DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

    The large white church at Portobelo is the Iglesia de San Felipe, which is still in use. It dates from 1814, but its tower wasn’t completed until 1945. It’s famous as the home of the life-sized effigy of the Nazareno of Portobelo, better known as the Black Christ. The effigy, depicting Christ carrying the cross, normally resides on a podium to the left of the altar, but it is brought out to the center of the church for the Black Christ Festival, by far Portobelo’s biggest event. The handsome altar of the church is adorned with gold images depicting various emblems of the crucifixion, including nails, instruments of torture, and the dice the Roman soldiers cast for Christ’s robe. Small wooden carvings ringing the walls depict the stages of the cross.    Behind this church is the recently renovated Iglesia de San Juan de Dios, home to the new Museo del Cristo Negro de Portobelo, which now displays 63 of the robes donated by Panamanians for the festival, some of which are more

   This was found at  www.craftycrafty.tv  .  Pretty cool stuff!! Halloween: how to make spider web balloons If you're planning a halloween party to remember, now's the time to get making props and decorations for the event. One of the coolest ideas I've seen is balloons filled with 'spider webs' (right), which makes for a really spooky effect. You'll need access to some helium, and ideally a substance like  hi-float  which will allow for the heaviness of the balloon's contents. But once you've collected these together, this is a really quick and easy project. Follow the jump for instructions. What you'll need: -  HI-FLOAT - 11-inch clear latex balloons - Small rubber spiders Instructions - Inject a little less than the usual amount of Hi-float into an clear balloon and rub it around to coat the inside. - Put a small rubber spider inside the balloon. - Inflate the balloon to about 75% of the full-size with air. - Seal t

    Known variously as  Samhain, Summer’s End, All Hallow’s Eve, Witches Night, Lamswool , and  Snap-Apple night , Halloween is among the world’s oldest holidays. Rooted in ancient pagan and Christian festivals that celebrated the inextricable link between seasonal and life cycles, Halloween has transcended its cultural roots and is currently celebrated in various forms all over the modern world. Halloween as it exists today is an exciting array of dichotomies as it delights both children and adults, prompts private religious observance as well as public exhibitionism, and blends personal imagination with mass marketing. A day full of magic and mystery, Halloween has not only survived, but it has thrived during epic cultural, religious, economic, and industrial changes throughout its long history. Roots in Ancient Celtic Festivals     The essential elements of Halloween, such as costuming, trick-or-treating, lighting bonfires, telling ghost stories, and attending c