Yunding Ranch

Chapter 379
Lu Li poked his head out of the car window, trying to see how much space was left behind, so that he could continue to reverse the car.The Raptor is very big, and every time it parks, it always takes up more space than others, so you need to be more careful.

"Reverse, continue to reverse." A shout came from the side of the road, commanding Lu Li to reverse, "There is still enough space, you can reverse in."

Lu Li smiled and gestured an "OK" gesture towards the other party, turned the steering wheel, accurately backed the car into the parking space, then turned off the engine, got out of the car, and shouted to the stranger on the side of the road, " Thanks!"

The other party waved his arm heartily, and the range of the whole movement was different. He put on a drooping cowboy hat, "It's a small matter." The rough voice was crisp and neat, "Are you here for shopping in town? Home is the best." Prepare more candy, it is estimated that Yunding Ranch will be particularly lively this year."

This friendly reminder made Lu Li laugh happily, "No problem, we will definitely be ready, and all the children in the whole town are welcome to come." That bold tone successfully won a whistle from the other party, It wasn't just him, there was a booing voice from across the street, "Be careful that the children from the next town are also running over!"

Immediately afterwards, passers-by on the street burst into laughter.

Now Lu Li is like a celebrity in New Braunfels.Firstly, he is the only foreign rancher in the town, and this identity is already eye-catching; secondly, the deed of catching the thief before has really made many people hear of his name; thirdly, , At the Cowboy Conference, the booth of Yunding Ranch received numerous praises. The highly acclaimed vegetables in HEB Supermarket all came from Yunding Ranch, and such news spread like wildfire.

This is a small town, and the celebrity effect spreads beyond imagination.For Lu Li now, strangers would greet him everywhere he went. Randy even jokingly said that even Austin has a legend about Lu Li.There was no indifference, no malice, and no rejection. New Braunfels was gradually accepting Lu Li as a part of the town's residents.

In two days, it will be Halloween.

Like China, at the end of each year, the United States will usher in the moment of saying goodbye to the old and ushering in the new, first Halloween, then Thanksgiving, then Christmas and New Year’s Day, and the New Year is coming.

Regarding the origin of Halloween, the most common version of the legend holds that it originated from the Western European countries before the birth of Christ, mainly including Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The ancient Western Europeans in these places were called Druids.

The Druids’ New Year is on November [-]st. On New Year’s Eve, the Druids let young people gather, wearing all kinds of weird masks, and carrying carved radish lamps—there were no pumpkins in early ancient Western Europe , They wandered among the villages.At that time, it was actually a kind of autumn harvest celebration.

There is also a saying that it is a ghost festival. It is said that the souls of the people who died that year will visit the world on the eve of Halloween. It is said that people should let the visiting ghosts see a complete harvest and present rich hospitality to the ghosts.All the bonfires and lights are here to scare away the ghosts, and at the same time illuminate the route for the ghosts to find their way back.

In medieval Europe, there was a history of Christianity destroying pagans, but the sacrificial ceremony before New Year’s Eve has never been really eliminated, but it appeared in the form of witchcraft.This is why people still leave traces of witches' brooms, black cats, spells, etc. in contemporary Halloween.

In fact, after centuries of spreading, Halloween has now lost its color of religious superstition, and has gradually become a children's festival, as well as a pretext for young people's masquerade balls.The festive decorations in public places and around the home are voluntary. Many people regard this day as a celebration for carnival and enjoy the unique atmosphere of Halloween-this is not Thanksgiving, and there is no need for family reunion; this is not Christmas, no more Religious ceremony; this is not New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, lacking the special of saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new, this is a day that belongs to the party.

Strictly speaking, Halloween is not a holiday, because Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day are all holidays, but Halloween is not.Even school doesn't have holidays.Instead, schools will organize evening parties, and students will be willing to host small evening parties themselves. More importantly, special parties will also be held between communities and families. Masquerade parties are always the most suitable choice. Let's celebrate this holiday together.

Now, Halloween is more of a seasonal sign, because it means the end of autumn and the arrival of winter. When Halloween is over, it also means that the new year is not far away.

Compared with other festivals, the celebration atmosphere of Halloween is the strongest.According to the custom, people will wear masks and special costumes to dress up as ghosts, and every household will hollow out pumpkins and carve them into lamps; while children will dress up as ghosts, carry pumpkin lanterns, and visit neighbors in the neighborhood.

