Halloween is the time of year when small children (and the rest of us!) dress up in fanciful costumes and embark on social activities such as trick-or-treating, costume parties, bonfires, bobbing for apples, heading to the fruit stand or a pumpkin field to choose pumpkins for carving, visiting haunted houses and corn mazes, playing Halloween pranks and watching their favorite Halloween scary movies or cartoons.

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.

Here are some fun and sometimes silly facts about Halloween. Early traditions that are believed to be the precursors to Halloween include:

• The Celtic tradition of giving thanks at the close of the harvest season.
• The European tradition of lighting candles and masquerading in costume to scare evil spirits away
• The Irish custom where wealthy landowners would give food to the poor in hopes that the ghosts would look favorably on them and spare them from mischief.
• In Scotland and Ireland trick-or-treating began as “guising” where children disguised in costume going from door to door for food or coins — is a traditional Halloween custom, and is recorded in Scotland at Halloween in 1895 where masqueraders in disguise carrying lanterns made out of scooped out turnips, visit homes to be rewarded with cakes, fruit and money.
• The practice of “guising”at Halloween in North America was first recorded in 1911, where a newspaper in Kingston, Ontario reported children going “guising” around the neighborhood.

Did You Know That

• Halloween was formerly known as All Hallow’s Eve?
• The name “Halloween” comes from Scotland and the Celtic Feast of the Sun which marked the end of summer was known as “Hallowe’en.”
• The Celtics would carry a lantern when they walked on the eve of October 31st?
• The first mass-produced Halloween costumes appeared in stores in the 1930s when trick-or-treating was becoming popular in the United States.
• The telling of ghost stories and viewing of horror films are common fixtures of Halloween parties. Episodes of television series and Halloween-themed specials (with the specials usually aimed at children) are commonly aired on or before the holiday, while new horror films are often released theatrically before the holiday to take advantage of the atmosphere.

Jack -O-Lantern Trivia

• The “jack-o-lantern” gets that name from a mean old man named Jack who was too mean even to get into hell. The Devil gave him a piece of burning coal and sent him away. Jack used a turnip to hold the burning coal and serve as a lantern.
• The first “jack-o-lanterns” were carved with faces to scare evil spirits away. They used turnips not pumpkins for those original jack-o-lanterns.

Do you have Halloween traditions that are not listed here? We would love to hear of them!

The history of Halloween may be rooted in fear and scaring away the evil doers with tricks, but these days that is not how we celebrate it. In modern times, it is about having a little fright, a little candy, and a LOT of fun. Keeping it that way is everyone’s responsibility so let’s take a look at how to stay safe while having fun during Halloween:

Trick-or-treat during daylight hours – Nighttime is scarier but it is also a time of greater safety risk. If you have small children, start your journey around the neighborhood well before dark. This ensures that you will be on the home stretch as the sun goes down.

Drive the route – If kids want to go out after dark, chauffeur them around in your car from house to house. Small legs won’t get tired and you can keep tabs better.

Examine all candy first – Before the first piece is eaten, inspect all wrappers for pin holes and any candy that is half wrapped or not wrapped at all. Discard any candy that looks homemade unless you got it from someone you know well.

Stay on the doorstep – When kids go out in groups, remind them not to step any further into the home than the front step. Even friendly looking neighbors may be strangers and precautions need to be taken. You can not be sure your friendly neighbor is the one home to answer the door.

Carry flashlights – Kids and teens that go out at night should be aware of possible dangers such as obstacles in yards and potholes in streets. Stick to the sidewalks, but if you do have to cross the grass, use a flashlight to guide you away from potential hazards.

Use good judgment – When out with a group of friends, the goal is safety and fun. If they want to egg people’s cars and homes, toilet paper trees, or any other mischief, don’t go along with them.  Parents and kids should talk this through before the big night so you already have a plan in place to resist peer pressure.

Stick to sidewalks – Even in your neighborhood, sidewalks is safer than walking in the road. Take a route where you face traffic so you can get out of the way of oncoming cars. 

Use lights for pumpkins – It is eerie to use a candle but they can fall over and catch something on fire. Especially for parties, use flickering battery-operated bulbs for jack-o-lanterns and window illumination.

Wear costumes with full movement and vision – Oh, I know those masks are cute, but if they obstruct your child’s peripheral vision, don’t let them wear it.  The same goes for tight dresses that restrict walking.  If your child is in danger of tripping or not seeing oncoming traffic, choose a different costume.

Wear light colored costumes – Choose a costume with glitter, sparkle, and light colors for trick-or-treating.  You may even want to attach some reflective tape to your child’s costume.  You may be watching for cars and assume the car coming sees you because you see it.  That’s an assumption that can not and should not be made.

As you prepare for Halloween, remember that staying safe is the first priority.  Once you’re safe, you can start having fun!