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This article is about the holiday. For other uses, see Halloween (disambiguation). Halloween Hallowe'en A jack-o'-lantern Also called All Hallows Eve All Saints' Eve Samhain Hallowed End Observed by United Kingdom, United States, Ireland, Canada, sometimes Australia and New Zealand and many Latin American countries where it is known as Noche de las Brujas (Night of the Witches)[1] Type Religious, Cultural (celebrated mostly irrespective of religion) Significance There are many sources of Halloween's significance Date October 31 Celebrations Trick-or-treating, ghost tours, Bobbing for apples, Costume parties, Carving jack-o'-lanterns, Bonfires and Fireworks (in Ireland) Look up Halloween in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Halloween, or Hallowe'en, is a holiday celebrated on the night of October 31.[1] Halloween activities include trick-or-treating, ghost tours, bonfires, costume parties, visiting "haunted houses" and carving jack-o-lanterns. The term Halloween (and its alternative rendering Hallowe'en) is shortened from All-hallow-even, as it is the eve of "All Hallows' Day",[2] which is now also known as All Saints' Day. Irish and Scottish immigrants carried versions of the tradition to North America in the nineteenth century. Other western countries embraced the holiday in the late twentieth century. Halloween is celebrated in several parts of the Western world, most commonly in Ireland, the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom and occasionally in parts of Australia and New Zealand. Halloween is a tradition celebrated on the night of October 31, also known as Halloween, All-hallow-even, All Hallows Eve, Hallow Eve, and All Saints Eve. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1042x1024, 148 KB) A Jack o Lantern made for the Holywell Manor Halloween celebrations in 2003. ... Jack-o-lanterns may be carved with a friendly face, above, a menacing sawtooth scowl, or any look in between. ... Look up Samhain in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ... This article is part of the Witchcraft series. ... is the 304th day of the year (305th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Trick or treat redirects here. ... Haunted locations are places that are allegedly inhabited by ghosts. ... Bobbing for apples is a game customarily played on Halloween. ... Halloween costumes A costume party (chiefly in the U.S. and Canada) or a fancy dress party (chiefly in Britain and Australia), mainly in contemporary Western culture, is a type of party where guests dress up in a costume. ... Jack-o-lanterns may be carved with a friendly face, above, a menacing sawtooth scowl, or any look in between. ... For the AC/DC box set, see Bonfire (album). ... For other uses, see Fireworks (disambiguation). ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wiktionary (a portmanteau of wiki and dictionary) is a multilingual, Web-based project to create a free content dictionary, available in over 151 languages. ... For other uses, see Holiday (disambiguation). ... is the 304th day of the year (305th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Trick or treat redirects here. ... Haunted locations are places that are allegedly inhabited by ghosts. ... For the AC/DC box set, see Bonfire (album). ... Halloween costumes A costume party (chiefly in the U.S. and Canada) or a fancy dress party (chiefly in Britain and Australia), mainly in contemporary Western culture, is a type of party where guests dress up in a costume. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Jack-o-lanterns may be carved with a friendly face, above, a menacing sawtooth scowl, or any look in between. ... This article is about the Christian holiday. ... This article is about the Christian holiday. ... This article is about the country. ... Occident redirects here. ... Contents 1 History 1.1 History of name 2 Symbols 3 Trick-or-treating and guising 3.1 United States and Canada 3.2 Ireland 3.3 Lebanon 3.4 Scotland 3.5 England 3.6 Costumes 3.7 Costume sales 3.8 UNICEF 4 Games and other activities 4.1 Foods 5 Around the world 5.1 Ireland 5.2 Scotland 5.3 Isle of Man 5.4 England 5.5 United States and Canada 5.6 Mexico 5.7 Australia and New Zealand 5.8 Caribbean 5.9 The Netherlands 5.10 Malta 5.11 People's Republic of China 5.12 Sweden 5.13 Other regions 6 Religious perspectives 7 Fiction 8 Books 9 See also 10 References 11 External links [edit] History The modern holiday of Halloween may have its origins in the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain (pronounced /ˈsˠaunʲ/ from the Old Irish samain).[3] The festival of Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture, and is sometimes erroneously[4] regarded as the "Celtic New Year".[5] Traditionally, the festival was a time used by the ancient pagans to take stock of supplies and slaughter livestock for winter stores. The ancient Gaels believed that on October 31, the boundaries between the alive and the deceased would merge and the dead would become dangerous for the living by causing problems such as sickness or damaged crops. The festivals would frequently involve bonfires, where the bones of slaughtered livestock were thrown. Costumes and masks were also worn at the festivals in an attempt to mimic the evil spirits or placate them.