Halloween is one of the more memorable holidays in autumn, alongside Thanksgiving, mainly due to all the candy that becomes available for many children, which helped explain part of the myth of the "children's sugar rush". Though, ever since Animalia began, Halloween was remembered more for Spookyville and its various offshoots found in its more numerous colonies.
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As expected, the "Spicy" Halloween party at the Slaughterhouse was one of the most popular parties, as well as one of the hardest parties to get into. Part of why it was so popular was the official debut of "Aiko Kitsune", as her stage name was translated into English, before she went to Heiya Island. What was the most surprising thing about her was the confirmation of an internet rumor that she was direct descendent of a ninja clan, but as she said it, "Any more information and I'd have to kill you." Though it did partly explain how she was able to climb to the top of the pole she was dancing on, twirl around near the top while maneuvering to upside down, then dramatically slide down while using her "thicc thighs" to slow her down before she touched the stage with her nose.
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While the party at the Slaughterhouse was the most popular event, it wasn't the highlight of the evening. That was the Night on Bald Mountain at the Animalia Opera House. What made it a little different this year was a brief introduction before the music began, especially since some people had some misconceptions about the music as a whole.
"According to Slavic/Ukranian folklore," said the host, "the 'Bald Mountain' is the gathering place of Chernabog and his followers. On the night of St. John's Eve, witches and warlocks, demons, and spirits of the dead who aren't buried in sacred ground gather to worship him. Under his influence, they dance and cavort furiously until the coming of dawn and the ringing of church bells sends both Chernabog and his minions slinking back into their abodes of darkness and the dead back into their dark abodes, and then we hear Franz Schubert's Ave Maria, No. 56, with its message of the triumph of hope and life over the powers of despair and death."
It was during the livestream of the performance, hosted by Animalia Ambassadoria, that Disney revealed that they had a big hand in developing this "live musical" version. Another person, supposedly a Ukranian soldier, revealed that the "Bald Mountain" was actually Mt. Triglav, near Kyiv. For many mystical/superstitious people, this seemed to explain why Russia was doing so badly against Ukraine: because the unprovoked attack had angered Chernabog so much that he had put a curse, not only on the Russian Army, but the entire Russian Federation.
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But whether for good or for bad, Halloween was the mark of Autumn being nearly half over, so Happy Halloween from Animalia and its colonies.