Kid News This Week: Dark, scary festivals of autumn versus those celebrating light and hope, plus cocoa and pumpkin shortages and ever heard of “ghost poop?”
Special festival episode as we look at the dark side of autumn with a dive into Halloween, the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos)and the Hungry Ghost Festival which give off those skeleton and ghoul vibes… But over in India it’s a totally different story with festivals of light and hope. Which one do you prefer? Have a listen – it will help you decide. That’s not all, we also have seasonal news as crops of pumpkins and cocoa aren’t in good shape. Plus, ever heard of “ghost poop?” Apparently, it’s a thing. Tune in to find out more.
EPISODE- 187
LEELA: This week… it’s Halloween and the dark side versus the festivals of light and hope. Plus, shortages of certain autumn treats and ever heard of “ghost poop?” You will!
OPENING STING – LEELA: “Hey, hey, hey. Listen up. New, new, newsy – Newsy Pooloozi!”
THEME MUSIC
LEELA: Hello and welcome to this special festival episode of Newsy Pooloozi. I’m Leela Sivasankar Prickitt.
MAMA: And I’m Lyndee Prickitt.
LEELA: And we all know this is the spooky season with Halloween and Day of the Dead (or Dia de los Muertos)giving off those skeleton and ghoul vibes… But over here in India it’s a totally different story with festivals of light and hope.
So, hold tight for our special Light festivals versus the Dark ones!
That’s not all – we’ll also have some seasonal news – as crops of pumpkins and cocoa aren’t in good shape – yikes! We’ll let you know what that means for you bags of candy and pumpkin pie.
And never fear – there’s an oddball story with a seasonal twist, oh, yes. Ever heard of “ghost poop?” Me neither, but you won’t miss this. Well, the story, not the, you know…
OK. Let’s do this – let’s dive on in. First up, it’s the…
BIG NEWS STORY STING – VARIOUS VOICES: “Big news story of the week!”
MAMA: So, as you said in the intro of this episode, Leela, in the US and many other places around the world, many people are gearing up for Halloween. The summer spider webs are blowing in the corners of porches that are no longer be sat upon because…
LEELA: There’s a nip in the air. Oh! I love this time of year.
MAMA: Orange and black candy fill the shelves and charming Chuckie dolls; vampires and skeletons appear in shop windows.
LEELA: Along with cute superhero and adorable fairy costumes, to be fair.
MAMA: Yes, made of nasty cheap plastic and polyester cloth, never mind all the fake plastic pumpkins…
LEELA: Mother…
MAMA: What – microplastics in our fields, fish and bloodstream is a very scary thing!
LEELA: Mama…
MAMA: OK. We’ll have to do a sustainable festivals episode one day, though, OK.
LEELA: But this episode is about how interesting it is that while the US and Mexico delve into the dark side of the season, over here in India it’s all about light and hope and new beginnings. Weird or what?
MAMA: So, what’s going on, right? And which side are you on – the light or dark way of celebrating autumn and ancestors, harvest and prewinter parties?
LEELA: Alright. Let’s start with the dark side…
HAUNTING MUSIC
LEELA: Believe it or not it starts in the East – China, Tawain, Korea – with the Hungry Ghost Festival, which is sometime in August or September as it shifts depending on the moon.
MAMA: Right and this year it was August 18.
LEELA: When people had a big feast and pulled up a chair for… the dead.
MAMA: Because they’re hungry. Hence the name.
SFX OF GHOSTS
LEELA: Typically, a dead ancestor with unfinished business… or issues not quite resolved in their lifetime.
MAMA: And if you want to find out more about this “quaint” holiday, then do head to our vault –
LEELA: At the deep-end of the Newsy POOLoozi – and have a listen to Episode 18, where we took a deeper dive into the Hungry Ghost Festival.
MAMA: And the history of Halloween too. Never mind you get here Leela as a 7-year-old, sounding oh, so, so sweeeeeeeeeeeeet!
LEELA: OK, OK. Speaking of Halloween. That’s THE spooky season festival that e m b r a c e s the dark side…
MAMA: Oh, yes… And while you really should have a listen to Episode 18 for ALL the history and fab facts, here’s the abbreviated version.
LEELA: No surprises, I guess, that it started out as a pagan ritual.
MAMA: Pagens being an ancient belief and worship of MANY gods.
LEELA: They’d mark the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter – or the “darker half” of the year – with bonfires. But not just that…
MAMA: They also believed their ancestors came back to the world of the living. And they didn’t really want to run into them, did they?
LEELA: So… they’d disguised themselves… hence – costumes.
MAMA: As for the trick or treating – well, that’s got Christian roots in All Saints Day and All Souls Day, when poor citizens would beg for food.