[6][7] This article is about the European people. ... For other uses, see Festival (disambiguation). ... Look up Samhain in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The phonology of Irish varies from dialect to dialect; there is no standard pronunciation of the language. ... Old Irish is the name given to the oldest form of the Irish language, or, rather, the Goidelic languages, for which extensive written texts are possessed. ... Look up Harvest in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Pagan may refer to: A believer in Paganism or Neopaganism Bagan, a city in Myanmar also known as Pagan Pagan (album), the 6th album by Celtic metal band Cruachan Pagan Island, of the Northern Mariana Islands Pagan Lorn, a metal band from Luxembourg, Europe (1994-1998) Pagans Mind, is... For other uses, see Mask (disambiguation). ... [edit] History of name The term Halloween (and its alternative rendering Hallowe'en) is shortened from All-hallow-even. It was a day of religious festivities in various northern European Pagan traditions,[5] until Popes Gregory III and Gregory IV moved the old Christian feast of All Saints' Day from May 13 (which had itself been the date of a pagan holiday, the Feast of the Lemures) to November 1. In the ninth century, the Church measured the day as starting at sunset, in accordance with the Florentine calendar. Although All Saints' Day is now considered to occur one day after Halloween, the two holidays were, at that time, celebrated on the same day. Liturgically, the Church traditionally celebrated that day as the Vigil of All Saints, and, until 1970, a day of fasting as well. Like other vigils, it was celebrated on the previous day if it fell on a Sunday, although secular celebrations of the holiday remained on the 31st. The Vigil was suppressed in 1955, but was later restored in the post-Vatican II calendar. For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... Saint Gregory III, pope (731-741), a Syrian by birth, succeeded Gregory II in March 731. ... Gregory IV, pope (827-844), was chosen to succeed Valentinus in December 827, on which occasion he recognized the supremacy of the Frankish emperor Louis the Pious in the most unequivocal manner. ... The calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organising a liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with one or more saints, and referring to the day as that saints day. ... is the 133rd day of the year (134th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... In Roman religion, the Feast of the Lemures, called the Lemuralia or Lemuria, was a feast during which the ancient Romans performed rites to exorcise the malevolent and fearful ghosts of the dead from their homes. ... is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Florentine calendar was used in Italy in the Middle Ages. ... Vigil, tacuinum sanitatis casanatensis (XIV century) This article is about the period of sleeplessness. ... [edit] Symbols Jack-o'-lanterns are often carved into silly or scary faces. The carved pumpkin, lit by a candle inside, is one of Halloween's most prominent symbols. This practice is a Scottish and Irish tradition of carving a lantern which goes back centuries.[8] These lanterns are usually carved from a turnip or swede (or more uncommonly a mangelwurzel). The carving of pumpkins was first associated with Halloween in North America,[9] where the pumpkin was available, and much larger and easier to carve. Many families that celebrate Halloween carve a pumpkin into a frightening or comical face and place it on their home's doorstep after dark. Download high resolution version (840x804, 96 KB)Photograph of a Jack-o-lantern File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Download high resolution version (840x804, 96 KB)Photograph of a Jack-o-lantern File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... For other uses, see Pumpkin (disambiguation). ... Trinomial name Brassica rapa rapa L. For similar vegetables also called turnip, see Turnip (disambiguation). ... Binomial name Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Beta vulgaris Mangelwurzel or mangold wurzel (Beta vulgaris), is a root vegetable of the family Chenopodiaceae, genus Beta (the beets). ... For other uses, see Pumpkin (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Pumpkin (disambiguation). ... The jack-o'-lantern can be traced back to the Irish legend of Stingy Jack,[10] a greedy, gambling, hard drinking old farmer who tricked the devil into climbing a tree, and trapped him by carving a cross into the trunk of the tree. In revenge, the devil placed a curse on Jack which dooms him to forever wander the earth at night. For centuries, the bedtime parable was told by Irish parents to their children. But in America the tradition of carving pumpkins is known to have preceded the Great Famine period of Irish immigration, and the tradition of carving vegetable lanterns may also have been brought over by the Scottish or English; documentation is unavailable to establish when or by whom. The carved pumpkin was associated generally with harvest time in America, and did not become specifically associated with Halloween until the mid to late 19th century. Jack-o-lanterns may be carved with a friendly face, above, a menacing sawtooth scowl, or any look in between. ... Bridget ODonnell and her two children during the famine The Great Famine or the Great Hunger (Irish: An Gorta Mór or An Drochshaol), known more commonly outside of Ireland as the Irish Potato Famine, is the name given to a famine in Ireland between 1845 and 1849. ... The imagery surrounding Halloween is largely an amalgamation of the Halloween season itself, nearly a century of work from American filmmakers and graphic artists,[11] and a rather commercialized take on the dark and mysterious. Halloween imagery tends to involve death, magic, or mythical monsters. Common Halloween characters include ghosts, ghouls, witches, vampires, bats, owls, crows, vultures, pumpkinmen, black cats, aliens, spiders, goblins, zombies, mummies, skeletons, and demons.