Listen to Halloween music while you visit! 
History of Halloween
In the
seventh century, Pope Boniface IV created All Saints' Day on November 1
to celebrate all the saints who didn't have their own day of
celebration. He probably moved it to this date to discourage Christians from celebrating Samhain. The Celtics used November 1 to celebrate the
harvest by offering food to their gods.
The day
before All Saints' Day was called All Hallows Eve (Hallow is an old
English word for saint)- which means the evening before All Saints Day.
All Hallows' Eve was later shortened to Halloween. Contrary to popular
opinion, Halloween has its roots in Catholicism rather than Satanists
and Wiccans. It was only centuries later that these groups adopted this
day.
Bobbing For Apples: Early
folk tales told of unmarried people attempting to take a bite out of an
apple bobbing in a pail of water, or suspended on a string. The first
person to do so was believed to be the next to marry. Peeling an apple
in front of a candle-lit mirror was believed to produce the image of
one's future spouse. 3 Attempting to produce a long unbroken apple peel
was said to estimate the number of years you had to live. The longer
the peel, the longer your life expectancy.
Trick or Treating: On All Souls' Day, early European Catholics had a tradition of going from home to home, asking for soul cakes, or currant buns. In return, they would pray for the souls of the homeowner's relatives.
Jack-o'-lantern: The term "Jack-o'-lantern" came from an Irish folk
tale of the 18th century. Jack was an Irishman. He had tricked the Devil into climbing an
apple tree. He then cut a cross symbol in the tree trunk, thus trapping the Devil in the
branches. At his death, he was unable to again access to Heaven because of his meanness.
The Devil, having a long memory, would not allow him into Hell. So he was forced to walk
the earth endlessly. The devil took pity on him and gave him a piece of coal to light his
path. Jack put it inside a hollowed-out turnip that he had been eating.
Los Dias de los Muertos (The Days of the Dead): The Aztecs believed that the Monarch butterflies were the reincarnated
spirits of their dead ancestors. Hispanics celebrate this day to honor
their dead ancestors.
Bonfire Night: In England, Halloween is called All Hallows Eve. A few days later on November
5, they have Bonfire Night. On this night, bonfires burn in every city
and town in England. They do this to dishonor a
rebel named Guy Fawkes. They believe that Guy Fawkes was sent by the
Pope to burn the House of Commons in London. Some towns to this day in
England burn effigies of the Pope and Guy Fawkes.
Halloween Art Books
- 175 Easy-To-Do Halloween Crafts
- Children as well as their teachers will like this book, which is filled with homespun ideas well within the grasp of elementary-graders comfortable using scissors, tape, and glue.
- Ed Emberley's Drawing Book of Halloween
- An activity package which contains many Halloween drawing projects. It shows you how to draw jack-o-lanterns, skeletons, witches and cats, and uses Ed Emberley's "simple alphabet" method of drawing.
- FamilyFun Tricks and Treats: 100 Wickedly Easy Costumes, Crafts, Games & Foods
- The book features wickedly easy costume designs, spooky crafts, and complete Halloween party plans.
- Halloween School Parties... What Do I Do?
- With 60 games, more than 50 crafts, and 50 treats to choose from, this book will ensure a fun and exciting Halloween party.
- Halloween Crafts: Eerily Elegant Decor
- Written by Louis Tate of the well known television show Bewitched, readers will find fifty beautiful, vintage looking Halloween crafts and party recipes and learn how to use them to create a special holiday.
Ideas for Halloween Art Lessons
Halloween Clip Art/Fonts
Halloween Links
Halloween Art
- Happy Zombie- This artist paints zombies and other characters.
- Basil Gogos- He illustrates monster magazines and other material.
An eBook for emergent readers [pdf]