Holiday Byte » halloween

Halloween Costumes

emily — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 22:53:01 +0000

The tradition of wearing Halloween costumes has its origin’s in the pagan rituals Samhain and Christian All Saints Day Celebrations. The wearing of costumes can be traced back to two popular customs. The first involves the wearing of clothing to remember and honor recently departed family members or loved ones. Since people believed the layer between the world of the living and the world of the dead was able to be penetrated by spirits on this day, some cultures believed that departed family members could inhabit the body of people wearing their old clothing. The second custom believes that the dead were able to walk amongst the living on Halloween and by dressing in scary costumes and hiding their faces the living were able to fool the spirits and keep themselves safe.

While scary or gruesome costumes are still very popular, most people choose something a little tamer. While more Halloween costumes are bought for children than any other age group, more and more adults are dressing in Halloween costumes and coming to costume parties. Costume manufacturers produce large quantities of trendy costumes each year, mimicking top political, celebrity or news figures of the past year. Costumes based on popular movie or television characters are also popular with adults, and children. If you’re looking for a Halloween costume try to do your shopping as early as possible (late September or early October) to give yourself the widest selection to choose from, waiting until the last minute won’t give you many costumes to chose from

Halloween Costumes is a post from: Holiday Byte

Halloween Decorating

emily — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 22:51:23 +0000

Few things are more thrilling for a trick-or-treater than walking up to a house detailed with ghastly Halloween decorations. Whether you use complicated props like swooping ghosts, or simple, classic decorations, like glowing jack-o-lanterns, scarecrows, and indian corn, your house will delight visitors. A haunted yard, complete with fun Halloween decorations, makes a fine setting for outdoor parties in good weather, as well.

Plan out your outdoor Halloween decor. Choosing a theme makes it easier to chose decorations, and is generally more effective. Transform your front lawn into an old, foggy graveyard, a fortune teller’s lair, or a mad scientist’s lab.

Themes are easier to work with, but don’t let that stop you from throwing in whatever appeals to you, and mixing things up. It helps to lay out your design on paper, to get an idea of what will go where. If you are using pranks and gags, try to set them up where guests will have to walk past them to be surprised by them.

There are some very realistic yard props out there, available for purchase form Halloween specialty stores, home decoration stores, and online Halloween shops. Foam-filled rubber sculptures of ghouls clawing their way out of the grave are very effective. Some other prop ideas are: bloody body parts, grave stones, glowing skulls, gargoyles, and faux-dungeon doors. Yard decoration kits are available, too.

With some time and creativity, you can make your own outdoor Halloween decorations out of relatively cheap supplies. Make gravestones out of cardboard or foam. Craft ghosts out of white fabric, and hang them from the trees. The possibilities are endless!

James writes for Ghoulish Halloween, a site that tries to entertain and inform. For more great Halloween articles, visit our Halloween articles archive.

Halloween Decorating is a post from: Holiday Byte

Halloween Parties

emily — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 22:50:42 +0000

Halloween is the day of the year that has the most parties thrown in its honor. Everyone loves to dress up and attend Halloween parties with their friends. Most people end up getting several invitations to different Halloween parties that are often on the same night. If you are planning to throw your own Halloween party, how can you get all your friends to head to your shindig and not someone elseâ€™s? You need to come up with some unique and fun ideas that will get everyone on your list so excited about your party they wonâ€™t even consider going anywhere else.

Not Just Any Old Theme

Many people donâ€™t bother thinking of a theme for their Halloween party since it seems to be somewhat of a theme already. But rather than just putting up some Happy Halloween banners and fake cobwebs, why not come up with a great theme party idea? You can do anything from a haunted house or graveyard to a monster mash or horror movie bash. Once youâ€™ve chosen your theme apply it to everything from your invitations to your party food. Guests will love some guidance on what to dress up as, especially if you do something a little different.

Your Halloween party invitations are one of the most important aspects of your party. Invitations are the best way to get your guests excited about your party. Many people donâ€™t even send invitations anymore so even sending out simple ones will help your party stick in peopleâ€™s minds. Be sure to apply your party theme to your invitations. If you canâ€™t find any invitations at your local party store that go with your theme you can always use invitation templates that you can download for free from the Internet.

You can totally customize invitation templates and add colorful pictures as well. Guests will love to receive these fun invitations in the mail. You should send your invitations out approximately three to four weeks before your party to give everyone time to make plans to attend. If youâ€™re running short of time sending electronic invitations is a great idea too. You can ad animation and sound to e-invitations and even check guestâ€™s responses online. Be sure to contact anyone who doesnâ€™t respond via telephone since not everyone checks their email often.

Spooky Decorations

Everyone will expect to see your house decorated to the nines on Halloween so be sure not to disappoint. Your decorations should match your theme, so give them plenty of thought. For instance, a haunted house theme should be complete with low lighting, smoke, a spooky soundtrack, and even live ghouls to jump out and scare the guests as they arrive. A horror movie bash might include retro horror B-movie posters stuck on the walls which you can find on the Internet and print off at home.

