Category: Education

Halloween, a contraction of All Hallows’ Eve, is an annual holiday celebrated on October 31 every year. This popular festival dates back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. But now it’s observed all over the world. Halloween activities include parties, carving jack-o-lanterns, donning costumes and spooky treats.

Children wearing costumes go house to house after dark, calling out at each door “trick or treat”! Then people give them ‘treats’ like candy or gifts.  Among the fun facts, you may be wondering about the history of Halloween and how it pops into the culture through the ages.

Let’s reveal the facts of origin of Halloween.

Religious origin

Halloween is believed to be tracked by the dogma and practices of Christianity. The root word of Halloween derives from All Hallows’ Eve which is the commingled Scottish word of “All Hallows” meaning “to make holy” and “Even,” or “E’en,” meaning evening.

Thus Halloween (31^st October) means the evening before All Saints Day on November 1, and the two days earlier All Souls Day on November 2. These three days are called Allhallowtide together.

At this triple-day festival, Western Christians like the Roman Catholic and a large number of Protestant denominations of Christianity commemorate the saints as well as pray for the recently departed souls and martyrs.

Halloween is basically preparing themselves for All Saints Day on the evening of October 31 on Halloween with prayer vigils with other honorary events. After harvest, when there is plentiful food, the Halloween festival becomes more celebratory too.

On the other hand, Historians say that Halloween or Hallowe’en originated from Celt culture as early as AD 270. But my opinion is today’s Halloween has both Celt and Christian influences. To understand the fact read out the history.

Celtic Tradition

The Celts lived almost 2000 years ago in different locations of the world that now lie in the United Kingdom, northern France, and Ireland mostly. Ancient Celts of Ireland arranged the annual feast of ‘Samhain’ a special costume party on 31^st October.

They believed that between summer and winter, there is a boundary night when the limit between the living people and the dead is blurred. They also thought that the deceased ghosts came back to the earth on October 31, which was the last day of the year as Celts observed November 1 as their new year.

A fallacy is that evil spirits are released on 31^st October in the world to attract the festival and ‘eve’ returns to ward off the demons. Thus, people wore costumes on Halloween to disguise themselves so evil spirits can’t harm them.

According to Christian history of Halloween, a group of missionaries came to the Celt in England and Ireland. After hearing Gospel, most people of Celt accepted Christianity. After that Celt added Gospel with the All Hallows Eve festival.

According to a study by National Geographic Channel, Catholic churches were influenced by Celts Samhain. Thus, the Vatican sanctioned November 1 as a holiday and designated the day as All Saints Day to honor martyrs (saints) and departed souls.

And afterward, October 31 and November 2 were announced as All Hallows’ Eve (Halloween) and All Souls Day respectively. Generations passed by and Halloween transformed into today’s rituals.

How the rituals of Halloween are changing over the years?

Celtic celebrated the festival of Samhain on October 31 where they lit bonfires and dressed in costumes. They did it so that ghosts can’t recognize and harm them. But how did it come into America?

The rituals of Halloween were brought to the United States by some Irish immigrants in the 1840s for fleeing a potato famine. Thus, it got popularity first among the farm communities. They gathered together at the season’s end and used different natural elements as costumes.

Let’s talk about some Halloween rituals that are changing rapidly.

Pranks leading the way

In the last centuries, there were lots of pranks integrated with Halloween. Stealing garden gates and throwing cabbages are the two most popular among them. But now the style of Halloween pranks is changed. Hanging toilet paper in tree branches or egging houses are now popular.

Halloween parties are gaining popularity

Between the 1930s to 1950s, most Halloween parties were held at homes rather than parties in downtown centers. But now Halloween parties are very common even in school classrooms.   Celebrations have especially increased due to the involvement of mass people.

Store-bought treats are replaced by homemade food

What children expect now in trick-or-treating, is candy, right? But before the 1970s, children get nuts, fruits, popcorn, ball, or money. In the past, parents and senior citizens were very much concerned about children’s health.

Halloween Costumes

Halloween costumes are changing every year. According to the National Retail Foundation report of 2019, superheroes were the most popular children’s costumes for Halloween over princesses.

But this changed in 2021, Foundation was the most desired children’s costume to be superman, whereas princess and witch positioned runners up and third place respectively. Fake blood is now also a trending costume option.

Rise of Halloween TV specials and Halloween-themed parks

To spread Halloween popularity, most TV broadcasts Halloween-themed special programs. “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” launched in 1966 and that was a beginning of a trend. Afterward, as a continuation of the “Halloweentown”, “The Simpsons”, and “Hocus Pocus” were developed.

