Brief History

Going back in time, Halloween is interesting because it has some old traditions. For example, bobbing for apples. It reminds us of when the Romans came to England. They brought an apple tree because it was a symbol of Pomona, the goddess of plenty. Young people bit into apples that were floating in water. Whoever bit the apple first was supposed to get married soon.

But we have to say thanks to the Celts for Halloween. They lived in Ireland, northern France and the UK. Their old festival was called Samhain. It was in November. People wore costumes and burned fire to scare away bad spirits. They believed that dead people came back on October 31.

Later, Christians started to celebrate All Souls' Day on November 2. It was to honor dead people. October 31 was called All Hallows' Eve. In 835, All Hallows' Day became November 1. After that, Halloween started to be like it is today. People rang church bells and prayed for dead people on All Hallows.

In the Middle Ages, people started dressing up as saints. They did it because churches couldn't show relics of saints anymore.

Nowadays, Halloween is more fun than religious. People go trick-or-treating. They dress up and go to parties.

How to Celebrate

• Hand out candy. If you're too old for trick or treating, it's time to return the favor! Don a wig and a mask (but not too scary!) and with groans, howling and chains rattling from your audio setup, hand out lots of candy. Create some serious Halloween fun for the kiddies!
• Visit a haunted house. Lose control for a little while in a haunted house. Find out who jumps the most — but no matter how crazy the scene, remember, it's all just make-believe fun! (Or, IS it?)
• Enjoy campy fun listening to the original "War of the Worlds"On October 30, 1938, Orson Welles and his Mercury Theatre on the Air program broadcast a chilling version of H.G. Wells' classic, "War of the Worlds." So many people believed the broadcast was genuine, that there was massive panic all over the country. Invite some folks over, pop some corn, eat some candy and go back in time to listen to one of the great voices play on your emotions right before Halloween!

Halloween

Interesting facts 

• The word "Halloween" is a combination of two words: "Hallows", which means holy days, and "Eve", which means the day before.
• The most popular costume for Halloween is a witch or a wizard.
• The tradition of trick-or-treating originated in Ireland and Scotland. Children would go from house to house asking for food or money.
• Pumpkins are a symbol of Halloween because they are easy to carve and look like a head.
• Halloween is often associated with horror movies and scary stories, but it is also a time for fun and entertainment.