[12] The film director, on the right, gives last minute direction to the cast and crew, whilst filming a costume drama on location in London. ... Graphic design is the applied art of arranging image and text to communicate a message. ... This article is about the legendary creature. ... For other uses, see Ghost (disambiguation). ... A ghoul is a monster from ancient Arabian folklore that dwells in burial grounds and other uninhabited places. ... Witch redirects here. ... Philip Burne-Jones, The Vampire, 1897 Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings that subsist on human and/or animal lifeforce. ... “Chiroptera” redirects here. ... For other uses, see Owl (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Crow (disambiguation). ... Orders Falconiformes (Fam. ... For other uses, see Black cat (disambiguation). ... Look up Alien in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses, see Spider (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Goblin (disambiguation). ... This article is about the undead. ... Animated skeletons in a woodcut from La Danse Macabre by Hans Holbein the Younger (1538). ... “Fiend” redirects here. ... Particularly in America, symbolism is inspired by classic horror films, which contain fictional figures like Dracula, Frankenstein's monster, and the mummy. Elements of the autumn season, such as pumpkins and scarecrows, are also prevalent. Homes are often decorated with these types of symbols around Halloween. “Horror Movie” redirects here. ... This article is about the novel. ... Frankensteins monster (or Frankenstein or Frankensteins creature) is a fictional character that first appeared in Mary Shelleys novel, Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus. ... The Mummy is the title of: a 1932 movie starring Boris Karloff: see The Mummy (1932 movie) a 1959 movie starring Christopher Lee: see The Mummy (1959 movie) a 1999 movie starring Brendan Fraser: see The Mummy (1999 movie) a novel by Anne Rice: see The Mummy (novel) This is... For other uses, see Pumpkin (disambiguation). ... Scarecrows in a rice paddy in Japan For other uses, see Scarecrow (disambiguation). ... Black and orange are the traditional colours of Halloween.[13] This article is about the color. ... The orange, the fruit from which the modern name of the orange colour comes. ... Color associations Color Symbolism Black death, night, witches, black cats, bats, vampires Orange pumpkins, jack o' lanterns, Autumn, the turning leaves, fire [edit] Trick-or-treating and guising Main article: Trick-or-treating Trick or treat redirects here. ... [edit] United States and Canada Typical Halloween scene in Dublin The main event for children of modern Halloween in the United States and Canada is trick-or-treating, in which children disguise themselves in costumes and go door-to-door in their neighborhoods, ringing each doorbell and yelling "trick or treat!" to solicit a gift of candy or similar items.[14] Although the practice resembles the older tradition of "souling" in Ireland and Scotland, ritual begging on Halloween does not appear in English-speaking North America until the 20th century, and may have developed independently. Upon receiving trick-or-treaters, the house occupants (who might also be in costume) often hand out small candies, miniature chocolate bars, nuts, loose change, soda pop, stickers, or even crayons and pencils. Some homes will use sound effects and fog machines to help establish an eerie atmosphere. Other less scary house decoration themes might be used to entertain younger visitors. Children can often accumulate many treats on Halloween night, filling up entire pillow cases, pumpkin-shaped buckets, shopping bags or large plastic containers. Teenagers in Canada and the States often play pranks on unsuspecting victims, pranks such as Tee Peeing, Ding Dong dash (A game where you knock on a door and run away before someone opens the door), and stealing young trick-or-treater's candy. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1600x1200, 398 KB) Summary Halloween in Dublin Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1600x1200, 398 KB) Summary Halloween in Dublin Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Trick or treat redirects here. ... College students dressed up for Halloween. ... This article is about the country. ... For other uses, see Candy (disambiguation). ... Candy bar redirects here. ... For other uses, see Nut (disambiguation). ... A soft drink is a drink that contains no alcohol. ... Sticker has the following meanings: sticker (paper) - a piece of paper that contains a side that is sticky. ... Sound effects or audio effects are artificially created or enhanced sounds, or sound processes used to emphasize artistic or other content of movies, video games, music, or other media. ... A heavy duty smoke machine feeding smoke into a blower to generate fog effects for open air location filming. ... [edit] Ireland All over Ireland, huge bonfires are lit. Young children in disguise are warmly received by their neighbors with gifts of "fruit, miniature chocolate bars, loose change, peanuts and of course sweets" for the "Halloween Party", whilst their older male siblings play innocent pranks on bewildered victims. Some homes will put up decorations including Halloween lights. Children have the week off from school for Halloween, and it is common for teenagers and for college students to spend weeknights out and about with friends, pranking and causing mischief, if not trick-or-treating themselves, and perhaps even "egging" [throwing eggs at] houses, drinking alcohol, throwing bangers and setting off fireworks. Binomial name L. This article is about the legume. ... EGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGSEGGS This page may meet Wikipedias criteria for speedy deletion. ... See Firecracker (album) for information on the Lisa Loeb album. ... For other uses, see Fireworks (disambiguation). ... [edit] Lebanon In Lebanon a similar holiday is celebrated on the eve of Saint Barbara's Day (December 4). Children disguised in costumes also go trick-or-treating to invoke the saint's wandering in the mountains. Trick or treat redirects here. ... [edit] Scotland In Scotland, children are known as "guisers", though this term is now going into decline. In the past, the children going guising would dress in various (often home-made) costumes and disguises: hence (dis)'guisers'. The most popular costumes were skeletons, witches and various forms of scary fiends, complete with papier mache masks, though nurses' or cowboys' outfits were also given a rather incongruous outing. They would then form small bands of mixed-age children, the older ones trailing their younger siblings behind them, and venture out into the darkness each with their lantern. Until at least the 1970s the traditional Halloween light carried by Scottish children was not the now ubiquitous pumpkin but a 'tumshie lantern' made, as with a pumpkin, by hollowing out a very large