Halloween

• History • Origin of name• Symbols• Trick-or-treating• Costumes• Foods

History Halloween is a secular celebration based on ancient Druid customs, dating back to 700 B.C. The Druids, a Celtic religious order in ancient Britain, Ireland and France, believed that the souls of the dead returned to mingle with the living on "hallowed eve," October 31. Each year on that night, the Druids would build bonfires and offer sacrifices of crops and animals, and individuals would dress in costumes to disguise themselves from these spirits.

Origin of name

The name "Halloween" comes from the Christian tradition. It is derived from "All Hallow's Eve." October 31st is the eve of All Hallows day, better known as All Saints Day. This is a day when the church celebrates and remembers the lives of the saints.

Symbols

• Halloween imagery includes themes of death, evil, the occult, or mythical monsters. Black and orange are the holiday's traditional colors.

Trick-or-treating• Trick-or-treating is a customary

celebration for children on Halloween. Children go in costumes from house to house, asking for treats such as candy or sometimes money, with the question, "Trick or treat?" The word "trick" refers to a (mostly idle) "threat" to perform mischief on the homeowners or their property if no treat is given.

Costumes• Halloween costumes are traditionally

modeled after supernatural figures such as monsters, ghosts, skeletons, witches, and devils. Over time, the costume selection extended to include popular characters from fiction, celebrities, and generic archetypes such as ninjas and princesses.

Foods

• List of foods associated with the holiday:• Candy apples/toffee apples• Candy corn, candy pumpkins• Caramel apples• Caramel corn• Novelty candy shaped like skulls, pumpkins, bats,

worms, etc.• Pumpkin, pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread• Roasted pumpkin seeds• Roasted sweet corn• Soul cakes