Okay, I've been visiting Renderosity for a few years now and seen the results of the various Halloween contests, and quite frankly -- to take nothing away from the hard-working artists who created the winning images -- the pictures that win don't particularly suggest Halloween. Last year's winner was 3 pretty women around a fire. The year before that, it was 3 cute kids in their new DAZ Halloween costumes. The year before that it was a pretty woman in front of the moon waving her hands over a cauldron or some such -- or at least that was the image that advertised the contest. Huh? Last time I checked, Halloween was not about beautiful women. You could make a case for it being about kids. But the true spirit of Halloween has more to do with fear and monsters and things that go bump in the night. I hope we eventually get a winner that reflects that. Mike

Actually, Halloween (Hallowe'en, All Hallow's Eve) was the feast preceeding All Saints/Souls Day. It is also called Samhain (pronounced 'sow-'n' similar to clown) in Celtic which is a standard Wicca "holiday" or Greater Sabbat and represented the old pagan new year. The "spirit" of Halloween (you can see the confusion and mixing of pagan and Christian religions apparent in "All Souls Day" changing to "All Saints Day") is derived from the latter pagan celebration in which it was believed that the dead came back to celebrate the sabbat with the living. The "trick or treating" part appeared in early celebrations in Britain when the poor would go begging on that day as "soulers" and be given food in recompense for praying for the dead. Sorry for the history lesson, but there is much more to Halloween than ghosts and Spiderman costumes. ;) In all actuality, Witches in front of the moon (representing the Goddess) over a cauldron could be depicting the ritual spells and rites performed during the Samhain festivities... and not just to show beautiful women. :)

hey I know that history lesson! I've been wanting to make something for this years contest but I am not sure what.. I was thinking something from the horror movie genre. -_Essie

Well, you can go back to origins of Halloween, but that neglects what the holiday has now become, which has little to do with its origins. At any rate, the fact that people wore masks was meant to frighten the spirits that were out and about. If we're going back to original celebrations, then for Christmas, the R'osity people should reward images of people having sex and destroying property, which is how the Christian holiday was celebrated for hundreds of years before some American anitquarians and Charles Dickens altered it. There are any number of images and symbols that relate to what Halloween has evolved into over its long history, none of which seem to win these contests. And I doubt highly that the ancient Celts looked like Victoria 3.0. Mike

Mike, I understand where you're coming from. Personally, I'd like to see creepier images. Not necessarily gory, but creepy, unnerving, spooky. But I fully expect the winner this year to be similar in tone to the previous years'. Not because there are a bunch of Wiccan artists here, but because romantic fantasy and cute are the most popular genres here. The pagan angle ties in neatly to the romance/fantasy genre. You can't blame people for voting for what they like, even if you don't share their taste. There are other sites, where different interests predominate. Personally, I'm looking forward to seeing what comes of Sixus1.com's Halloween contest!

Ok was trying real hard to be silent I do not want to start a fight. But I am a wiccan Gee is that why her name is Blazerwiccan, never would have guessed lol I do celerbrate Samhain. So it is just as valid as your idea of trick or treating, scarey, monsters, and things that go bump in the night. Just like at Christmas time there are many other traditions going on and should be allowed to do an image for the holiday season that best shows how they celbrate it or how thoses they know celebrate that holiday. *Ok so forgive any typos and if this sounds in any way rude I just get a little on edge about this type of stuff as it hits very close to home. Samhain is still very well alive and there are many who still hold to the traditions that come with Samhain no matter what others call it weither it be Halloween or All Souls Day. *

That's my point, Blazerwiccan. Samhain is much older than Halloween, from which the latter is derived, and is still celebrated, on the same date as the latter. Yes, Christmas is actually a piecing together of various pagan celebrations with the Christian one. Mithra, Norse celebrations, winter solstice, certain new years, and many other festivities all relate to around Dec. 25 and Christmas. The Christmas tree has nothing to do with Christianity, nor do the decorations, candles, garland [sic], St. Nick (well, relations to the Norse God Wotan don't anyway), and some other aspects. Although Christmas is now what it is, there are also other concurrent celebrations: Chanukah, Kwanza, and Winter Solstice. Although I somewhat celebrate Christmas, I celebrate it in the spirit of Winter Solstice and not in any connection to its Christian adoptation. You've got a point there about Celts and V3, eqaeus! :0)

Samhain is also derived from the Irish for All Hallows Eve - Oiche Shamhna! At least here in Ireland! ;o)

