Halloween Now and Then

As one of the world's oldest holidays, Halloween is still celebrated today in several countries around the globe, but it is in North America and Canada that it maintains its highest level of popularity. Every year, 65% of Americans decorate their homes and offices for Halloween, a percentage exceeded only by Christmas. Halloween is the holiday when large amounts of  candy is sold and it is second only to Christmas in terms of total sales.

Halloween is usually celebrated amongst family, friends and, sometimes, co-workers. Parties and other events are planned on the day or in the weekends before and after this date. Adults may celebrate by watching horror films, holding costume parties or creating haunted houses or graveyards.
Many children dress up in fancy costumes and visit other homes in the neighborhood. At each house, they demand sweets, snacks or a small gift. If they do not get this, they threaten to do some harm to the inhabitants of the house. This is known as playing 'trick-or-treat'.
Some families carve lanterns with 'scary' faces out of pumpkins or other vegetables or decorate their homes and gardens in Halloween style. These were traditionally intended to ward off evil spirits. Some of the most popular decorations are jack-o'-lanterns, scarecrows, witches, orange and purple string lights, inflatable decorations such as spiders, pumpkins, mummies, vampires and Frankensteins.
Halloween parties usually involve games (often traditional games like bobbing for apples, searching for candy), scary stories and treats (usually a bag of candy and/or homemade treats).


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Another informative video:

All about Pumpkins

There is no Halloween without pumpkin decorations and pumpkin carvings. What do you know about this vegetable/fruit?
Pumpkins are very healthy . They are rich in Vitamin A, potassium and fiber.
Pumpkins are grown all over the world , excepts for Antarctica.They are believed to have originated in Central America. Seeds from related plants have been found in Mexico, dating back over 7000 years to 5500 B.C.
Native American Indians used pumpkin in their diets centuries before the pilgrims landed. When the settlers arrived, they saw the pumpkins grown by the Indians. Just like today, early settlers used pumpkins in a wide variety of recipes, from desserts to stews and soups.
More pumpkin facts:

• Pumpkin seeds can be roasted as a snack.
• Pumpkin flowers are edible.
• Pumpkins were once recommended for removing freckles and curing snake bites.
• The name pumpkin originated from "pepon" – the Greek word for "large melon."
• Pumpkins are 90 percent water.
• Eighty percent of the pumpkin supply in the United States is available in October.
• Native Americans called pumpkins "isqoutm squash."   

 Pumpkin Recipes:

Halloween is coming!

HELLO EVERYONE!

As you know, we celebrate Halloween at the end of this month. Halloween is a time of celebration and superstition. It is thought to have originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to scare away ghosts.
In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1st as a time to honor all saints and martyrs. The holiday was called All Saints’ Day and the evening before was known as All Hallows’ Eve and later Halloween.
Over time, Halloween evolved into a community-based event characterized by child-friendly activities such as trick-or-treating.
Hope you are getting prepared for Halloween!

Halloween games