swede/yellow turnip ("tumshie" in the West of Scotland dialect of Scots) and carving a scary face, through which shone the candle inside. Then, each carrying their tumshie lantern, they would knock on all the neighbours' doors where the eldest or boldest of the group would ask, "Are ye wantin' any guisers?". If the answer was yes, the children would be invited inside where the grown-ups would pretend to try to guess the identity of each guiser, who then had to impress the company with a song, poem, trick, joke or dance—known as their 'party piece'—in order to earn treats. Today, however, they simply say "trick or treat" in order to earn sweets. Traditionally, nuts, oranges, apples and dried fruit as well as "sweeties" were offered, though children might earn a small amount of cash, usually no more than 50p. In some houses the neighbours would have prepared a pail or basin filled with apples ready for the game of 'dookin' for apples'. The children had to 'dook' (Scots) their faces into the water with their hands behind their backs to try to pick up an apple by biting into it. This article is about the country. ... For dialects of programming languages, see Programming language dialect. ... Scots may refer to: people from Scotland (i. ... Dried fruit is fruit that has been dried, either naturally or through use of a machine, such as a dehydrator. ... Scots may refer to: people from Scotland (i. ... [edit] England In England, trick-or-treating does occur, although the practice is regarded by some as a nuisance or even a menacing form of begging.[15] In some areas, households have started to put decorations on the front door to indicate that trick-or-treaters are welcome, the idea being that trick-or-treaters will avoid a house not participating in the custom. Tricks currently play a less prominent role, though Halloween night is often marked by vandalism such as soaping windows, egging houses or stringing toilet paper through trees.[16] For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... A carton of free-range chicken eggs Ostrich egg Bird eggs are a common food source. ... [edit] Costumes Main article: Halloween costume Halloween costumes are traditionally those of monsters such as vampires, ghosts, skeletons, witches, and devils. Costumes are also based on themes other than traditional horror, such as those of characters from television shows, movies and other pop culture icons. College students dressed up for Halloween. ... Philip Burne-Jones, The Vampire, 1897 Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings that subsist on human and/or animal lifeforce. ... For other uses, see Ghost (disambiguation). ... Animated skeletons in a woodcut from La Danse Macabre by Hans Holbein the Younger (1538). ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Witchcraft. ... This is an overview of the Devil. ... [edit] Costume sales BIGresearch conducted a survey for the National Retail Federation in the United States and found that 53.3% of consumers planned to buy a costume for Halloween 2005, spending $38.11 on average (up 10 dollars from the year before). They were also expected to spend $4.96 billion in 2006, up significantly from just $3.3 billion the previous year.[17] The National Retail Federation is the worlds largest retail trade association, with membership that comprises all retail formats and channels of distribution including department, specialty, discount, catalog, Internet, independent stores, chain restaurants and grocery stores as well as the industrys key trading partners of retail goods and services. ... [edit] UNICEF "'Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF" has become a common sight during Halloween in North America. Started as a local event in a Philadelphia suburb in 1950, and expanded nationally in 1952, the program involves the distribution of small boxes by schools to trick-or-treaters, in which they can solicit small change donations from the houses they visit. It is estimated that children have collected more than $119 million (US) for UNICEF since its inception. In 2006, UNICEF discontinued their Halloween collection boxes in parts of the world, citing safety and administrative concerns. [18] UNICEF Flag The United Nations Childrens Fund (or UNICEF) was created by the United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 1946 to provide emergency food and healthcare to children in countries that had been devastated by World War II. In 1953, UNICEF became a permanent part of the United... Nickname: City of Brotherly Love, Philly, the Quaker City Motto: Philadelphia maneto (Let brotherly love continue) Location in Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country United States State Pennsylvania County Philadelphia Founded October 27, 1682 Incorporated October 25, 1701 Mayor John F. Street (D) Area    - City 369. ... USD redirects here. ... [edit] Games and other activities This section does not cite any references or sources. (August 2007) Please improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. In this Halloween greeting card from 1904, divination is depicted: the young woman looking into a mirror in a darkened room hopes to catch a glimpse of the face of her future husband. There are several games traditionally associated with Halloween parties. The most common is dooking or bobbing for apples, in which apples float in a tub or a large basin of water; the participants must use their teeth to remove an apple from the basin. A variant of dooking involves kneeling on a chair, holding a fork between the teeth and trying to drop the fork into an apple. Another common game involves hanging up treacle or syrup-coated scones by strings; these must be eaten without using hands while they remain attached to the string, an activity which inevitably leads to a very sticky face. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Greeting cards on display at retail. ... For other uses, see Divination (disambiguation). ... Bobbing for apples is a game customarily played on Halloween. ... Species Malus domestica Malus sieversii Apple is the fruit (pome) of the genus Malus belonging to the family Rosaceae, and is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits. ... Impact from a water drop causes an upward rebound jet surrounded by circular capillary waves. ... Teeth redirects here. ... Treacle is an obsolete pharmaceutical term for a medicinal salve, usually given for snakebites, poisons, and various diseases. ... In cooking, a syrup (from Arabic شراب sharab, beverage, via Latin siropus) is a thick, viscous liquid, containing a large amount of dissolved sugars, but showing little tendency to deposit crystals. ... Scones with honey. ... Some games traditionally played at Halloween are forms of divination. In Puicíní (pronounced "poocheeny"), a game played in Ireland, a blindfolded person is seated in front of a table on which several saucers are placed. The saucers are shuffled and the seated person then chooses one by touch. The contents of the saucer determine the person's life during the following year. A saucer containing earth means someone known to the player will die during the next year, a saucer containing water foretells emigration, a ring foretells marriage, a set of Rosary beads indicates that the person will take Holy Orders (becoming a nun or a priest). A coin means new wealth, a bean means poverty, and so on. In 19th century Ireland, young women placed slugs in saucers sprinkled with flour. A traditional Irish and Scottish form of divining one's future spouse is to carve an apple in one long strip, then toss the peel over one's shoulder. The peel is believed to land in the shape of the first letter of the future spouse's name. This custom has survived among Irish and Scottish immigrants in the rural United States. For other uses, see Divination (disambiguation). ... Our Lady of Lourdes - Mary appearing at Lourdes with Rosary Beads. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Catholic deacon... For other uses, see Nun (disambiguation). ... This article is about religious workers. ... In North America, unmarried women were frequently told that if they sat in a darkened room and gazed into a mirror on Halloween night, the face of their future husband would appear in the mirror. However, if they were destined to die before marriage, a skull would appear. The custom was widespread enough to be commemorated on greeting cards from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. North American redirects here. ... Symbols of death are the symbolic, often allegorical, portrayal of death in various cultures. ... Greeting cards on display at retail. ... The telling of ghost stories and viewing of horror films are common fixtures of Halloween parties. Episodes of TV series and specials with Halloween themes (with the specials usually aimed at children) are commonly aired on or before the holiday while new horror films, like the popular Saw films, are often released theatrically before the holiday to take advantage of the atmosphere. Ghost Stories (Japanese: 学校の怪談, Gakkō no Kaidan, School Ghost Stories) is a twenty-one-episode anime series created in 2000 by animation studio Aniplex for Fuji Television, based on a manga series by Yosuke Takahashi. ... “Horror Movie” redirects here. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... The Saw film series is a horror/thriller film franchise created by James Wan and Leigh Whannell, beginning in 2004 and continuing to the present and into the future. ... Visiting a haunted attraction like a haunted house or hayride (especially in the northeastern or midwest of the USA) are other Halloween practices. Notwithstanding the name, such events are not necessarily held in houses, nor are the edifices themselves necessarily regarded to possess actual ghosts. A variant of the haunted house is the "haunted trail", where the public encounters supernatural-themed characters or presentations of scenes from horror films while following a trail through a field or forest. One of the largest Halloween attractions in the United States is Knott's Scary Farm in California, which features re-themed amusement park rides and a dozen different walk through mazes, plus hundreds of costumed roving performers. Among other theme parks, Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom stages a special separate admission event after regular park hours called Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party featuring a parade, stage show featuring Disney villains and a Happy HalloWishes fireworks show with a Halloween theme, while their sibling park in California, Disneyland holds Mickey's Halloween Treat at their California Adventure park. The Universal Studios theme parks in Hollywood and Orlando also feature annual Halloween events, dubbed Halloween Horror Nights. The Six Flags amusement parks also have Halloween events called Fright Fest in which visitors enjoy redecorated rides, costumed goals, special shows and more. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Hayride in Turner County, South Dakota A hayride is a pleasure ride in an open truck, wagon or sleigh which has been decorated with hay or straw and similar farmlife paraphernalia. ... Knotts Berry Farm is a brand name of two separate entities: a theme park in Buena Park, California, and a manufacturer of food specialty products (primarily jams and preserves) based in Placentia, California. ... Cinderella Castle, at the center of the Magic Kingdom, is Walt Disney World Resorts most recognizable icon Introduction Owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company, the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, USA is home to four theme parks, two water parks, several resort hotels and golf courses... The Magic Kingdom is a theme park within the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, near Orlando. ... Mickeys Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is a separate-admission (a/k/a hard-ticket) Halloween-themed event held annually during the months of September and October at the Magic Kingdom theme park of the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, outside Orlando. ... HalloWishes (known by its full title of Happy HalloWishes: A Grim Grinning Ghosts Spooktacular