can also arrange for a "Hawk Walk" with Dromoland's School of Falconry. The 16th century castle sits on 450 acres that includes a championship parkland golf course.
Le Bristol Paris is enticing American families to enjoy some dinde (turkey) in Paris. Who knows you might see the ghosts of the Pilgrim Fathers at the Folies-Bergère. The hotel is offering an exclusive VIP package priced from $1,738 and available throughout November. The package includes two connecting rooms with two American breakfasts.
Breakfast for 12-year-olds and younger and all kids' meals for children under six are complimentary (up to two children). The hotel has also created a treasure hunt for kids with a surprise gift. Le Bristol Paris' 4 o'clock menu includes chestnut flavored desserts, pecan and pumpkin pies along with a traditional hot chocolate drink. The menu at $33 per person also includes Chef Laurent Jeannin's pumpkin-inspired cotton candy which will be offered complimentary to all children.
Ireland's Ashford Castle is readying an Irish Thanksgiving complete with turkey, stuffing and all the fixings in the George V dining room. It's also throwing in a third night free for the holiday weekend stay. The 13th-century-castle-turned-luxury-hotel is undergoing renovations. Many activities are offered onsite including boat cruising, horseback riding, and the popular hawk walk at Ireland's oldest established School of Falconry at Ashford Castle.
The package is available Nov. 25 to 27, and is priced for three nights at $927 per room. The price includes two nights' accommodations in a Corrib room, full Irish breakfast each morning; table d'hôte dinner on two evenings in the George V dining room; and a complimentary third night with bed and breakfast.
PHOTO: Ashford Castle in Ireland might make a nice setting to carve your turkey. (Courtesy of Ashford Castle)
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