Thanksgiving is a holiday that is widely celebrated in the United States and Canada, but its roots can be traced back to ancient pagan festivals. Many people argue that Thanksgiving has pagan origins and should be considered a pagan holiday. On the other hand, there are those who believe that Thanksgiving has evolved into a secular celebration and no longer carries any religious or pagan connotations. The main argument for Thanksgiving being seen as a pagan holiday is its association with harvest festivals. In ancient times, people would hold harvest festivals to give thanks for a successful harvest and to honor the fertility gods. The modern-day Thanksgiving celebration also revolves around giving thanks for the abundance of food and blessings in one's life.
Being a nearly omnipotent force, the Spiral can control the minds and bodies of humans and animals. It can also bend nature and the laws of physics to its own will, as it demonstrates constantly. As demonstrated in chapters 3( the Scar) and 20 (Galaxies), the Spiral can also grant humans supernatural abilities before killing them. As also demonstrated in chapter 20, it is capable of telepathic communication with humans, and may be present throughout the entire universe and capable of controlling entire galaxies. It can also deform and mutate humans into humanoid snails
Uzumaki follows a high-school teenager Kirie Goshima 五島切り絵 , her boyfriend Shuichi Saito 佐藤修一 , and the citizens of the small, fictional Japanese town of Kurôzu-cho 黒渦町 Black Vortex Town or Closed Town , which is cursed by supernatural events involving spirals. Viz Media then published the volumes from October 2001 to October 2002, with a re-release from October 2007 to February 2008, and published a hardcover complete collection in October 2013.
The modern-day Thanksgiving celebration also revolves around giving thanks for the abundance of food and blessings in one's life. Furthermore, the timing of Thanksgiving closely aligns with pagan festivals. Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November, which coincides with the time of the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain.
Rami Ungar The Writer
I love manga and anime, but I often have trouble getting my hands on horror manga and anime that is actually scary. I’ve found plenty with ghosts, zombies, homunculi, serial killers, and death games, to name a few, but often they’re mixed with other genres to make them more palatable for non-horror fans. Other times I have heard of a scary one, but I can’t get my hands on it (still trying to get my hands on Corpse Party), and other times I just don’t know of some series that I should. So when I actually hear and find some manga or anime that is actually scary, I rejoice. Case in point, Uzumaki by Junji Ito, who is considered one of the greatest horror manga artists from Japan, and it shows in this series.
Uzumaki literally translates into “spiral,” which is the essence of the manga. The story follows Kirie Goshima, a teenage girl living in the town of Kurozou-cho. One day, her boyfriend Shuichi tells her that his father has become obsessed with spiral shapes, to the point that he is losing his grip on reality. This leads to a gruesome series of events that reveal a curse upon the town and the surrounding area, a curse involving spirals, spirals that hypnotize and entrance, spirals that terrify and excite, spirals natural and unnatural. And once the curse sets in, it doesn’t let go.
From the very beginning, Uzumaki is quite extraordinary. Ito illustrates with incredible attention to detail, which in a horror manga is necessary if you really want to convey a sense of terror. I mean, look at the imagery below.
Holy crap, that is both well-drawn and scary! You can see every detail, how much work is put into each stroke of ink to make the imagery look realistic despite being an illustration. And the best part is, Ito is not concerned with aesthetic beauty. You look at most animation, and it’s meant to be pleasing to the eye. To be cool, or pretty, or adorable. Ito doesn’t concern himself with that. He’s concerned with just making you squirm, and he does that so well with his illustrations.
And on top of that, his storytelling abilities are great. Unlike other horror stories, the horror is based on abstract concepts. A geometric shape, the spiral, is what we’re supposed to be afraid of. You’d never think a spiral shape like the one below would be scary, but Ito uses his illustrations, storytelling, and the turn of a page to weave this frightening tale where we’re forced along to find out what happens, fining stranger and stranger things on the succeeding pages. And best of all, Ito just takes things in the most unexpected directions, inserting the spiral into strange places we normally wouldn’t see it. I won’t say what happens, but things like snails or pregnant women get matched with the spiral, and it becomes terrifying. It’s made even better that you don’t actually get a lot of explanation. With ghosts or vampires, you get a mythology on how they work and how to deal with them. In Uzumaki, Ito leaves it up to the imagination as to what’s happening. It’s very unnerving in a Lovecraftian sense to see how this town becomes part of some strange curse around a geometric shape, and never get an explanation.
