Halloween History and Traditions

Halloween is celebrated on the night of October 31st. Traditional activities include trick-or-treating, costume parties, viewing horror films, visiting ‘haunted houses’ and participating in traditional autumn activities like hayrides.

Halloween is celebrated in many parts of the western world: the United States, Ireland, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. More and more the holiday is also celebrated in parts of Western Europe.

Scotland has celebrated the festival of Samhain robustly for centuries. Robert Burns portrayed the varied customs in his poem ‘Hallowe’en’ (1785).

The carved pumpkin, lit by a candle inside, is one of Halloween’s most prominent symbols. This is an Irish tradition of carving a lantern which goes back centuries.

Other common Halloween characters include, skeletons, ghosts, ghouls, witches, vampires, bats, owls, crows, haunted houses, pumpkinmen, black cats, aliens, spiders, goblins, zombies, mummies, skeletons, werewolves and demons.

Particularly in America, symbolism is inspired by classic horror films, which contain fictional figures like Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster, The Wolf Man and The Mummy.

History and traditions of Halloween - Article looks at the history of Halloween and its traditions. Also includes information about Halloween symbols, cultural history, and religious viewpoints. - Explore the history and traditions of our spookiest holiday. ... Who was "Stingy Jack" and why do we celebrate him with candles and pumpkins? Halloween Around The World ... - History of Halloween. From Halloween's origins to the present celebration of Halloween. ... Halloween.com and Halloween.biz are your destinations on the World Wide Web to find ... - Halloween history, customs, origins, and facts at Halloween is Here! www.halloweenishere.com -

Related Entries

• Happy Halloween!
• Winter Solstice 2008 – rituals and traditions
• Diwali greetings!
• Astrology – Monthly Horoscopes
• Latest News about..

A look at some of the most colorful and scary headwear in NHL history. - This article presents a brief history of Halloween and its Celtic roots. - The History of Halloween, and origin of Halloween customs. Where did all the Halloween traditions originate? What country? How did it get to the United States? Do all countries celebrate? -