Halloween

Dressing up - The tradition of dressing in costume for Halloween has both European and Celtic roots. On Halloween, when it was believed that ghosts came back to the earthly world, people thought that they would encounter ghosts if they left their homes. To avoid being recognized by these ghosts, people would wear masks when they left their homes after dark so that the ghosts would mistake them for fellow spirits.

Halloween costumes Whom do you want to be this night?

President John Kennedy meets with his halloween-clad children, Caroline and John, Jr., in the Oval Office.

So why do we do what we do on Halloween Day, in England? Apple Bobbing (Duck-apple) The Roman festival for remembering the dead was also in October. During this time, the Romans remembered their goddess, Pomona. She was the goddess of the trees and fruits, and when the Romans came to Britain, they began to hold these two festivals on the same day as Samhain. Apple games probably became associated with Halloween because of this.

Bobbing for apples We play the game bobbing for apples, in which apples are placed in a tub or a large basin of water. The contestants, sometimes blindfolded, must take one bite from one of the apples without using their hands. It is not permitted to edge the apple to the side of the bowl to get hold of it.

Although Halloween is more than a month away, Barney continues to practice for his "Bobbing for Apples".

Halloween games Pin-the-tail- on-the- donkey

Riddle S omething big and something small, B ut always round and yellow. W hen children make my famous grin T hen I’m a scary fellow. Jack-o-lantern

Five Little Pumpkins Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate. The first one said, “Oh my,it’s getting late”. The second one said,”There are witches in the air”. The third one said, “But we don’t care”. The fourth one said, “Let’s run and run and run!” The fifth one said, “I’m ready for some fun!” OOOoooooooo went the wind and out went the light, And the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight...

The Story of Jack-o-lantern A legend grew up about a man named Jack who was so stingy that he was not allowed to heaven when he died, because he was a miser. He couldn’t enter hell either because he had played jokes on the devil. As a result, Jack had to walk the earth with the lantern until Judgment Day.

The Irish people carved scary faces out of turnips, beets or potatoes representing “Jack of the the Lantern”, or Jack-o-lantern. When the Irish brought their customs to the United States, they carved faces on pumpkins because in the autumn they were more plentyful than turnips.

Today jack-o-lanterns in the windows of a houses on Halloween night let costumed children know that there are goodies waiting if they knock and say “Trick or treat!”

Trick or Treat Halloween was a time for making mischief - many parts of England still recognise Halloween as Mischief Night - when children would knock on doors demanding a treat (Trick or Treat) and people would disguise themselves as witches, ghosts, kelpies and spunkies, in order to obtain food and money from nervous householders.

Trick or treat, trick or treat, Give us something good to eat! Give us candy, give us cake, Give us something sweet to take. Give cookies, fruit and gum, Hurry up and give us some. You had better do it quick Or we’ll surely play a trick! Trick or treat, trick or treat, Give us something good to eat!

To keep ghosts away from their houses on Halloween, people would place bowls of food outside their homes to appease the ghosts and prevent them from attempting to enter.

Pumpkin seeds. Collect pumpkin seeds after carving your pumpkin, separate the pulp from the seeds. Rinse the seeds and spread them out to dry. The next day, add enough melted butter or margarine to coat each seed. Spread the seeds onto a cookie sheet and bake in a 300 degree oven for 20 minutes or until they are slightly brown. Halloween treats

Caramel apples Take the paper rapping off about 100 caramels and put them in a saucepan. Put the saucepan over a pan of boiling water. Boil the water until the caramels melt. Put a wooden stick into the top of each apple, dip the apple into the caramel. Let them cool on wax paper and ENJOY!

Scary stories What do you come for?

There was an old woman who lived all by herself, and she was very lonely. Sitting in the kitchen one night, she said,”Oh, I wish I had some company.” No sooner had she spoken these words than down the chimney tumbled two feet from which the flesh had rotted. The old woman’s eyes bulged with terror. Then two legs dropped to the hearth and attached themselves to the feet. Then a body tumbled down, then two arms, and a man’s head.

As the old woman watched, the parts came together into a great, tall man. The man danced around and around the room. Faster and faster he went. Then he stopped, and he looked into her eyes.

“ What do you come for?”she asked in a small voice that shivered and shook. “What do I come for?”he said. “I come for YOU!”