The Christians, as they converted the pagans to the north, appropriated the traditional feasts and holidays from the various tribes. All Saint's day was a theft from the Samhain, Christmas from the Winter Solstice. Easter they were pretty much stuck with, since it had to reflect Passover (although they move it around a bit, trying to get close to the Spring Equinox). It worked in converting the Pagans (their term, the people who were pagans thought they were part of the true faith already - Surprise!). Even the Virgin Mary was a steal of Isis. That helped bring in the Eyptians. The idea of Saints was a steal of demigods. Satan living in hell under the earth of Pluto. Even the term "Pontif" is a steal from the old Roman religious structure. The best way to convert was to make the new worshipers as comfortable as possible and give them a familar feel in the new organization. Nowadays, corporations try to do the same thing when they buy other companies. Keep the old brand names and packaging, while changing the product and adding "New and Improved" to the advertising. I celebrate everything! In as many ways as possible. Life is way to drab not to grab hold to any tradition that makes someone happy. I love wicked witches, and pretty witches, and especially hunky witches (or warlocks, if you want to be loose with terms). Sure, give me a baby in a manger! New life on the shortest day! Don't forget the Holly and the Ivy though! And the images in the contest usually are pretty broad based, and the winner seems to be the best picture (or at least according to the voting or judges). About the only thing I don't do is human sacrifice. The mess, you know.

"And I doubt highly that the ancient Celts looked like Victoria 3.0." LOL ... oh, man, so true! It cracks me up that in Poser-land, so many people use words like "Tribal" or "Mayan" to describe textures and props that would be more accurately described as "Anglo-Saxon female supermodel with contemporary tattoo flash pasted on." I'm sure the winning entry will be a well-done image. Maybe it will be Naked Vicky in a Haunted House with a Cauldron, but I have to agree ... something more truly Halloweeny would be nice. :-) Besides, Elvira is so '80s.

Attached Link: Contest Rules

Not to spam or anything....but Les and I are running a contest at our site.....The winning entry has to be 'unnerving' and 'creepy'. And you win your very own custom created Poser figure. :) Just an FYI for those who are interested in something a bit 'darker'. Although, last years winning entry for the Halloween contest here was quite lovely and had everything to do with Halloween as anything else. Rebekah Garner Sixus1 Media

I thought Halloween was all about pretty women naked in a temple! AH RATS! Back to the drawing board... :) Joe

ROTFLLL Joe! Porthos, you're in Ireland...how KEWL!!!

LOL @ pdxjims, THEN ROFLMAO @ "About the only thing I don't do is human sacrifice. The mess, you know." (Too funny, yet so true). I would say a true representation of Halloween would be whatever reminds each of us of the holiday. Last year I remember seeing three or four little dragons going trick-or-treating, they were sooooo cute and indeed they brought Halloween to mind (my mind anyway). I think more goes into the judging than just the pretty faces. For instance, the amount of work associated with the image. Be that post work or the actual creation of the image itself. The creativity associated with the image. Originality. And of course the representation of the holiday to the individuals who view it. At least I sorta' hope those voting for the images take these factors into consideration. :) Genevieve

boo

Are those 3D models? If so, where'd you get them?

I remember a winning picture by Emperor Ken where the skeletons were unearthing a coffin in the graveyard when the dogs showed up to help dig. It is really hard to chase a mutt who's just run off with your thighbone! It was a great Hallowe'en image even if it wasn't dark, brooding, and scary. Carolly

Well, here in the Southern Hemisphere, it's spring right now. I spent the first 35 or so years of my life in the Northern Hemisphere (and I'm American, too, so I had all the cheesy, commercial Halloween things going on), and while I can kind of adjust to Christmas in Summer (because I didn't like Christmas anyway and I'm happy to get rid of it and replace it with a different holiday entirely, hehe), I just can't get into the Halloween in Spring thing. Hey, maybe I should submit an entry with daffodils and butterflies and stuff. I mean, it IS spring, after all... ;-) My point (and I do have one) is that there is rarely a specific or 'set' meaning or symoblism for any given holiday or festival. Wiccans here are celebrating the spring, not the autumn (sorry, can't recall the name of the spring Sabbat, although I'm sure someone can remind me if they think it's important :-), and yet it's still "Halloween", sort of (it's kind of an imported holiday here shrug). So, hey, whatever works for you, I say. We can be pretty sure that the winner will be what the majority of voters pick. Given the general attitudes and prevailing taste of the members of R'osity, I think we can be pretty sure Vicki will be involved, and that she may well be at least partly naked... ;) bonni

in reply to the above pic...they are all picture tubes in PSP...pretty cool. Sorry to wank into the thread....especially with a non poser brain collapse