Halloween
Halloween, is a holiday celebrated on the night of October 31, most notably by children, who, in a tradition commonly known as trick-or-treating, dress in costumes and go door-to-door to collect sweets, fruit, and other gifts. Other traditional activities include costume parties, viewing horror films and visiting "haunted houses".
Fantastic Facts about Halloween
Halloween is always celebrated on 31 October.
Halloween is one of the oldest celebrations in the world, dating back over 2000 years to the time of the Celts who lived in Britain
About 99% of pumpkins sold are used as Jack O' Lanterns at Halloween.
Halloween is correctly spelt as Hallowe’en.
Black cats were originally believed to protect witches' powers from negative forces.
Halloween Recipes
PUMPKIN GELATIN CANDY
2 (3 oz.) packages orange jello
1 cup hot water
Mix jello and water together and pour 1/2 inch deep into a pan that has been coated with cooking oil.
Chill several hours or until firm.
Brush inside of pumpkin cookie cutter with oil.
Cut out shape.
This candy will keep in refrigerator for a week, if covered well.
SWEET TO EAT GHOSTS
Melt white chocolate bark in the microwave. Each student needs a small sheet of wax paper.
Pour chocolate on each sheet of paper and work quickly to make a ghost shape.
Insert a straw for a easy way to handle after it has hardened.
More Delicious Recipes can be found here.
The History of Halloween
Halloween originated under the name of "Samhain" as a Pagan festival among the Celts of Ireland and Great Britain, after which Irish and Scottish immigrants carried versions of the tradition to North America in the nineteenth century. Several other western countries have embraced the holiday as a part of American pop culture in the late twentieth century.
So as one can well see there is nothing inherently evil or "satanic" about Samhain, or Halloween. It's the a time to celebrate the cycle of the seasons and to have good friends over for a feast and merry making. So, "Merry we meet, and merry we part and a magical Samhain and Happy Halloween to all!
The Jack-O-Lantern
The carved pumpkin, lit by a candle inside, is one of Halloween's most prominent symbols. Although there is a British and Irish tradition of carving a lantern from a rutabaga, or turnip, the carving practice was first associated with Halloween in North America, where the pumpkin was available, and much larger and easier to carve. Many families that celebrate Halloween carve a pumpkin into a frightening or comical face and place it on their home's doorstep after dark.
The jack-o'-lantern can be traced back to the Irish legend of Stingy Jack, a greedy, gambling, hard drinking old farmer who tricked the devil into climbing a tree, and trapped him by carving a cross into the trunk of the tree. In revenge, the devil placed a curse on Jack which dooms him to forever wander the earth at night.