Doesn’t look scary at first. Wait and see.
If there is one criticism I have, it’s that the people of the town don’t really come to terms with what’s going on as fast as they should. At a certain point, it becomes impossible not to face what’s happening in the town, but up until then, there are plenty of signs that something’s up, and not one of the main characters realize they have to get up and get out before it’s too late. Even the guy who’s constantly saying they should leave doesn’t. At least make an attempt!
But other than that, Uzumaki is a terrifying story of cosmic horror that takes something harmless and give it a weird, disturbing form that will surely stay with you for a while after you finish reading it. On a scale of 1 to 5, I’m giving Uzumaki a 4.8 out of 5. If you enjoy horror and don’t mind visual reading like comic books and manga, definitely check out Uzumaki. I’m glad I did, and I will try to track down the move version as soon as possible. Because after seeing these sorts of pictures, I’m curious as to how they’re translated into the cinematic world.
Until next time, my Followers of Fear. Pleasant nightmares.
As Uzumaki continues, the vignettes get less about body horror and more about the supremely cosmically upsetting implications of this unchecked phenomenon. The sea surrounding the town begins to have constant whirlwinds and typhoons; boats can no longer arrive or leave. Airplanes can’t fly overhead because the sky is full of tiny tornadoes. The town is subsumed by spirals and eventually everyone has to live in bungalows in the center of town; the ground itself overtaken with spirals.
Samhain was a festival that marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. It was believed that during this time, the boundaries between the living and the dead were blurred, and people would engage in various rituals and feasts to appease the spirits. Despite these pagan associations, there are strong arguments for Thanksgiving being seen as a secular holiday. Over time, Thanksgiving has become less tied to religious or pagan rituals and more focused on gratitude and togetherness. It is viewed as a time for families and friends to come together, enjoy a meal, and express gratitude for the blessings in their lives. In conclusion, whether or not Thanksgiving is seen as a pagan holiday is subjective and depends on one's perspective. While it is true that Thanksgiving has historical ties to pagan festivals, it has also evolved into a secular celebration of gratitude and togetherness. Ultimately, how one chooses to view and celebrate Thanksgiving is a personal decision..
Reviews for "From Harvest Festivals to Thanksgiving: Pagan Traditions in America"
1. Sarah - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with "Is Thanksgiving Seen as a Pagan Holiday". The author's arguments were weak and lacked any substantial evidence. It felt like they were just trying to push a personal agenda rather than provide a well-researched analysis. I was hoping for a more balanced approach, but unfortunately, this book fell short of my expectations.
2. John - 1 star - This book is a complete waste of time. The author's arguments are based on speculation and conspiracy theories rather than actual facts. They cherry-pick random historical events to support their ridiculous claim that Thanksgiving is a pagan holiday. I expected a well-reasoned and evidence-based analysis, but instead, I got a poorly written and unsupported argument. Save yourself the trouble and skip this book.
3. Emma - 2 stars - I couldn't finish reading "Is Thanksgiving Seen as a Pagan Holiday" because it was so poorly written. The author's writing style was confusing, and it was challenging to follow their train of thought. Additionally, their arguments were filled with fallacies and lacked coherency. I was really interested in the subject matter, but this book was a letdown. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone looking for a thoughtful exploration of the origins of Thanksgiving.
4. Michael - 1 star - I found "Is Thanksgiving Seen as a Pagan Holiday" to be a complete joke. The author's claims were unsubstantiated and lacked any credible sources. It felt like they were just trying to create controversy rather than provide any meaningful insights. The book was a disappointment from start to finish, and I regret wasting my time on it. Don't bother with this one if you're looking for a well-researched and informative read.