Halloween is here!

TRICK OR TREAT
October 31 is Halloween. On Halloween, children wear costumes and go trick-or-treating. They knock on doors and say “Trick or treat.” The person who opens the door gives the children candy. The children say “Thank you.” Adults like Halloween, too. They like to wear costumes to work and attend parties. Orange and black are popular Halloween colors. Orange is the color of pumpkins and black is the color of darkness.

JACK-O-LANTERNS

Jack-o-lanterns

• On Halloween, people cut faces on pumpkins and put candles inside.
• They light the candles at night. These lighted pumpkins are called Jack-O-Lanterns.

 

 

 

 

THE ORIGIN OF HALLOWEEN

Halloween culture can be traced back to the Druids, a Celtic culture in Ireland, Britain and Northern Europe. Roots lay in the feast of Samhain, which was annually on October 31st to honor the dead.

Samhain signifies “summers end” or November. Samhain was a harvest festival with huge sacred bonfires, marking the end of the Celtic year and beginning of a new one. Many of the practices involved in this celebration were fed on superstition.

The Celts believed the souls of the dead roamed the streets and villages at night. Since not all spirits were thought to be friendly, gifts and treats were left out to pacify the evil and ensure next year´s crops would be plentiful. This custom evolved into trick-or-treating.