- Halloween is celebrated on the evening of October 31st.
- Traditional activities include trick-or-treating, bonfires, carving jack-o-lanterns, and visiting haunted houses.
- These activities were brought to North America in the nineteenth century by Irish and Scottish immigrants.
- Halloween originates from the ancient Celtic festival Samhain, which marked the end of the harvest season.
- The ancient Gaels believed that on October 31st, the boundary between the living and the dead overlapped, so masks and costumes were worn to appease evil spirits.
- Trick-or-treating involves children in costumes asking for treats with the phrase “Trick or treat?” and dates back to the Middle Ages.
- The Jack-o-Lantern tradition began with carving scary faces on turnips to scare away evil spirits; in the U.S., pumpkins replaced turnips because they were more plentiful and easier to carve.
- The Celts believed Jack-o-Lanterns helped guide lost souls during Samhain.
- Costumes are a key part of Halloween; originally worn during Samhain to avoid recognition by evil spirits, mass-produced costumes became common in the 1930s as Halloween became a consumer holiday.
- Orange and black are traditional Halloween colors: orange symbolizes the vibrant harvest crops, and black represents the death of summer.
Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of halloween history worksheet.
