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Halloween
Halloween began over 2000 years ago in Ireland, France, and England as a celebration for the Celts to mark the beginning of winter. It was on October 31st that the Lord of the Dead would allow the dead to return to earth from the netherworld. The humans dressed in skins of animals to protect themselves from these other worldly creatures. Two thousand years later, Halloween is a favorite holiday among American children. This should come as no surprise since it is a holiday that combines two things that children love: dressing up and eating candy!
On Halloween, you will hear "Trick-or-treat" everywhere. Children dress in costume and head down the streets as soon as it gets dark. Small-brained goblins and sharp-witted ghosts wonder around the streets and demand candy from the neighbors. Not everyone chooses a scary costume; you might see a silver-eyed princess, Superman, a movie star or a hippie. In groups, these creatures of the night make their way searching for miniature chocolate bars and other sweets. How do they know which houses to go to?
Another ritual of Halloween is to buy a pumpkin, hollow it out, and carve a scary face on the front. With a candle in the center, these pumpkins are transformed into Jack O'Lanterns that are placed on front porches or in windows. Children know to look for these lights because they know that they will find a willing host to give them candy. Some families decorate their houses for Halloween. They play scary music, hang spider webs, and suspend bony-white skeletons from their windows. But with their dancing flame, the Jack O'Lanterns prove to be the most frightening and menacing of all.
Pumpkin carving is truly an art. Some people will create entire families of pumpkins to greet the gypsies, witches, and vampires who come on Halloween night. The tradition began with the English and Scottish immigrants who came to America and brought their tradition of carving out beets, potatoes and turnips use as lanterns. While some people today prefer to paint pumpkins, perhaps as a safety precaution with younger children, carved pumpkins yield many other benefits. For example, the fruit of the pumpkin can be used to make Pumpkin Pie, and the seeds can be dried and toasted as a snack.
Halloween is a holiday that is enjoyed by people of all ages. Many adults go to costume parties and balls and rent elaborate outfits. While the history is not often discussed, people are generally aware that this pagan holiday signals the beginning of the long, cold winter. But it is easy for children to forget the upcoming months of cold and gloomy weather when they return home with a bag full of every possible "treat."
Next Printout: Costume Ideas
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