|
Articles on General Halloween History and Traditions
In the mid 19th century, many of the traditions of modern Halloween had fallen into place. Halloween celebrants dressed in costumes and wandered from door to door begging for food or money, echoing a medieval practice known as “Souling.”
The Jack O’ Lantern has its origins in Irish folklore:
Halloween’s Origins
Each year on Halloween night, millions of children take to the streets in scary costumes to beg for treats at the doors of their neighbors. And millions of adults enjoy the holiday as a celebration of things that go bump in the night, and frighten the unwary.
Few, however, ever stop to wonder about the origins of the night, or of the creatures that seem to populate it.
Halloween Lessons, Lesson Plans and Activities For Teachers, Classrooms and Students
I’ve been teaching my students about the origins and traditions of Halloween for more years than I care to count. What started as a ten or fifteen minute discussion of the Celtic Samhain developed into a weeklong study of national and international cultural traditions. Each year, after the lessons were over, my students would say “But where do Vampires come from?” or “Why do we have zombies in Halloween?” And each year, I would dutifully add an explanation.
The History of Halloween and Horror