On the other hand, seasonal theme parks decorate the parks with Halloween themes and arrange special attractions and facilities during this time to attract people.

Halloween Games:  Play the Google Doodle Halloween game.

Where is Halloween celebrated?

Nowadays, Halloween is celebrated around the world but it’s most popular in the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom. In some countries, it’s gaining popularity such as Australia, Belgium, Greece, France, New Zealand, Italy, Singapore, Japan, South Kore, Malaysia, and many more.

And Halloween is observed alongside traditional holidays in many other countries like Brazil, Germany, Ireland (alongside Samhain), Philippines, Columbia, China, Netherlands, and so on.

Summary

Halloween originated from the Celt Samhain festival. Celts celebrated the event in the memorial of their dead relatives and to thanksgiving between the end of summer and the long dark winter. Influenced by Celts, Halloween is observed on 31 October every year around the world either as a religious or non-religious event.

DevOps is both a culture and a way of working in which software developers and IT operations engineers collaborate within a single team to achieve a predetermined goal.  In older methods of developing software, software development and software operations were clearly separated.

The programmers were only marginally involved in the operation of the software they had developed, and they knew very little about its location or usage. In the meantime, those in charge of operations (known as sysadmins) had a limited understanding of what the software did and how it was developed, and they had to pray that it worked as intended.

You can become a DevOps Engineer regardless of your prior experience as a Developer, Operations professional, Quality Assurance specialist, or if you are a beginner. After the application’s code has been developed, a DevOps engineer is able to write code for it; however, they are also responsible for the application’s continuous automated build, deployment, and operations.

They collaborate with the business leaders and manage the workflow in its entirety to ensure the successful integration of the software with the automated processes. The best and fastest way to get into devops is to enroll in a devops engineer course and learn all the skills required.

Let us try to break down the skillset and aspects that are essential for being a successful devops engineer.

Skills required for a career as a successful DevOps engineer

Certain skills are required to become a DevOps engineer and are therefore considered prerequisites. You do not need to possess all of these abilities immediately; rather, you can acquire some of them through experience. Don’t let the lengthy list overwhelm you. You can begin with one or two of the following, as appropriate:

Expertise in Computer Programming

For DevOps engineer positions, the level of competition and peer pressure is always high; therefore, if you want to advance in your career, you will need to exceed expectations. Being able to code in multiple languages, such as Python, Java, Ruby, or a similar language, can put you in a better position than working in a network or information technology alone. If necessary, you will be able to debug sections of code and resolve build and deployment errors, which will prevent the software development lifecycle from cycling back and forth between development and deployment, thereby saving time and resources.

Understanding of Network and Storage Systems

Because DevOps professionals manage a large number of servers, connections, data, and storage, they should be able to handle any network issues that may arise. This implies that they should be familiar with IT network and storage concepts. Working with real-time systems requires familiarity with various protocols, application programming interfaces (APIs), and capacity decisions to support the required infrastructure.

Because of this, a network engineer with prior experience in server maintenance can easily transition into a DevOps engineer position with minimal additional training. Prioritize the acquisition of scripting skills and familiarity with a variety of configuration and deployment tools. Familiarize yourself with Linux, OpenStack, and a public cloud service such as Azure or AWS in order to prepare. Continuous integration utilizing tools such as Jenkins and Kubernetes is yet another topic on which you should focus your long-term education.

Infrastructure Management and Regulatory Compliance

For newly developed systems, the DevOps workflow is available. However, legacy systems require attention and should be quickly integrated into the DevOps world. These systems must be configured to be compliant, secure, scalable, and well-balanced. Additionally, they should have adequate backups. All of this should occur without disrupting any of the currently operating businesses. In a nutshell, it is necessary to automate the activities that were previously performed manually.

Mechanisms of Mechanization

Puppet, Kubernetes, and Jenkins are three of the many available DevOps automation tools, but Puppet, Kubernetes, and Jenkins are the most popular. Ultimately, the DevOps process aims to automate as much of its work as possible. Starting with the generation of code, every single task must be automated, including building, testing, and deployment. In addition, monitoring and post-production testing were automated, enabling continuous integration and expediting the production of results.