LEELA: And they called that, “going-a-souling.”
MAMA: And if you want the word play of how that phrased morphed – eventually – into Halloween, you gotta…
BOTH: Listen to episode 18!
LEELA: And then, of course, there’s the Day of the Dead (día de los muertos.
MAMA: And this year we’ve got a special treat as our correspondent, Marky Grañena has caught up with his Mexican Brazilian buddy.
LEELA: Coincidentally called Marco.
MAMA: Well, to find out how his family celebrated this festival at home and now living in Spain.
LEELA: Yep, and Marky has kindly agreed to record and translate what Marco says. So over to the Mark boys.
MARCKY: Thanks, Leela. So let me introduce you a mi amigo Marco. Marco, welcome to Newsy Pooloozi!
MARCO Gracias Marc. It’s great to be here, and to talk about how my family celebrates Día de los Muertos.
MARCKY: So, as Lyndee and Leela were explaining, All Saint’s Day and All Soul’s Day are Christian holidays.
MARCO Si. El dia de Todos los Santos esta November first. And guess what?
MARCKY: We get the day off school
(together) Ooooh yeah.
MARCKY: So, All Saint’s Day, el dia de Todo de los Santos, is November first. And All Soul’s Day...
MARCO: El Día de los Fieles Difuntos...
MARCKY: Is November second. Right. So, where does dia de los muertos fit into all of this?
MARCO Well, it goes something like this: Cuando las conquistadoras españolas trajeron el cristianismo a mexico aproximadamente...
MARCKY: Wait! Wait. Hold on a sec. Let me do some translating here for our non-Spanish speaking listeners.
So, basically, when Spain invaded Mexico way back in the day, they brought a lot of their Christian traditions with them.
MARCO Si. But the people already living there, gente indígena, had their own culture that got mixed in. Actually, los expertos no se ponen de acuerdo
MARCKY: Experts dont agree
MARCO sobre si la festividad tiene raíces indígenas prehispánicas,
MARCKY: About whether the festival has pre-Spain roots
MARCO O si es más bien algo europeo,
MARCKY: Or if it’s more of a European thing.
MARCO o ambas cosas.
MARCKY: Or both!
MARCO Exacto! Pero la historia detrás del Día de los Muertos no es la mejor parte.
MARCKY: Oh, the history behind the Day of the Dead isn´t your favorite part? Well, what is?
MARCO: The first thing is that it’s a really fun and happyholiday.
MARCKY: So even though the word “dead” is in the title, day of the dead, it’s a FUN holiday?
MARCO: Si! Es un día para recordar a nuestros amigos y familiares que han fallecido.
MARCKY: But a day to think about friends and family who have died? I mean, doesn´t it makes you sad?
MARCO: que va! There are parties, a lot of great food and music! Cuando recordamos a los muertos, en realidad los estamos celebrando.
MARCKY: When you remember the dead, you´re actually celebrating them. I guess when you put it that way.... One more thing. What about the ofrenda!
MARCO: Si! La ofrenda es un pequeño altar que se hace con flores, la foto de tu ser querido, sus cosas favoritas y sus comidas favoritas
MARCKY: Not that I have to translate that part, because, who hasn´t seen the movie Coco, am I right? But an ofrenda is a small alter that you make with flowers and the photo of your loved one, and their favorite things and food.
MARCO: Exacto!
MARCKY: And this food you speak of... tell me more.
MARCO: For one, tamales!
MARCKY: Mmmm. That translates to delicious! What time does the party start?
MARCO In Barcelona, this is Marco xoxo
MARCKY: and this is Marcky Granena
TOGETHER... FOR NEWSY POOOLOOOZI!
LEELA: Well, thank you so much for that special report. I gotta say we’ve never done a translated report before – but it was cool…
MAMA: Interesting, isn’t it, how all those holidays – at least historically – have this ancestor component to them.
LEELA: Totally. And maybe aren’t completely as spooky or “dark” as we think of them. Then again – have you seen that Chucky Doll in the store window?!
SFX OF CHUCKY AND HAUNTING MUSIC
MAMA: But back to the other side of the world – not as far as the Far East, or Asia-Pacific, to be clearer – but South Asia, specifically India and it’s quite a different vibe.
HARMONIOUS INDIAN MUSIC
LEELA: There are bells, drums, the thick smell of incense and a LOT of lights – from candles in clay pots, called diyas, to fairy lights in trees and draped down people’s homes and apartment blocks.
MAMA: Enter the light. The festival of light to be precise.
LEELA: Yes, we’re talking about Diwali. Arguably the biggest festival in India.
