Halloween, October 31 st All Hallows’ Evening (night before All Hallows’ Day, when the dead visit the living)

SAMHAIN NIGHT ~ The origin of Halloween ~ From ancient Ireland Celtic festival for the end of the harvest season The Celtic new year

The ancient Irish believed that on Samhain the boundary between the dead and the living dissolved, and the dead became dangerous, causing sickness or damaged crops. Traditional ways of warding off evil spirits:  Bonfires Carrying a carved turnip with a candle in it 

Holidays for the Dead in Other Countries Day of the Dead (Día de los muertos)--Mexico-- November 2nd Todos los santos--Spain-- October 31st Why do the holidays around this time of year have to do with death/the return of the dead?

United StatesCanadaEnglandIrelandScotland GermanyJapanSpain AustraliaNew ZealandSwedenNetherlands Recent tradition: Where is Halloween celebrated? South America

Halloween in the USA Began with the flood of Irish immigrants in the 1850’s Less of a spiritual/religious holiday in the USA; more for fun and mischief. Emphasis on the dead remains

Tradition: Carving Pumpkins A carved pumpkin is called a “jack-o-lantern.” Where does this tradition come from?

Tradition: Dressing Up Traditional Halloween disguises are figures of death: Witch, ghost, devil, bat, cat, zombie, mummy, vampire, skeleton…

Tradition: Trick-Or-Treating Children dress up and go door to door soliciting candy on the night of Halloween. Younger children start going trick-or-treating in the early evening, before dark; older children trick-or-treat later, until ten or eleven p.m. When the door opens, the children say, “trick-or-treat!”

Tradition: Mischief Adolescents pull pranks at night: Smashing pumpkins, “tp-ing” (throwing rolls of toilet paper up into trees), etc.

Tradition: Corn Mazes Farmers plow their corn fields into mazes and labyrinths. Actors, dressed up as monsters, hide in the corn and try to scare the people in the maze.

Tradition: Haunted Houses Old houses that have been made to look spooky and have scary/strange things inside (ghosts, eerie noises, etc)

Tradition: Scary Movies

What are you going to be for Halloween? Do you have your costume already? Do you like to watch scary movies? Have you ever carved a pumpkin?