Not only that, but with the development of time, people's costumes are no longer limited to ghosts and ghosts, and anyone can play freely. Many regions organize large-scale makeup parades every year, which is very lively.

The most famous Halloween event is "Trick or treat or treat", which has gradually evolved into the most representative feature of this festival.However, this custom did not originate from Ireland, but from the European Christian Church in the ninth century AD.

At that time, November [-]nd was known as "All Souls' Day" by Christians.On this day, believers trek through country lanes, begging from door to door for "soul cakes" made of flour and raisins.It is said that the families who donate Gao Bing believe in the prayers of church believers, expecting to be protected by God so that their dead relatives can enter heaven as soon as possible.

This tradition of begging from house to house, with the passage of time, has now evolved into a game where children carry jack-o-lanterns and beg for sweets from house to house.When they met, the children dressed up as various ghosts raised their voices and threatened to "make trouble if you don't treat them", but the host naturally didn't dare to neglect, saying "Please eat! Please eat!" in the big pockets they carry with them.

If the hosts are childlike, they will not only use sound effects and dry ice machines to create a scary atmosphere, but also make up and dress up as ghosts to cater to the atmosphere of the night and entertain those innocent and romantic children.In many cases, the candies that children get in one night can often be counted in bags, and they can be carried home in whole bags.

Compared with pastries, candies are easier to preserve and distribute, so in modern Halloween, families have gradually developed the habit of using candies as "treats".It is for this reason that "trick or treat" has gradually evolved into "trick or treat" after being translated.

There is another theory about the origin of the legend of "trick or treating": this custom originated from pagans, who believed that ghosts would come to the world every year to cause trouble for the living.In order to protect themselves from evil spirits, people wear costumes that look like ghosts, and prepare bread, eggs, apples and other food as tributes, hoping for good luck.

People put on masks and costumes to confuse ghosts and go door to door collecting tribute.Generous people light lamps and receive well wishes; but stingy people are threatened and await visits from ghosts.

So on Halloween, every family will prepare a lot of candy, hoping to win a "generous" reputation, which also makes the children return home with a lot of rewards every time.

Generally speaking, children will not participate in "trick or treating" after the age of 14. When they grow up, the attraction of candy is not so strong, and it seems too thick to ask for candy from door to door. shameless.But there are exceptions to everything. High school students and even college students will dress up if they want to, knock on the door of strangers, ask for candy, and treat it as another party.

When he was studying in New York, Lu Li participated in three Halloweens, each of which was a masquerade party, which really allowed him to see the enthusiasm of foreign college students for parties and their enthusiasm for makeup.

One time, he and his friends ran to a high-end residential area on the Upper East Side, knocking on the door for candy. .The people who live in that area are all elites and upper class people, even if they are surprised, they will still give candy.

It's just that the scene was a little embarrassing.

Comparatively speaking, Thanksgiving and Christmas are both family reunions. Lu Li's family members are all in China. In the land of the United States, he cannot feel the essence of these two festivals after all; It is the grandest and most exciting New Year's Eve venue in the world. Lu Li has personally experienced the boiling and turmoil of Times Square. The shock is indescribable in words and incomparable anywhere else.

Only Halloween, a festival that belongs to parties, carnivals, children, and the whole world, is so different.Moreover, living in the United States, the atmosphere of Halloween is far stronger than in other countries.This made Lu Li eager to try, like a child, looking forward to the festival.

What's more, in the past, Lu Li didn't have his own apartment, which means he didn't have a "home", so he could only act as the one who came to the door, or the one who attended the party; but now, the situation is different, Lu Li not only owns his own home, but also the entire ranch. This will be his first time as the host, entertaining the children who come to the door and giving candies.

This time Halloween, it must be brand new.

Today, Lu Li made a special trip to the town for shopping. It was his first time to decorate his home. He planned to roll up his sleeves and do a big job. Not just changing a set of clothes, he planned to decorate the entire ranch and turn the ranch into a It's an adventure playground where all kids - and even adults - are welcome to come and have fun.

Dressing up the entire ranch is an ambitious project.Lu Li had already started gearing up and couldn't wait.

(End of this chapter)