MAMA: Arguably because there are LOT of people here.
LEELA: 1.4 billion, that’s a sixth of the planet in case you don’t realize that.
MAMA: And a LOT of different religions – Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Parsis, Jains, Jews and, of course, Hindus. Though most people say Hinduism isn’t a religion, actually, but a view on life. Still.
LEELA: Still, they have a LOT of festivals – especially this time of year.
MAMA: And different regions celebrate different things.
LEELA: So, let’s cut across to our correspondents in Bangalore, twins Adhyant and Nirbhay Chauhan, for an overview.
TWINS: Thanks, Leela.
So, around the end of the main monsoon, or rainy season, which goes from about June to September, people in India start to party.
It’s actually usually still raining in Mumbai around September when people celebrate Ganpati.
That would be the festival of Ganesh – the elephant god.
Who’s the “God of New Beginnings” and “the Remover of Obstacles” to Hindus.
That’s right. And in Mumbai – a city of nearly 22 million people – he’s the main god. So, thousands and thousands of them take to the street to party.
For more than a week.
Some people make small disposable statues of Ganesh.
And some make very, very large ones. Like fit on a truck, parade size statues.
For days and days – often while it’s raining – these statues are marched through the streets and eventually released into the sea.
And then way up in the northeast of India, they celebrate the mother goddess, who symbolizes strength, for the Durga Puja.
Which is why she carries weapons… in her TEN arms.
In Indian mythology she’s best known for killing an evil demon in a battle which lasted nine days and nights.
That’s why the festival is called Navratri. Because in Hindi, nav means nine and ratri means nights.
And, over in the west of India, in the state of Gujarat - Navratri is commemorated with Garba – nine nights of dancing as a sign of devotion and worship.
Until the finale, which is Dussehra - as dus means ten and ahara means day.
Which also signifies the return of Lord Rama, or Ram, his wife Sita and his brother Lakshman, from an epic battle.
Which is also tied into Diwali – the “festival of lights.”
In north India, Hindus believe lamps, or clay-pot candles called diya’s, were lit to guide Ram and Sita back home.
And some also believe the lights, or diya’s, are lit so that the goddess Lakshmi will find you and bless you and your home with prosperity.
Have we confused you yet?
You see, these holidays mean different things to different Hindus.
But one thing is pretty universal.
It’s the celebration of good over evil!
Or light over darkness.
And of course… the chance to eat, dance and party!
Happy festival season, everyone!
LEELA: Thanks a lot, boys. Great to hear from you.
MAMA: Yeah, and happy festivals to you wherever you are and whatever you’re celebrating!
MAMA: Now despite all these awesome festivals and traditions this time of year brings, it’s not all good news, per se.
LEELA: And what does that mean exactly?
MAMA: Well, for a lot of kids, one of the best parts about Halloween is the...
LEELA: Candy! Or, should I say, the trick-or-treating! Walking from house-to-house with a big sack that gets filled with candy!
MAMA: You got it!
LEELA: Wait, don´t tell me there’s no trick-or-treating this year?!?!?!
MAMA: Not exactly, however the massive amount of chocolate that might be tossed into your bag might not be there this year, never mind at Christmas.
LEELA: What! Disaster alert…! What’s going on with chocolate production?
MAMA: Well, it’s all about the cocoa beans.
LELA: As in where chocolate comes from. Cocoa beans that grow on trees. Not from the magical Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory.
MAMA: Hahaha, correct! Those cocoa trees need a very particular climate and environment to grow. And for the past few years, neither thing have been very good.
LEELA: Where would that be exactly
MAMA: Countries in West Africa, which have been hit with all sorts of crazy weather lately. In the springtime it was super dry and now it’s super wet!
LEELA: Wow, Mother Nature is pretty upset these days.
MAMA: Well, if you ask me, it’s her kid that’s the problem! Ha!
LEELA: And by that you meannnnn??
MAMA: Why El Niño of course! Which in Spanish means “the child” or “the boy child” to be exact.
LEELA: Ah ha! I’ve heard of El Niño – when parts of the Pacific Ocean’s surface warm up, right? Which can determine weather patterns all over the world, right?
MAMA: That would be the one! Every few years, parts of the Pacific Ocean get warmer than usual. And that has major impacts on weather all over the world. In places that are normally dry, El Niño makes it rain a lot. In places that are normally wet, El Niño creates a drought.
LEELA: What a naughty boy!
MAMA: Ha! But don´t forget about his sister, La Niña – when the water cools down – which can also be a bit of a stinker. Suffice to say, El Niño hasn’t been kind to the West African cocoa bean plantations, meaning they won’t grow as much.