Decorations can be found just about anywhere in the months leading up to Halloween. Even grocery stores carry a wide selection. Start shopping early so you can get the best selection possible and take advantage of any sales. If you canâ€™t find just what youâ€™re looking for you can always rent decorations from a local party supply shop or even purchase decorations from the Internet. The Internet has an almost endless selection and you can find just about any party supplies or decorations youâ€™ll need.

Music is an important aspect of any party as well. While some spooky tunes are fun at first, youâ€™ll want to switch over to some more upbeat music once the party gets going. People love to dance so have plenty of high energy songs ready to go. If you are inviting a variety of different people have several different types of music so no ones gets bored.

Tasty Halloween Treats

Food is an important part of any party. While you donâ€™t need to provide a full meal, some creative and tasty snacks and treats will help keep your guests fueled for the nightâ€™s festivities. Turning simple party food into ghoulish culinary delights will surprise and please your guests. Try making some bewitching cupcakes, and put out snacks such as gummy worms and other Halloween candy treats.

Costumes are a given, since this is Halloween after all. If you are having a Halloween theme of some sort, let your guests know on your invitations that they should dress to fit the theme. For instance, if youâ€™re throwing a horror movie bash, you can simply say, â€œcome as your favorite horror movie starâ€. Donâ€™t expect all your guests to comply with your request. Some people have been thinking up their Halloween costume since last year!

Donâ€™t forget about the party favors! Depending on how many people youâ€™re inviting and how much youâ€™re willing to spend, the possibilities are endless when it comes to party favors. A simple idea is candy bags full of traditional treats such as candy corn. Something more substantial might be a pumpkin carving kit that comes with cutouts and tools. Your guests will love having a little something to take home with them.

Endless Costume Possibilities

If you really arenâ€™t into the scary aspect of Halloween, you can always break with tradition and hold a different type of Halloween party. Have a famous couples party or a crazy hat party instead. Guests can still dress up but might be more creative then a white sheet with holes cut out of it. Dressing up for Halloween is something that both adults and kids can enjoy so great creative and have fun with it!

Having games at your party isnâ€™t a necessity, but can be a great deal of fun for your guests. Games act as an excellent icebreaker if everyone doesnâ€™t know each other. Any games where you can break people off into teams will help to get everyone talking. Pumpkin carving contests are a good idea, as is bobbing for apples. Be sure to give a prize to the best costume as well.

Your Halloween party is sure to be a success if you take the time to plan. Leave yourself plenty of time and donâ€™t forget itâ€™s all the little details that help to make a fabulous party. Enlist the help of family and friends if youâ€™re feeling overwhelmed, and remember, planning is half the fun!

John Lenaghan writes about party planning and other tips for the Party Ideas 4u website, where he provides valuable tips and advice about Halloween party ideas, birthday party ideas and other party planning topics.

Halloween Parties is a post from: Holiday Byte

Halloween Fun Facts

emily — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 22:49:55 +0000

Over 50% of Americans will purchase a costume for Halloween
The average costume costs just under $30
Americans will spend over 3 billion dollars on Halloween costumes this year
One third of all candy sold in the United States is sold for Halloween
Halloween sales of candy is over 2 billion dollars annually
Candy manufacturers begin making Halloween candy as early as June
The heaviest Pumpkin on record was grown in 2004 and weighed 1446 pounds
One vine of a pumpkin plant produced over 2700 hundred pounds of pumpkin
The fastest pumpkin carving record is 74.8 seconds
The world’s largest pumpkin pie was 39 feet long and 42 inches wide, it contained 244 cans of pumpkin 16 gallons of water and 200 pounds of pie dough

Halloween Fun Facts is a post from: Holiday Byte

Halloween Candy

emily — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 22:48:58 +0000

As Halloween changed form a serious community religious ritual to a more secular holiday, and children became more involved, the introduction of candy and other sweets was only natural. Before the time of mass produced chocolate or other confectionary treats it was common to give children candied apples or caramel apples. While there were isolated stories of dangerous items being hidden in the apples after September 11th the practice of giving or eating candy apples from strangers has almost complete stopped.

Halloween is the single largest holiday for candy sales in the United States. Candy makers start preparations months in advance keeping the candy refrigerated in the hot summer months. You will usually see the first bags or boxes of Halloween candy hit the stores in the beginning of August. The average person in the United States eats 24 pounds of candy a year with the single largest percentage being eaten on Halloween or the days immediately following.

Candy Corn is another popular Halloween candy. It was invented in 1880 by the Wunderlee candy company and the recipe has remained unchanged to this day. Originally the candy was only produced part of the year as the factory had a shortage of workers and machinery and wasn’t able to operate the plant year round.

Halloween Candy is a post from: Holiday Byte

Trick or Treat

emily — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 22:48:22 +0000

The practice of trick or treating is believed to have come from the pagan festival of Samhain. Beggars or children would go throughout the town “begging” for “soul cakes” from the town’s inhabitants. The soul cakes were square breads that contained fruits or currants. The person who gave the cake would tell the children the name of a recently departed family member, friend or loved one and the recipient would pray for that person’s soul. This practice became known as souling. In the ancient pagan rituals the towns people would leave wine and bread out for beggars, however Christian missionaries eliminated the wine and changed it to soul cakes. Slowly over hundreds of years the sweet soul cakes became replaced with sweet candy. The “trick” part is what you did to someone when they weren’t home when you came to their door. Originally the tricks were little more than harmless prinks like soaping windows, throwing eggs, or covering the person’s lawn with toilet paper. However as more and more communities had problems with the “tricks” becoming more aggressive and destructive, the practice of doing tricks has fallen out of favor.

