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Led by local horror expert Donovan King,the tour will explore Montreal's haunted history,and theatrical guides will recount such ghastly, rarelyheard tales of Montreal's spooky past such as the ghost of Esplanade Street, the legend of the Mount Royal cross and the tragic story of Jack McLean and the Haunted Funicular rail car that took people up and down the mountain until 1930. Tickets for this historical Halloween treat is $15 each and will be on sale during the day of the tour in the garden of the Barfly (where the tour begins), which is located at 4062 St.Laurent Boulevard.To reserve your spot, send an e-mail to optatif@gmail.com and mention "Haunted Mountain" on the subject line. * * * How's this for an art fundraiser ... you can buy a quality work of art for the affordable of price of only $65 each, but you don't know the identity of the artist in question until after the purchase is done? That's the modus operandi of the second annualWildcardArt Market,which will take place on November 19 at the Centre Sportif du College Sainte-Anne, located at 1250 St.Joseph Boulevard in Lachine. Over 600 various works of art by more than 300 Canadian artists - whether they be as well known as Robert Bateman, part time painters like Myles Goodwin of April Wine fame,or an exciting new local artistic talent - will be up for grabs that evening, which begins at 5 p.m., and all for one price of $65 apiece. Pro- ceeds from the Wildcard Art Market will benefit Le Nichoir, a Hudsonbased rehabilitation centre dedicated to the caring of thousands of wild birds, including ducklings and songbirds, which is currently in the midst of moving to a new base of operations. Tickets for the fundraiser is $40, and must be purchased in advance by going to www.lenichoir.org/wildcard. And if you're interested in seeing what's going to be up for sale, there will be two separate public preview weekends, on October 29 and 30 at the Smith House, located at 1260 chemin Remembrance in Mount Royal Park, and on November 5 and 6 at the Canadian Aviation Heritage Centre in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue. Admission is free for both weekends. * * * If you have an event that you want publicized in the Grapevine, please send the information to my attention at: bookbanter@hotmail.com.

"All Hallow's Eve" or "Halloween"

The Celtic Meaning

We at Kennedy Celtic Boutique, want to bring traditions and the Ancient ways to all of our Celtic Friends, each of you that visit our store have heard stories and myths that goes along with all of our products. Now let us tell you about the Celtic meaning of Halloween. In ancient times it was called Samhuinn, or now pronounced Samhain, Irish-Gaelic for "the summer's end." This was the celebration of the harvest, of the closing of the year, and the beginning of the New Year. Agriculturally, it was the time when the last fruit of the harvest were collected and stored and the livestock were culled and separated for the winter ahead. So Samhain festivals marked the transition between two very different seasons, the growth season and the cold months of winter. Great bonfires and dancing were a very big part of the festivals, for this marked the last opportunity for merrymaking and celebration before a long winter confinement. Samhain was considered a time of great change; it was also a time of great transparency between the world of man and the Otherworld. In order to protect themselves from roaming evil spirits the Celts would appease them by offering them treats.

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The custom of wearing costumes on Halloween is thought to derive from the Celts disguising themselves at Samhain, so the spirits would think they belonged to their own world. The custom of trick-or-treating may have originated from the old Irish custom of going door-to-door to collect bread, cheese, nuts and apples in the preparation for the feasting at Samhain. The tradition of face carved pumpkins were used a lanterns to ward of any evil spirits. The Jack O'Lantern used to be made from a turnip, but the Irish emigrants to NorthAmerica adopted the pumpkin since it was easier to carve. Virtually all present Halloween traditions can be traced to the ancient Celtic times. Today it has become a holiday for kids and adults, with masquerades and parties - men, women and child in every disguise imaginable. Now as you and your kids go out this Halloween,please remember the CelticAll Hallow's Eve and its ancient meaning. We at Kennedy Celtic Boutique will be in costume on Saturday and Sunday, please come and celebrate the Celtic NewYear with us.

Donna Dodge and Nancy Barabé can be reached at their boutique at 514- 697-5333 or drop by at 4 av. de Lourdes, Pointe Claire. See their ad page 42.

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Call for more details 514-457-7656 info@westendtimes.ca