LEELA: Uh oh.
MAMA: And just a bit of basic economics for you... when supplies of something, in this case chocolate, are low…
LEELA: Prices go up.
MAMA: Exactly.
LEELA: I got it now. So, instead of giving chocolate to trick-or-treaters, most people will likely give other kinds of candy this year because chocolate is expensive and not really available. I’m thinking there will be a lot of gummies out there!
MAMA: Ooooor, what about a box of raisins!? Or, some crackers, maybe!? How about an apple? Something healthy, why not?
LEELA: Ugh. I like all that stuff, of course, but Halloween is well, the time to eat unhealthy candy!
MAMA: OK, OK… Well, sadly, that’s not the only supply that is lacking this autumn season.
LEELA: This just keeps getting worse!
MAMA: For folks in the U.K. this year, besides chocolate, there’s also a shortage in...
LEELA: Wait, wait, wait. Let´s not give away the story but cut across to our UK reporter, Maya Bull, for more.
MAMA: Oh, oh – news flash – Maya will be joined by her younger sister and our latest Newsy Pooloozi recruit, Aniya Bull.
LEELA: Well, welcome to the news pool, Aniya! Take it away, girls!
BOTH: Thanks!
MAYA: So, this story is about another autumn staple that might be in short supply: pumpkins!
ANIYA: Of course, that’s not as bad as the chocolate shortage, but still.
MAYA: I mean, we’re not just talking about fewer pumpkin spice lattes, for all those crazy coffee drinkers.
ANIYA: Or pumpkin pie!
MAYA: But what about all the carved-out “Jack-o-lanterns?”
ANIYA: Tragic! I mean, they’re like the main logo for autumn.
MAYA: Alas, due to bad weather, farmers right here in the East Midlands, here in England, say they have a lot fewer pumpkins this year.
ANIYA: Some say they don’t have any at all!
MAYA: And guess what Halloween creepiness caused it??
ANIYA: All the wet weather we’ve been having, no doubt!
MAYA: Yep. That and the army of slugs that weather has brought on – slugs attacking the poor, young pumpkin plants.
ANIYA: Yick!!! I do not like slugs!
MAYA: But never fear! We English are very resourceful and have come up with a few alternatives to use instead of a pumpkin.
ANIYA: Clever us! Uh… but… like… what?
MAYA: Well, any OTHER kind of squash. They’re in the same family, after all, right?
ANIYA: Good points.
MAYA: Or what about a pineapple? That strange looking bunch of pokey green leaves on top could be turned into something scary looking, wouldn’t you say?
ANIYA: OK... How about maybe a larger-than-normal capsicum or bell pepper?
MAYA: You got it – that’s the idea!
ANIYA: Time to get creative, people.
BOTH: In Nottingham, England…
MAYA: I’m Maya Bull.
ANIYA: And I’m Aniya Bull.
BOTH: Reporting for Newsy Pooloozi!
LEELA: Ahhh! Thanks a lot, you guys. That’s the spirit. A little bit of bad weather never gets in the way of the British having fun!
MAMA: True. Though I guess you could say Halloween in the U.K. won’t have so many “gourd” vibes this year, will it? Get it… gourd – large fruit with hard skin of which a pumpkin is one.
LEELA: Oh, oh – I get it. Good one! I’m glad you carved out a little time for that pumpkin pun.
MAMA: And they just getting better…
LEELA: Oh, yeah. And now it’s time to see if the Lucky Dip Machine has some more pun fun..
[SOURCE: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/10/20/business/halloween-chocolate-prices-cocoa/index.html
https://african.business/2024/04/resources/cocoa-prices-hit-records-as-west-african-yields-decline
https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Food/halloween-candy-prices-scary-high-find-deals/story?id=114590697
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cnvdgvj592do
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-13941859/Britain-pumpkin-SHORTAGE-Halloween.html]
ODDBALL STING – VARIOUS VOICES: “Step right up, step right up… Have a go at the lucky dip machine… What’s it gonna be today, eh? An oddball, no doubt!”
LEELA: Well in sticking with our theme this week, today’s oddball is about…
SFX OF GHOSTS
LEELA: …ghosts!
MAMA: Oh, how exciting! Like a ghost with a white sheet?
LEELA: Oh, it’s sheet alright.
MAMA: I’m not following you dear.
LEELA: How can I put this delicately? So, you know how, with ghosts, their main thing is like… that you can’t see them?
MAMA: I mean, I suppose so. Although, Casper the Friendly Ghost – is very friendly, very noticeable.
LEELA: But in generallllll. Ghosts are things that you cannot see.
MAMA: Ok, I’ll go with it.