in the Sky) is a fireworks show that takes place in lieu of Wishes at Mickeys Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, a separate-admission (hard ticket) event held in September and October at Walt Disney... For other uses, see Fireworks (disambiguation). ... Disneyland is a theme park that is located at 1313 South Harbor Boulevard in Anaheim, California, USA. It opened on July 17, 1955. ... Mickeys Halloween Treat is an annual Halloween-themed separate admission event (also called a hard ticket event) at Disneys California Adventure, part of the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California since 2005. ... Disneys California Adventure is a theme park in Anaheim, California, adjacent to Disneyland Park and part of the larger Disneyland Resort. ... The current official logo for Universal Studios Theme Parks Universal Studios, the film division of NBC Universal, operates a number of theme parks based around the movies it has produced. ... Halloween Horror Nights is one of the largest Halloween events in the U.S., presented annually at Universal Orlando Resort, and off-and-on at Universal Studios Hollywood. ... For the national flags of Texas, see Six flags over Texas. ... Fright Fest is an event that takes place at Six Flags parks during the Halloween season. ... [edit] Foods Candy apple Because the holiday comes in the wake of the annual apple harvest, candy apples (also known as toffee, taffy or caramel apples) are a common Halloween treat made by rolling whole apples in a sticky sugar syrup, and sometimes rolling them in nuts. At one time, candy apples were commonly given to children, but the practice rapidly waned in the wake of widespread rumors that some individuals were embedding items like pins and razor blades in the apples.[19] While there is evidence of such incidents,[20] they are quite rare and have never resulted in serious injury. Nonetheless, many parents assumed that such heinous practices were rampant; at the peak of the hysteria, some hospitals offered free x-rays of children's Halloween hauls in order to find evidence of tampering. Virtually all of the few known candy poisoning incidents involved parents who poisoned their own children's candy, while there have been occasional reports of children putting needles in their own (and other children's) candy in a mere bid for attention. Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... A candy apple Candy apples, also known as toffee apples, are whole apples covered in a hard sugar candy coating. ... A candy apple Candy apples, also known as toffee apples, are whole apples covered in a hard sugar candy coating. ... One custom which persists in modern-day day Ireland is the baking (or more often nowadays the purchase) of a barmbrack (Irish "báirín breac"), which is a light fruit cake into which a plain ring is placed before baking. It is said that those who get a ring will find their true love in the ensuing year. See also king cake. Barmbrack is a yeasted bread with added sultanas and raisins. ... Fruitcake is a heavy cake made of dried or candied fruits and nuts that are soaked in brandy or rum, often used in the celebration of weddings and Christmas. ... Le gâteau des Rois, by Jean-Baptiste Greuze, 1774 (Musée Fabre) A king cake (sometimes rendered as kingcake) is a type of cake associated with Carnival traditions. ... Other foods associated with the holiday: Candy corn Báirín Breac (Ireland) Colcannon (Ireland) Bonfire toffee (in the UK) Toffee Apple (Australia when celebrated, England, Wales and Scotland, instead of "Candy Apples") Apple cider Cider Roasted sweetcorn Popcorn Roasted pumpkin seeds Pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread "Fun-sized" or individually wrapped pieces of small candy, typically in Halloween colors of orange, and brown/black. Novelty candy shaped like skulls, pumpkins, bats, worms, etc. Small bags of chips, pretzels and cheese corn Chocolates, caramels, and gum Nuts Brachs candy corn Candy corn is a confection popular in the United States of America. ... Colcannon is a tradaitional Irish food made of mashed potatoes, cabbage, garlic, leeks, butter, salt, and pepper. ... Bonfire Toffee is a very hard, very brittle toffee that is associated with halloween and only usually available at such times. ... A candy apple Candy apples, also known as toffee apples, are whole apples covered in a hard sugar candy coating. ... American-style apple cider, left; Apple juice, right. ... Cider in a pint glass Cider (or cyder) is an alcoholic beverage made primarily from the juices of specially grown varieties of apples. ... Husked sweetcorn Young sweetcorn The same rows of corn 41 days later at maturity. ... For other uses, see Popcorn (disambiguation). ... Pumpkin seeds are occasionally served as a snack during autumn holidays like Halloween or Thanksgiving. ... Pumpkin pie Wikibooks Cookbook has an article on Pumpkin Pie Pumpkin pie is a traditional North American dessert usually made in the late fall and early winter, especially for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. ... Wikibooks Cookbook has more about this subject: Pumpkin bread Pumpkin Bread is a type of moist bread made with pumpkins that is relatively simple to make. ... For other uses, see Nut (disambiguation). ... [edit] Around the world Snap-Apple Night by Daniel Maclise portrays a Halloween party in Blarney, Ireland, in 1832. The young people on the left side play various divination games, while children on the right bob for apples. A couple in the center play "Snap-Apple", which involves retrieving an apple hanging from a string Image File history File links Maclise. ... Image File history File links Maclise. ... A detail of the engraving of Maclises 1842 painting The Play-scene in Hamlet, portraying the moment when the guilt of Claudius is revealed. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 51. ... For other uses, see Divination (disambiguation). ... [edit] Ireland Halloween is very popular in Ireland, where it originated, and is known in Irish as Oíche Shamhna (pron: ee-hah how-nah), literally "Samhain Night". Pre-Christian Celts had an autumn festival, Samhain (pronounced /ˈsˠaunʲ/from the Old Irish samain), "End of Summer", a pastoral and agricultural "fire festival" or feast, when the dead revisited the mortal world, and large communal bonfires would hence be lit to ward off evil spirits. (See Origin: Celtic observation of Samhain below). The phonology of Irish varies from dialect to dialect; there is no standard pronunciation of the language. ... Old Irish is the name given to the oldest form of the Irish language, or, rather, the Goidelic languages, for which extensive written texts are possessed. ... This article is about the holiday. ... Pope Gregory IV standardized the date of All Saints' Day, or All Hallows' Day, on November 1 in the name of the entire Western Church in 835. As the church day began at sunset, the holiday coincided exactly with Samhain. It is claimed that the choice of date was consistent with the common practice of leaving pagan festivals and buildings intact (e.g., the Pantheon), while overlaying a Christian meaning.[21]. However, no reliable documentation indicates such a motivation in this case. While the Celts might have been content to move All Saints' Day from their own previous date of April 20, the rest of the world celebrating it on May 13, [22] it is speculated without evidence that they were unwilling to give up their pre-existing autumn festival of the dead and continued to celebrate Samhain. Gregory IV, pope (827-844), was chosen to succeed Valentinus in December 827, on which occasion he recognized the supremacy of the Frankish emperor Louis the Pious in the most unequivocal manner. ... is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Facade of the Pantheon The Pantheon (Latin Pantheon[1], from Greek Πάνθεον Pantheon, meaning Temple of all the gods) is a building in Rome which was originally built as a temple to the seven deities of the seven planets in the state religion of Ancient Rome. ... This article is about the European people. ... is the 110th day of the year (111th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 133rd day of the year (134th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Look up Samhain in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Unfortunately, there is frustratingly little primary documentation of how Halloween was celebrated in preindustrial Ireland. Historian Nicholas Rogers has written, In historical scholarship, a primary source is a document, or other source of information that was created at or near the time being studied, by an authoritative source, usually one with direct personal knowledge of the events being described. ... It is not always easy to track the development of Halloween in Ireland and Scotland from the mid-seventeenth century, largely because one has to trace ritual practices from [modern] folkloric evidence that do not necessarily reflect how the holiday might have changed; these rituals may not be "authentic" or "timeless" examples of pre-industrial times.[23] On Halloween night in present-day Ireland, adults and children dress up as creatures from the underworld (e.g., ghosts, ghouls, zombies, witches and goblins), light bonfires, and enjoy spectacular fireworks displays - in particular, the city of Derry is home to the largest organised Halloween celebration in the country, in the form of a street carnival and fireworks display. [24] It is also common for fireworks to be set off for the entire month preceding Halloween, as well as a few days after. Halloween was perceived as the night during which the division between the world of the living and the otherworld was blurred so spirits of the dead and inhabitants from the underworld were able to walk free on the earth. It was believed necessary to dress as a spirit or otherworldly creature when venturing outdoors to blend in, and this is where dressing in such a manner for Halloween comes from. This gradually evolved into trick-or-treating because children would knock on their neighbours' doors, in order to gather fruit, nuts, and sweets for the Halloween festival. Salt was once sprinkled in the hair of the children to protect against evil spirits. For other places with similar names, see Derry (disambiguation) and Londonderry (disambiguation). ... The houses are frequently adorned with turnips carved into scary faces; lights or candles are sometimes placed inside the carvings to provide an eerie effect. The traditional Halloween cake in Ireland is the barmbrack, which is a fruit bread. Barmbrack is the centre of this Irish custom. The Halloween Brack traditionally contained various objects baked into the bread and was used as a sort of fortune-telling game. In the barmbrack were: a pea, a stick, a piece of cloth, a small coin (originally a silver sixpence) and a ring. Each item, when received in the slice, was supposed to carry a meaning to the person concerned: the pea, the person would not marry that year; the stick, "to beat one's wife with", would have an unhappy marriage or continually be in disputes; the cloth or rag, would have bad luck or be poor; the coin, would enjoy good fortune or be rich; and the ring, would be married within the year. Commercially produced barmbracks for the Halloween market still include a toy ring. Binomial name Brassica rapa L. Subsp. ... Barmbrack is a yeasted bread with added sultanas and raisins. ... For prophecy in the context of revealed religions see Prophet. ... Games are often played, such as bobbing for apples, where apples, peanuts and other nuts and fruit and some small coins are placed in a basin of water. The apples and nuts float, but the coins, which sink, are harder to catch. Everyone takes turns catching as many items possible using only their mouths. In some households, the coins are embedded in the fruit for the children to "earn" as they catch each apple. Another common game involves the hands-free eating of an apple hung on a string attached to the ceiling. Games of divination are also played at Halloween, but are becoming less popular. At lunch-time (midday meal, sometimes called "dinner" in Ireland[25]), a traditional Halloween meal Colcannon is eaten, often with coins