Security

To ensure the overall security of a DevOps environment, specific practices must be developed using a wide range of policies, strategies, and methods. The development, testing, build, deployment, and monitoring phases of the DevOps life cycle cannot be completed without security. There are risks associated with each successive phase. For example, the vast majority of deployments are conducted in a cloud environment; therefore, cloud security concerns must be addressed. Similarly, containers and the tools used to manage them, such as Docker, Kubernetes, etc., have their own vulnerabilities.

To address these security challenges in a cloud environment, it’s crucial that DevOps teams prioritize security at every stage of the development lifecycle. By adopting shift left security practices, teams can identify vulnerabilities earlier, reducing risks and improving overall software quality. This involves integrating security measures from the earliest phases of design throughout testing and deployment.

Virtualization and Cloud Computing

Virtualization refers to the execution of a virtual instance of a computer system in a layer that is separate from and abstracted from the actual hardware. Due to virtualization’s ability to partition a large system into several smaller ones, a server can be utilized by a greater number of users or applications with varying requirements.

In light of this, virtualization is an essential component of DevOps. Imagine we have the ability to virtualize the hardware and duplicate the existing network. This will facilitate collaboration and coordination between the development and operations (IT) teams. In addition, a simplified testing interface will be made available.

Testing

If you are familiar with agile methodologies, you are aware that their development process follows a pattern of incremental and iterative development. Software development includes both testing and development. DevOps represents a natural progression. In addition to testing the functionality of a product, testers are responsible for testing its operations, performance, and security, as well as the analysis of data and logs.

Competence in Speaking and Hearing

Finally, but by no means least, a successful DevOps engineer Chicago must have excellent communication skills. Due to his role as a mediator between the IT team and the development team, he is responsible for ensuring that both teams collaborate effectively. In addition, as a DevOps engineer, you will always be part of a large team, which will provide ample opportunities for interaction and discussion. Effective communication requires not only saying the right things at the right times but also in the right order. You can compete for any job if you possess this skill, not just the position of DevOps engineer.

You can nurture your child’s love of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) by offering various activities, programs and schools for them to learn from. Related fields are on track to dominate in the future, and helping your kids develop their interests can set them up for success.

Many resources are available to help nurture your child’s love of STEM projects and encourage their interest in related fields. Here are some of them, as well as some fun activities you can do together.

Make Learning Fun

Children are curious by nature — they always have questions. Foster their curiosity by creating opportunities for them to have fun and learn simultaneously. Kids have different learning styles, but enjoyment appeals to everyone. Making things interesting can help them develop a relationship with education they can carry throughout their lives.

A love for knowledge can change your child’s life and instill a sense of purpose and direction for their path into adulthood. There are many ways that you can make learning fun for kids. Use your imagination and create games that help teach your child, like making a sandbox out of a pencil holder for them to trace sight words into the sand.

Another fun idea is to make a color sorter with pipe cleaners and a potato chip can. Teach your kids about shapes with blocks, and then let them build their own with Popsicle sticks. Incorporate STEM projects into the mix with dominoes to help them learn math and any other ideas you can think of to help your child connect to real-world situations in a fun and creative way.

Nurture Soft Skills

Nurture your child’s soft skills like problem-solving and teamwork to prepare them for STEM work. These can boost a child’s intelligence and prepare kids to learn more hard knowledge. Soft and hard skills are necessary for the future generation to succeed.

Developing soft skills can help children perform better academically. You can encourage your child to learn and practice in situations in their daily lives, like when they play outdoors and decompress after a long day at school. Putting puzzles together frequently can help children build their problem-solving skills.

Identify your child’s strengths and weaknesses so you can prioritize which skills to focus on developing. Pay attention to their interests and what they like to do. Teach them things they won’t learn in school, like manners, empathy and self-control. These soft skills and effective communication can equip your child with a solid foundation to build upon.

Explore Opportunities

Explain the necessity of STEM to your child and how they can benefit from it. They may not have adequate exposure to the opportunities in these fields of study without your guidance.

The future for STEM skills is promising, so if your child is interested, foster their education and growth in these subjects as much as possible. Guide to finding a hobby that involved STEM skills.  Take them to museums and enroll them in programs encouraging STEM education that can inspire your child to grow and explore avenues that best suit them.

STEM Project Ideas

Finding STEM projects that apply to all ages can be challenging. Here are some activities children can enjoy from an early age. Experiencing and observing them rather than listening to an explanation can nurture children’s love for them.

Cloud in a Jar

You can tailor this activity to younger or older kids. Teach older ones about the connection between the project and the clouds in the sky. Younger children will likely just enjoy the experiment.