LEELA: Well today’s story is about something else that you can’t see. But it’s something... welllll... kind of gross.
MAMA: And that usually means we´re talking about… poo. Am I right?
LEELA: Yes! That. Well, it’s a story about “ghost poop.”
MAMA: So, poo from a ghost? Or when you can´t see your, ummm, own poop?
LEELA: Yes, a missing “number two.” Apparently, it’s a thing.
MAM,A: Ummm, like you do your business and when you go to flush and have a little look at your stools, as they say (and as we all do, curious creatures that we are) and – poof – it’s disappeared like a ghost? (Where did it go… Hello… Did that just happen….?!)
LEELA: Yes, you got it – that’s what a ghost poop is.
MAMA: And, well, where did it go? It surely didn’t just disappear.
LEELA: Oh, it’s there, but it’s just sunk down to the bottom of the pot or even progressed down the pipe a bit on its own.
MAMA: Wow. I didn’t know that happened.
LEELA: But some people have another meaning for the goulish phrase.
MAMA: Oh, no.
LEELA: Oh, yes. Sometimes, we feel the urge to, you know, do a number 2, go to the pot but… notta.
MAMA: Nothing?
LEELA: It’s just gas.
MAMA: Oh, that. Yeah, know what you’re talking about…
LEELA: And thirdly, it’s when a stool leaves no trace on toilet paper after (cough) wiping.
MAMA: Wow… that’s a lot of thought gone into something ghostl OK. You know, a lot of people are pretty into talking, uh, crap (sorry! Couldn’t resist that one!)
LEELA: Naughty mama.
MAMA: But really. Not just talking it but analyzing it. Regularly. They check out their stools – because the color, size and consistency of your poop can tell a lot about your diet and health, you know. There’s
even a chart to check which KIND of bowel movement you’ve had?
LEELA: What? That’s nuts.
MAMA: Yep, some are just nuts about poo. But, yes, it’s the Bristol Stool Scale that can help you identify what kind of poo you pooped.
LEELA: Uhhggg! Well, anyway, it turns out you don’t need to fear this kind of ghost.
MAMA: Just one question.
LEELA: Yes?
MAMA: If ghost poop disappears, does it still have an odor?
LEELA: Ewwww… We’re done here…
MAMA: What! I just got spirited away.
[SOURCE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_stool_scale
FAB FACTS STING – LEELA: “And it’s time to wrap up the podcast with the top five fab facts heard today. Here goes…”
MAMA: FAB FACT NUMBER 1 – Happy Halloween – now’s the time kids in many countries get ready to go trick-or-treating, which has its roots in the Christian holidays of All Saints Day and All Souls Day, when poor citizens would beg for food. But what did they call that?
Going-a-souling
LEELA: FAB FACT NUMBER 2 – Soon after Halloween is the Day of the Dead or Día de los Muertos, when people remember their family and friends who have passed away – even making a small alter with their favorite food, their photos and flowers. What’s that called?
Ofrenda
MAMA: FAB FACT NUMBER 3 – And it’s festival season in India too with many Hindu holidays this time of year – from Diwali to Ganpati and the Durga Puja. What is Diwali known as?
The festival of lights
LEELA: FAB FACT NUMBER 4 – The El Niño weather phenomena is impacting West African cocoa trees, which could impact the amount of chocolate around this festival season. What is El Niño?
When parts of the Pacific Ocean’s surface warm up more than usual, places that are normally dry, El Niño makes it rain a lot, places that are normally wet, El Niño creates a drought.
MAMA: FAB FACT NUMBER 5 – Ghost poop turns out not to be scary. Some people are really in to assessing their bowel movements. There’s even a chart to help you identify what kind of poo you pooped. What’s it called?
The Bristol Stool Scale
And don’t forget, if you want to test yourself later on, then go to the Lucky Dip page of our website, newsypooloozi.com, that’s pool-o-o-z-i, and take this quiz online in your own time!
LEELA: And that almost brings us to the end of this episode of Newsy Pooloozi! But first…
MAMA: We have been very remiss for not thanking… the lovely Jyoti Chuahan for her production help and the fabulous Julie Noce for helping write this episode!
THEME MUSIC
LEELA: If you enjoyed this dip in the coolest pool of news and information then HIT that subscribe buttons on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Stitcher, Alexa or wherever you get your podcasts.
MAMA: While you’re at it… Give us a good rating. Or better still, leave us a review! Go on – we’ll read it out loud if you do…
LEELA: And don’t forget to check out our website – that’s newsypooloozi.com – p-o-o-lo-o-z-i.com
Alrighty then, see you next week in the happy, splashy giant Newsy Pooloozi!
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