Halloween

 



History and traditions
  • Samhain: Halloween's roots lie in this ancient Celtic festival marking the end of summer and the harvest, and the beginning of the dark winter. Celts believed the boundary between the living and the dead blurred on this night, with ghosts returning to Earth. They lit bonfires and wore costumes to ward off spirits.
  • All Saints' Day: In the 8th century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1st to honor saints, and this day, All Saints' Day, gradually incorporated some Samhain traditions. The evening before became known as All Hallows' Eve, and later, Halloween.
  • Trick-or-Treating: This tradition may stem from European practices where people, often children and the poor, went house-to-house begging for food or money in exchange for prayers for the dead (known as "souling"). A more modern theory suggests it evolved from a German-American Christmas tradition called "belsnickeling," where disguised children would visit neighbors and be rewarded with treats if their identities weren't guessed. The practice became popular in the U.S. in the 1950s.
  • Jack-o'-Lanterns: Carving pumpkins originated in Ireland, where turnips were originally used to ward off evil spirits, based on a legend about "Stingy Jack".
If you're hosting a Halloween gathering, consider these spooky treats: 
  • Mummy Hot Dogs: Wrap hot dogs in strips of pastry to resemble mummies before baking.
  • Mummy Brie: Similarly, wrap a wheel of brie in pastry strips, adding olive slices for eyes, then bake.
  • Ghost Pizza Bagels: Use a ghost-shaped cookie cutter to create ghostly cheese shapes for your pizza bagels.
  • Jack O' Lantern Quesadillas: Simply cut jack-o'-lantern faces into tortillas before filling them with cheese and cooking.
  • Pumpkin Patch Brownies: Prepare brownies, then decorate them with green icing vines and candy corn pumpkins. 

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                                             Costumes and decorations
  • Costumes: Options range from traditional spooky attire to pop culture references.
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  • Decorations: Consider DIY projects like creating a miniature haunted house with a kit or decorating a bat and star lantern. You can also find materials to create a custom spellbook decor item. 
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    Safety tips
  • Trick-or-Treating Safety: Resources are available with tips to help kids have a safe and fun Halloween.
  • Halloween Superstitions: Numerous superstitions exist around Halloween, often rooted in folklore and beliefs about spirits. For example, ringing bells is thought to ward off evil spirits, and seeing a spider on Halloween night is believed to indicate a deceased loved one watching over you. 

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Activities 



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🎃 Easy Halloween Crafts

  • Paper Plate Pumpkins – Paint paper plates orange and let kids decorate with cut-out faces.

  • Mason Jar Lanterns – Paint jars orange, white, or green (pumpkin, ghost, Frankenstein) and add LED tea lights.

  • Ghost Lollipops – Wrap tissues over lollipops, tie with ribbon, and draw little ghost faces.

  • Pumpkin Mason Jar Lid Wreath – Spray-paint canning jar lids orange, tie them in a circle, and add a green ribbon for leaves.

  • Toilet Paper Roll Bats – Paint toilet paper rolls black, add wings from construction paper, and googly eyes.

🧛 Spooky Decorations

  • Spider Web Windows – Use yarn or black tape to create web designs on windows.

  • DIY Haunted House Silhouettes – Cut haunted houses, bats, and witches from black cardstock and tape them inside windows.

  • Floating Ghosts – Drape cheesecloth over balloons with glow sticks inside for a spooky effect.

🍬 Treat & Gift Crafts

  • Pumpkin Treat Bags – Fill orange tissue-wrapped bags with candy and tie with green ribbon.

  • Witch Hat Party Favors – Make cones out of black cardstock, glue onto circles, and fill with goodies.

  • Monster Candy Holders – Decorate small paper cups or boxes with googly eyes and scary faces.


🧛 Spooky Outside Decorations



   Pose-N-Stay Skeleton



 

Halloween Groundbreaker Zombie with Sound and Flashing Eyes









Halloween Inflatable 5 FT Inflatable Ghost Cute Blow Up Ghost Inflatable with LED Lights
 







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