Trick or Treat is a post from: Holiday Byte

Halloween Traditions

emily — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 22:47:14 +0000

Halloween is a holiday that has its traditions rooted in centuries old traditions. For example the tradition of dressing in costume on Halloween was a way of remembering and honoring recently departed loved ones. It was also a disguise used to ward or scare off sprits that temporarily crossed into the world of the living on Halloween. Jack O Lanterns are another Halloween tradition, in ancient and medieval Europe Jack O Lanterns were carved out of turnips or other gourds. Pumpkins were never used until the Pilgrims colonized the Americas. The tradition of going door to door and saying trick-or-treat has it’s origins in old European tradition of begging for soul cakes door to door (this was known as souling).

Other Halloween traditions include bobbing for apples, or eating candied or caramel apples off a fishing pole. Another holiday tradition popular among teens and adults is holding a sÃ©ance and using an Ouija board to receive message from spirits.

Halloween Traditions is a post from: Holiday Byte

Jack-O-Lantern History

emily — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 22:46:31 +0000

The history of the Jack o Lantern custom is thought to date back to an old Irish tale. The story says that a man named Jack (who was a famous trickster), fooled Satan into climbing a tree and then trapped him there by carving images of a cross in the trunk of the tree. Jack then made a deal with the devil to let him go, in exchange Jack would never be tempted by the devil again.

The tale continues after Jack dies, as he is denied access to both heaven and hell. The devil (still angry about being tricked by Jack) gives him a single ember to light his way through the darkness. The light was placed inside a turnip to keep it glowing longer. The Irish made their “Jack’s lanterns” out of turnip, but when the custom came to the US, they begin using pumpkins instead of turnips.

Today there are many aspects of the holiday that are seen as common practices when celebrating Halloween

Trick or Treating/ Decorating – Children go door-to-door collecting candies and other goodies. Most families decorate their homes for the holiday and spend money on costumes for their children. After Christmas, Halloween is the holiday that most people spend the most money for decorations. Halloween is the #! holiday when the most candy is sold in the U.S. Over 85% of homes hand out candy on Halloween.
Jack o Lantern – pumpkins are carved out and lit on Halloween night as decorations
Halloween Parties – these are very popular as part of the holiday celebration. In fact, after the superbowl and new years eve, Halloween is the third most popular time for a party.

Jack-O-Lantern History is a post from: Holiday Byte

Origins of Halloween

emily — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 22:44:43 +0000

Halloween, is a holiday with a deep history and is celebrated every year on October 31. Although Halloween is not seen as a religious holiday, the origins of the word Halloween comes from the Catholic Church- as in the Catholic religion, November 1 is known as All Hallows Day (a day to honor all saints). So All Hallows Eve was coined for October 31.

Most people agree that the history of Halloween dates back to the 5th century BC, in Celtic Ireland. In those days, October 31 marked the official end of summer, and the day was known as Samhain. Many stories try to explain why Halloween is known as a night for spirits and ghoulish costumes.

Although most are thought to be myths, many seem to carry a theme of spirits coming back from the dead to search for living bodies to possess. To combat their fears, the Celts would dress up in scary costumes in order to frighten away the spirits and discourage the dead from coming near them.

Throughout the years, Halloween celebrations were adapted to fit into the beliefs and practices of other societies.

In medieval times, a common practice on All Soul’s Day was to make “soul cakes” (a bread dessert). Children would go door-to-door begging for the cakes (a custom called “souling”). Everytime a child collected a cake, they would have to say a prayer for the dead relative of the person who gave the cake. It was said that these prayers would help the soul of the dead relation so that they could rest in peace.

Origins of Halloween is a post from: Holiday Byte

History of Halloween

emily — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 22:43:59 +0000

Like many modern holidays the history of Halloween is based in ancient pagan rituals and celebrations. November 1st originally marked the end of summer and was celebrated with a huge feast including everyone in the village. Each family in the village would gather for the feast and bring a candle. The fire from each candle was thrown into a ceremonial bonfire in the religious center of the village. Animals (usually cattle were sacrificed and tossed into the bonfire. The morning after the bonfire each family would take an ember from the fire home and use it to light the cooking fire in their house. The ceremony was used to unite the villagers all together and build a sense of community. While animals are no longer slaughtered community bonfires are still a very popular custom throughout Ireland and other regions of Europe.

As Christian missionaries moved throughout Europe they began to adopt and modify many of the existing pagan rights and rituals like Halloween (also see Christmas and Easter). In some cultures All Saints Day plays a large role in others it is considered a minor holiday. Many fundamentalist Christians don’t participate in the holiday and consider it strictly a pagan ritual. However most people consider Halloween a secular holiday.

History of Halloween is a post from: Holiday Byte