Halloween

When is it celebrated?

It is celebrated on October 31.

Who celebrates it?

Halloween is primarily celebrated in the United States, Canada, and some European and Latin American countries.  It is also gaining popularity worldwide.

Where does it originate from?

Halloween originated from the merging of 2 holidays.  The first is Samhain (Sow-in), which is a Celtic harvest festival that signaled the closing of the harvest season and the beginning of winter.  Some traditions associated with it include: setting out food for spirits, having bonfires, and wearing costumes. The second is All Saint’s Day, which is a Christian holiday created to honor saints and is celebrated on November 1^st.   Therefore, designating Halloween as the eve of All Saint’s Day (aka All Hallow’s Day).    

How is it celebrated?

Food: pumpkins, candy apples, roasted pumpkin seeds, pumpkin pie

Activities/Traditions:

• Trick or treating: going door-to-door saying trick or treat and receiving treats
• Dressing up in costumes
• Carving a jack-o-lantern out of a pumpkin
• Visiting haunted houses, corn mazes, and going on hayrides

Symbols:

Pumpkins, witches, ghosts, bats, haunted houses, spiders, black cats, the colors orange and black