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Halloween History

By: Shelby Wright

The tradition of Halloween celebrations return every October 31st. Nowadays those who enjoy the celebrations the most are the children. Halloween is an opportunity to dress up in fancy dress and call on the neighbors trick or treating. Some families go out of their way to decorate their house and front yard in a ghostly and creepie Halloween theme.

Halloween is an ancient Celtic festival, and has lasted down the ages most strongly in the Celtic communities in Ireland, Scotland and Wales. From those countries, with immigration, Halloween has spread around the world, especially to America. In recent times, the spread of popular American culture has generated fresh interest in Halloween to new places, such as Asia and Western Europe.

The original Celtic celebrations were pagan festivities related to the changing seasons as winter approached. Traditionally it was a time when the living could communicate with the dead, and magic was abroad. The early Christian church, as with many pagan festivals, absorbed these celebrations into the Christian calendar. All Saints Day, also known as All Hallows Day, was set down for November 1st. All Hallows Evening, the night of October 31st, became known as Hallow E'en, later just Halloween, and the time for the traditional celebrations.

Halloween celebrations were a community event, and there was usually a bonfire and fun games. The apple harvest was in at that time, and games such as trying to eat an apple on a string or floating in a bucket of water with your hands behind your back, were customary. Children would go from door to door to gather fruit, nuts and other tidbits for the festivities, which was the origin of the "treating" visits of today. Mostly, particularly in Scotland, the children would sing or put on a short act in return for the treats they were given. These days the treats given are often candies and sweets, and occasionally money.

Halloween "tricks" were originally secret and often witty pranks played on some adults by children, with the blame being placed on the mischievous spirits that were said to be abroad on Halloween. This practice was especially popular in Ireland. At some stage long in the past, tricks and treating merged into a choice: give a treat or become the victim of a trick. This unfortunate development led to such practices as throwing eggs at houses and soaping windows, and worse. Today these excesses are rare.

Halloween parties are often held amidst decorations to a haunted house theme. Children's eyes light up when Halloween menu items include the likes of tomato soup changed to vampire soup, spaghetti served up as cemetery worms, and witches fingers made of breadsticks tipped with sliced almonds. Halloween pumpkins are carved into jack-o-lanterns. Pumpkin dishes such as pumpkin pie are popular at Halloween.

Over the last few years, the magical themes of the popular Harry Potter books have added fresh fun to costumes and decorations for children's Halloween parties.

Halloween costume parties have also become popular events for adults as well in recent years. They are a great excuse to dress up and have fun. It seems the trend today is for any costume to be acceptable, not necessarily just the traditional witches, vampires and ghosts of Halloween. Costume design inspirations are now drawn from many sources, such as recent movies and television series. Some costumes are just witty, such as the seasonally appropriate theme of a "leaf blower", consisting just of a leaf suspended from the brim of a cap where it can be blown.

Article Source: http://www.particlearticles.com

Moms living the family life at home are often expected to make the costumes and organize the celebrations of Halloween. This is a website with some Halloween background and practical Halloween ideas to help you make it a entertaining evening for the kids.

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