A Halloween/Masquerade Party

Friday October 27, 2006 • 7:00 PM

Halloween is an annual celebration, but just what does it actually a celebrate? And how did this peculiar custom originate? Is it, as some claim, a kind of demon worship? Or is it just a harmless vestige of some ancient pagan ritual?

The word “Halloween” actually has its origins in the Catholic Church. It comes from a contracted corruption of All Hallows Eve. November 1, "All Hollows Day" (or "All Saints Day"), is a Catholic day of observance in honor of saints. But, in the 5th century BC, in Celtic Ireland, summer officially ended on October 31. This holiday was called Samhain (sow-en), the Celtic New year.

One story purports that, on this day, the disembodied spirits of all who had died throughout the preceding year would come back in search of living bodies to possess for the next year. It was believed to be their only hope for the afterlife. The Celts believed all laws of space and time were suspended during this time, allowing the spirit world to intermingle with the living.

Naturally, the still-living did not want to be possessed. So on the night of October 31, villagers would extinguish the fires in their homes, to make them cold and undesirable. They would then dress up in all manner of ghoulish costumes and noisily paraded around the neighborhood, being as destructive as possible in order to frighten away spirits looking for bodies to possess.

The custom of trick-or-treating is thought to have originated not with the Irish Celts, but with a ninth-century European custom called souling. On November 2, All Souls Day, early Christians would walk from village to village begging for "soul cakes," made out of square pieces of bread with currants. The more soul cakes the beggars would receive, the more prayers they would promise to say on behalf of the dead relatives of the donors. At the time, it was believed that the dead remained in limbo for a time after death, and that prayer, even by strangers, could expedite a soul's passage to heaven So, although some cults may have adopted Halloween as their favorite "holiday," the day itself did not grow out of evil practices. It grew out of the rituals of Celts celebrating a new year, and out of Medieval prayer rituals of Europeans. And today, even many churches have Halloween parties or pumpkin carving events for the kids. After all, the day itself is only as evil as one cares to make it.

Our fourth annual Halloween Party will be held on the Friday before Halloween. If you were a part of the festivities then you know what a great party it was. Everyone had great costumes with Pirates of the Carribean stealing the show. We booked the band “New Decade” for this party again. So put your dancing shoes on with your costume and come enjoy a night of laughter and goodtimes. This event will sell out fast!

A Complimentary Cocktail Hour 7:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Featured Adult Beverages

Grey Goose Vodka, Hendricks Gin, Balvenie Scotch, Frangelico.

Hors’-d’oeurves

A fine assortment of smoked seafood, tuna tartare and paté canapies.

Dinner & Dancing 8:00 to 11:30 p.m.

Cream of Erie County Pumpkin Soup,

Toasted Pumkin Seeds

A baby pie pumpkin filled with puréed pumpkin soup, with Vermont crème fraî'eeche, topped with toasted pumpkin seeds, pumpkin seed oil and nutmeg.

Riesling “Estate”, Richter, Mosel, Germany 2005

Alaskan Halibut, Boullibaise

Sauteed filet of halibut topped with served on a bed of fennel and leeks with a tomato saffron broth and garnished with little neck clams and Prince Edward Island mussels

White “Alluvium”, Beringer, Napa Valley, California, 2004

Tenderloin of Veal & Sweet Dumpling Squash

Tenderloin of veal, char-grilled, served in a sweet dumpling squash filled with herb risotto topped with woodland wild mushroom sauce.

Malbec, Andeluna, Mendoza, Argentina, 2004

Apple Frangipane Tart, Walnut Ice Cream

A baked apple frangipane tart topped with an apricot glaze, serve with a walnut French vanilla bean ice cream.

Sauvignon Blanc “Late Harvest”, Errazuriz, Casablanca Valley, Chile, 2004

$90 per person

Tax & Gratuity not included