Posts filed under 'Halloween'
Where Is Halloween From
Halloween’s history is origining from the Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in), started from the Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter.
To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities.
During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other’s fortunes. When the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter.
By A.D. 43, Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. In the course of the four hundred years that they ruled the Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman origin were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain.
Video: The haunting History of All Hallow’s Eve (Halloween).
Video: Timothy Dickinson tells the intriguing tale of why we celebrate Halloween, and it’s evolution from Samhain, an ancient Celtic Harvest Festival.
The first was Feralia, a day in late October when the Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead. The second was a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple and the incorporation of this celebration into Samhain probably explains the tradition of “bobbing” for apples that is practiced today on Halloween.
By the 800s, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1 All Saints’ Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. It is widely believed today that the pope was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday. The celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints’ Day) and the night before it, the night of Samhain, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween. Even later, in A.D. 1000, the church would make November 2 All Souls’ Day, a day to honor the dead. It was celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils. Together, the three celebrations, the eve of All Saints’, All Saints’, and All Souls’, were called Hallowmas.
1 comment September 28, 2009
Ways To Save Money on Halloween
Actually there are many ways to save money on Halloween we can find to spend Holiday with a big pleasure but frugal enugh budget.
For instance this Halloween you can enjoy your candy corn without gaining weight, using the little goodies in some fun kids’ activities and games. And if you work at it hard enough, maybe you’ll even burn off a few calories! And remember, October 30th is national candy corn day. There’s no better way to celebrate than with some fun candy corn games.
Candy Corn Hunts
Little people love hunting games. Hide ten pieces of candy corn in a room – under the couch, behind the door, on the windowsill. You might need to throw out a few “getting warmer/colder” clues to help in the process. If you leave them uncovered, even the smallest hunters will be able to find their bright colors.
If you want to dress up the idea, put the candy in little cellophane bags and tie with decorative ribbon. Hide the bags all over – either inside or out – for a new twist on the Easter egg hunt.
Make a trail of candy corn for children to follow. Lead them through the woods, or a maze – or through a messy house. Depending on the condition of their bedrooms, you might use this idea to help your children find their beds! If you stick a toothpick into the broader end of the candy, you instantly have an arrow. Use the arrows for clues in your hunt.
Target Practice
Try an update of the old clothespins in a jar game. Have children stand on a sturdy chair or other safe elevation and drop the pieces down into a canning jar. A container with a wider opening, or a funnel might be better for really little participants, while a two liter pop bottle would present a bigger challenge, when the older kids want to show their stuff. Remember Bozo’s Grand Prize Game? Make your own with several small sand pails.
Use a piece of tape, or just a stick to give contestants a boundary line. Number the pails, placing them in a row perpendicular to the line, pail number one being closest. Children stand behind the line and throw candy into each consecutive bucket. Keep score or issue prizes for hitting each pail. Rename the game after your favorite Halloween character.
After putting the pieces into a small sealed sandwich bag or similar cellophane bag, have a “corn bag” toss. Small fabric bags would be ideal due to their durability. After playing catch, try aiming at a target, or try throwing the bags into a container. Paint a scarecrow face on the front of a box, and cut out openings for his eyes, nose, and mouth. Different points could be awarded for getting the corn bags through these holes.
Other Fun Stuff
On a smooth surface like the dining room table, or the kitchen floor, try some shufflecorn or “bocce corn”. One person acts as the referee, sliding out the first piece of candy corn. He then marks this piece with a toothpick. Contestants take turns sliding 4 different pieces as close to the referee’s mark as they can. The referee determines which piece is the closest, awarding that contestant a point. Play until someone gets ten points. To eliminate confusion, marking each contestant’s candy pieces would be helpful.
If you really don’t mind a mess – try candy corn and frosting sculptures. Obviously, a suitably covered table or other safe surface is recommended. Thinking about it, maybe this is better as an outdoor project. Prizes could be awarded for the most extraordinary sculpture, the tallest one, the neatest one — or maybe the one that looks most like dad.
String candy corn like popcorn. Not only is the activity fun, but also you have great decorating material when you are done! Tape several strands in a doorway, like a 70’s-style beaded curtain. String some through a spooky tree in the yard. Hang it inside like party streamers or use it for jewelry.
So whether you are trying to avoid the sugar calories, looking for fun Halloween activities to occupy children excited about the holiday, or trying to find something to do with all of those left-over candy corns, you can enjoy these guilt-free pleasures.
Gaylene Davis is an ex-teacher, now a work-at-home mother tending to her two boys. This article was originally published on http://www.Candy-Corn.info .
Add comment September 25, 2009
