Halloween

Yesterday, October 31st was Halloween. Also known as All Hallow’s Eve, it grew out of the Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in) which marked the end of the summer. For the friendly souls of the dead, people would leave food by the side of the road and light candles to help them find their way back to the spirit world. It also marked the beginning of the cold, dark winter. Land contracts were renewed at that time and the Celts believed that the spirits of the dead returned to earth, while the souls of those who had died that year journeyed to the underworld. Bonfires were lit atop the hills to frighten away evil spirits and sometimes masks were worn to confuse them. With the Roman conquest of the Celts, Samhain merged with the Feralia festival in which the Romans commemorated their dead. With the influence of Christianity, the church blended and replaced many ancient Celtic rites.
November 1st was designated as a time to honor all saints. Soon, All Saints Day incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain. The church made November 2 All Souls’ Day to honor the dead. The All-Saints’ Day celebration was also called All-Hallows or All-Hallowmas and later, Halloween. Winter was a time of darkness, of cold, of fear and of uncertainty due to the scarcity of food. People wore masks when going out after dark to avoid being recognized by spirits and ghosts, and hopefully, and instead be mistaken for fellow spirits. To pacify these evil spirits, people would put food outside their homes. The Church encouraged the passing out of souls’ cakes (known as going a souling) to replace the custom of leaving food and wine by the roadside. Eventually, Halloween traditions evolved to include activities such as trick-or-treating, carving jack-o-lanterns, festive gatherings, the wearing of costumes and eating treats, especially candy. 
“Did you know? More people are buying costumes for their pets. Americans spent nearly $700 million on costumes for their pets in 2023—double what they spent in 2014.”
 
Here are extra fun ways to celebrate Halloween at home:
  • Carve pumpkins as a family and roast the seeds for a healthy snack.
  • Have a Halloween costume contest with categories like funniest, most colorful, and most creative costume.
  • Bake Halloween cookies in various shapes and colors.
  • Watch old Halloween family movies while dressed in your favorite costume.
  • Hang purple and orange strings of light around the house.
  • Create your own Halloween Scavenger Hunt!
  • Enjoy Halloween fun with other children in these stories:
  1. Looking for a Jumbie by Tracey Baptiste: Naya searches the forest creatures inspired by Caribbean folklore.
  2. Trick-or-Treating in the City by Tiffany Jackson: Janelle’s parents are working Halloween night, so she turns to her NYC neighbors for help.
  3. I Got the Spooky Spirit by Connie Schoffield-Morrison and Frank Morrison: Get into the spooky spirit with this celebration of Halloween traditions.
  4. Boo Stew by Donna L. Washington: Curly Lock’s unsavory cooking attracts the Scare’s terrorizing the town.
  5. The Goblin Twins by Frances Cha: Two Korean trickster goblin brothers discover that pranking New Yorkers is harder than they thought.
  6. Clever Little Witch by: Muon Thi Van: A clever Vietnamese witch wishes she could turn her brother into a goldfish.
  7. Every Night at Midnight by Peter Cheong: A little lone werewolf finds friendship in an unexpected place.
  8.  A Costume for Charly by C.K. Malone: Non-binary Charly searches for a costume that represents their whole identity.
  9. If Your Babysitter is a Bruja by Ana Siqueira: Bilingual story: a young girl suspects her babysitter might be a bruja (witch).
  10. Benita and the Night Creatures by Mariana Llanos: Spooky creatures from Peruvian folklore interrupt Benita’s reading.
  11. How to Be a Witch by Gabrielle Balkan and Shana Gozansky: Unveil the world of real witches- aka natural healers.
  12. Griselda Snook’s Spectacular Books by Barry Timms: Henry tries to find the perfect book in a Halloween-themed bookstore.
  13. This Little Monster by Kane Miller: A diverse preschool twist on This Little Piggy - featuring ten little monsters.
May you all have a Spooktacular Halloween!
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