wrapped in grease-proof paper mixed in. In recent decades the practice of midday dinners in the home has declined and with it this traditional Halloween ritual. Irish children typically have a week-long Halloween break from school; the last Monday in October is a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland, given as Halloween even though they often do not fall on the same day. Colcannon is a tradaitional Irish food made of mashed potatoes, cabbage, garlic, leeks, butter, salt, and pepper. ... Public holidays are observed in the Republic of Ireland on: New Years Day, 1 January[1] St Patricks Day, 17 March[1] Easter Monday, moveable Labour Day/May Day, the first Monday in May June Bank Holiday, the first Monday in June August Bank Holiday, the first Monday... [edit] Scotland Scotland, having a shared Gaelic culture and language with Ireland, has celebrated the festival of Samhain robustly for many centuries. The autumn festival is pre-Christian Celtic in origin, and is known in Scottish Gaelic as Oidhche Shamhna the “End of Summer”. During the fire festival, souls of the dead wander the earth and are free to return to the mortal world until dawn. Traditionally bonfires and lanterns (samhnag) in Scottish Gaelic, would be lit to ward off the phantoms and evil spirits that emerge at midnight. The term Samhainn or Samhuinn is used for the harvest feast, and an t-Samhain is used for the entire month of November. This article is about the country. ... Look up Samhain in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article is about the European people. ... Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) is a member of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages. ... Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) is a member of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages. ... As in Ireland the exact customs involved with celebrating Halloween from ancient times to pre-industrialised Scotland are lost and lack primary documentation, to distinguish the ancient customs from the modern counterpart. The Witchcraft Act of 1735 contained a clause preventing the consumption of pork and pastry comestibles on Halloween although in modern times such treats are a popular treat for children; the act was repealed in the 1950s. Scotland's National Bard Robert Burns portrayed the varied custom for children to dress up in costumes in his poem "Hallowe'en" (1785). This article is about the country. ... For the chain gang fugitive and author from Georgia, see Robert Elliott Burns. ... Halloween was seen as being the time when the division between the world of the living and the otherworld was blurred. Many of the traditional customs derive from ancient divination practices and ways of trying to predict the future. By the 18th century, most of the customs were methods for young people to search for their future husbands or wives. As Samhainn was originally a harvest festival, many of these strange practices are connected with food or the harvest and fertility. One old custom associated with the Western Isles was to put two large nuts in the hearth of a peat fire. These were supposed to represent yourself and your intended spouse. If the nuts curled together when they warmed up then this was deemed to be a good omen, but if they jumped apart then it was time to look for another sweetheart. Islanders from Lewis traditionally poured ale into the sea in libation to a marine God called “Seonaidh” or “Shoney”on Celtic Samhain or Halloween, so that he would send seaweed to the shore to fertilise the fields for the coming year. Seonadh in Scottish Gaelic means, sorcery, augury, or Druidism, and it is possible that the custom of Shonaidh is the direct link to an ancient form of Celtic god worship that has been Christianised. As "Seonaidh", which is Gaelic "Johnny", it may also be a reference to one of St John, and an invocation of him. The Western Isles are an archipelago in Scotland. ... Peat in Lewis, Scotland Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter. ... For other uses, see Lewis (disambiguation). ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) is a member of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages. ... Magic (also called magick to distinguish it from stage magic) is a supposed way of influencing the world through supernatural, mystical, or paranormal means. ... Omens or portents are signs encountered fortuitously that are believed to foretell the future. ... Druidry or Druidism was the religion of the ancient druids, the priestly class in ancient Celtic and Gallic societies through much of Western Europe north of the Alps and in the British Isles. ... Fire rituals were also important. Great bonfires were lit in a village, or by individual families, and when the fire died down, its ashes were used to form a circle and one stone for each member of the household was kept inside this circle near the circumference. If any stone were displaced or seemed broken by next morning, then the person to whom that stone belonged was believed to be destined to die within a year. A similar rite in north Wales includes a great bonfire called Coel Coeth’ being built for each family on Halloween. Later, the members of the household threw a white stone in the ashes marked in their name. Next morning, all the stones were searched for and if any stone were missing, then the person who threw that stone was believed to be destined to die before next Halloween. In particular, the village of Fortingall in Perthshire, held festivities on Carn na Marbh ‘Mound of the Dead',. This was the focal point of a Samhain festival. A great fire or “Samhnag” was lit atop it each year. The whole community took hands when it was blazing and danced round the mound both sunwise and anti-sunwise. [26] As the fire began to wane, some of the younger boys took burning embers from the flames and ran throughout the field with them, finally throwing them into the air and dancing over them as they lay glowing on the ground. When the last embers were showing, the boys would have a leaping competition across the remains of the fire, reminiscent of the