Thanks to the Irish for Halloween, and to Michelangelo Buonarroti for the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, says The Week magazine.

It notes that Wednesday is “Halloween: Brought to the U.S. by Irish immigrants fleeing the potato famine.” Oddly, Halloween is the USA’s “second-largest commercial holiday, with Americans spending an estimated $6.9 billion annually.”

that  Gearing up for Halloween in Dublin. Photo by Shannon Chance.

But let’s also not forget Thursday, Nov. 1, is the “500th anniversary of Sistine Chapel ceiling unveiling. …Julius II inaugurated the chapel on All Saints’ Day with a solemn Mass in 1512.”

That is the same day as Halloween.  (It’s the Catholic Churches’ version of Halloween–and the version celebrated in Italy today.)

Michelangelo painted the entire ceiling in just four years. It was frustrating, backbreaking work.

There’s a really amazing website with a 3D version of the chapel that lets you spin around as if you were there.  You shouldn’t pass up seeing this fantastic, interactive model.

Image from the Interactive Sistine Chapel Garden of Eden website. Please check it out!