Pour some hot water into a jar and place the lid upside down on top. Put some ice cubes on the lid, leave them for about 20 seconds and then spray some hairspray inside the jar. Replace the cover with the ice still on top and watch a cloud form and appear inside the jar. Remove the lid and watch the water vapor escape into the air.

Crystal Sun Catchers

Use hot water and Epsom salt to create crystals. Stir equal amounts of hot water and salt for about two minutes in a glass jar. Pour the mixture into clear plastic lids and place them in the sun to dry. Ensure you don’t overfill the caps by pouring off excess liquid.

Allow them to dry and crystallize for a few hours to a day. Carefully poke a hole in the lids to put a string through and then hang up wherever you like. The crystals will sparkle in the sunlight. These are very fragile suncatchers and only last for a limited time. They are a fun learning experience for kids, but you should handle them carefully and make extras if they break while hanging them up.

Foster Your Child’s Love of STEM Projects

STEM industries are in high demand, so the need for workers is also growing. Nurturing your child’s love for STEM projects will set them on the road to success by fostering their ambitions and possibly securing their future.

About the Author
Ava Roman (she/her) is the Managing Editor of Revivalist, a women’s lifestyle magazine that empowers women to live their most authentic life. When Ava is not writing you’ll find her in a yoga class, advocating for her children or whipping up something delicious in the kitchen!

You say the pledge of allegiance each morning in school while looking at the American flag, but have you ever wondered how the stars and stripes came to be? We’ll tell you some of the most interesting facts about the American flag. By the time you finish reading this, you’ll be an expert on the red, white, and blue.

The Meaning Behind the Stars, Stripes, and Colors

The stars on the American flag represent each state, and the stripes pay homage to the thirteen original colonies. As far as the colors go, experts at the American Legion say, “White signifies purity and innocence; red, hardiness and valor; and blue signifies vigilance, perseverance, and justice.”

The Flag’s Age

Our nation’s beloved symbol is 245 years old. Many people would consider its birthday June 14, 1777, which is when Congress approved the first national version. This flag had thirteen stars arranged in a circle and the stripes we know today.

The Flag’s Origins

Some may still believe Betsy Ross designed the first American flag. This fact was difficult to prove because historians documented it almost 100 years later. Betsy’s grandson percolated the idea to the masses. There are receipts from the Pennsylvania State Navy Board dating back to 1777 proving that she made plenty of flags.

However, scholars now credit Francis Hopkinson as the American flag’s designer. (Leepson, Marc. “Flag: An American Biography.” St. Martin’s Griffin. 2005. p. 33).

The Flag Manufacturers Association of America (FMAA) issued the following Tweet on February 4, 2021:

FMAA@FMAA_USA – Feb 4
#FlagFact: The designer of the American flag was Francis Hopkinson, a signer of the Declaration of Independence as a delegate from New Jersey.
FMAA_USA.COM

These details on the flag’s designer were contrinued to us by Earl P. Williams, Jr., U.S. flag historian (paleovexillologist).

The Colors of the Flag

The American flag inherited its colors from the flag of Great Britain. Of the fifty U.S. states, twenty-five of them created their flags using some quantity of the red, white, and blue colors. States that predominantly use red, white, and blue are the Georgia state flag, Mississippi, Colorado, Hawaii, Iowa, Arkansas, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Utah, Wyoming, Vermont, Tennessee, and Texas.

The U.S. territories of Puerto Rico and American Samoa also incorporate red, white, and blue as their main colors.

Flag Display Rules

There are some rules involved when it comes to displaying the American flag. If your family wants to show their patriotism at home, here are some important guidelines to follow:

• Keep it flying steadily with a quality flagpole.
• Always take the flag inside whenever there’s bad weather.
• Most people think you can display the flag only in the daytime, but you can show it off at night.
• Nighttime flags are allowed only when they have a light on them—think of it like a nightlight.
• If you also want to support your state’s flag, make sure our nation’s flag is first on the flagpole.

The Flag’s Nickname

Did you know the American flag has a nickname? Some people like to call it Old Glory. The first person who ever used this nickname was a sea captain named William Driver in 1824. His mom gave him the flag as a present before he left on one of his journeys across the ocean.

You can still see this amazing artifact today at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. Now you’re an expert on the American flag. Great job! Try sharing what you learned with your parents or guardians today.

More About American History

Before there could be an American flag, pilgrims needed to first travel to discover North America.  Read about the history of the first American Thanksgiving.