Let’s get this Halloween season started! Here are some fun (and scary) facts and activities surrounding Halloween that you can enjoy with the family.
History of Halloween
Halloween, or often referred to as “All Hallow’s Eve” or event “All Saints’ Eve”, is celebrated annually on October 31st. It’s not a religious holiday but it does have religious mentions here and there.
It is widely believed that many Halloween traditions originated from ancient Celtic harvest festivals, and may have more pagan roots than the believed Christian roots.
How Do We Celebrate Halloween?
There are many ways that we celebrate and observe Halloween. Traditions nowadays held in good ol’ fun but back in the day, they were taken very seriously as people truly believed that if something wasn’t done, or done properly, the evil spirits would take over.
Jack-o-Lanterns and Carving Pumpkins 
is a long time tradition. Pumpkins grow all summer and are finally ripe for the picking around October. They taste great as pies and in flavored drinks but are also fun to carve with funny or scary faces. It’s a great activity to spend together as a family on a cool fall evening.
Fun Fact: There are many things that you can do with the guts of a pumpkin. Roasted pumpkin seeds are a tasty as well as healthy snack and you can make pumpkin pies with the rest. Check out this website for all sorts of pumpkin-related recipes.
Costumes 
Costumes are a ton of family fun by letting you pretend to be anyone (or anything) but yourself. Wearing a costume on Halloween originates from people believing that if they were wearing a costume on Halloween, the evil spirits would mistake them for spirits as well and leave them alone.
Check out this quick little article that covers how Halloween costumes have evolved over the past 115 years.
Bobbing for Apples 
Haunted Houses 
Haunted houses are popular Friday and Saturday night activities for family and friends. Get a good friendly scare and have some laughs. Be careful though, some haunted house themes aren’t appropriate for the little ones or people with specific phobias.
Check out this website to find some haunted houses in your area.
Trick or Treat!
The act of going door-to-door for handouts has long been a part of Halloween and for some, their first memory of the holiday and most looked forward to each year. Until about the middle of the 20th century, the “treats” children received ranged from candy, small toys, coins, fruit and nuts. It was a said that if a person didn’t offer a treat, then the children would “trick” the person. Do you take your children trick or treating?
Witches 
Witches have a long history in Europe and the United States. Did you learn about the Salem Witch Trials in history class? Witches are always a popular Halloween costume for girls and women of all ages. Witches come in all styles from cute and fun to creepy and evil. Which witch would you choose to be?
Black Cats
Black cats have a bad but unfounded reputation for being related to evil and spookiness which goes back Middle Ages. It’s believed that they were a common pet for witches to have. People started believing that the cats were a witch’s “familiar”—animals that gave them an assist with their dark magic—and the two have been linked ever since. Black cats are also the least adopted and shelters are full of cats waiting. Why not bring a black cat home to your family this Halloween.
