Halloween Facts For Kids
History Of Halloween For Kids
I’m truly excited you stopped by today to see some fun Halloween facts for kids and to learn about the history of Halloween for kids. Halloween is one of my absolute favorite holidays and I’m excited to get to share with you what it’s all about!
History Of Halloween For Kids
Halloween Facts For Kids
Today we are not only going to sharing with you some really fun Halloween facts for kids but we are also going to be digging into the history of Halloween a little bit. Most people have no idea or have only heard rumors about why we celebrate Halloween and why some of it’s traditions are upheld. It’s a truly fun holiday, but it’s even more fun when we know why we are doing what we are doing. Let’s face it, most kids just want to dress up and score loads of candy and I can’t blame them for that. But it would be great if we all knew exactly why asking for candy was part of it’s traditions. So buckle up and let’s take a ride down Halloween lane! We are going to go over some fun Halloween facts for kids first, then we will dig into the History of Halloween for kids!
♦ The first Jack O’ Lanterns were made up of turnips.
♦ Behind Christmas, Halloween is the second highest grossing holiday we celebrate.
♦ The Old English word wicce is where the word witch was derived. It actually meant “wise woman” and wicce were once very respected at one time.
♦ The fear of Halloween is called Samhainophobia.
♦ Chocolate candy at Halloween is definitely the favorite. 50% of children prefer to get chocolate candy over any other. 24% prefer non-chocolate and 10% favored gum.
♦ In Medieval Europe it was believed that owls were witches. Hearing an owl screech meant there was about to be a death somewhere. This is why the Owl is a popular symbol of Halloween.
♦ Norm Craven has claim to the largest pumpkin ever grown and measured. In 1993 he grew a 836 pound pumpkin!
♦ Ireland is believed to be the birth place of Halloween.
♦ Halloween has deep agricultural roots, which is why the scarecrow has continued to be a symbol of the holiday.
♦ Some other names for Halloween. All Hallows Eve, Snap-Apple Night, Samhaim, Summers End, Lamswool and Witches Night.
♦ Scottish girls had some pretty strange rituals during Halloween. Some believed they could see their future husband if they hung wet sheets in front of a fire. Others believed if they walked down stairs with a mirror they would see their boyfriends faces.
♦ The most famous and mysterious magician of his time, Harry Houdini passed away in 1926 on Halloween night. He was punched in the stomach 3 times and ended up dying from appendicitis.
♦ According to myth, if a person was to wear their clothes inside out and walk backwards on Halloween, they would see a witch at midnight.
♦ People typically spend around $66.28 per person on Halloween as an average. That’s around $5.8 billion in revenue.
♦ Halloween is over 6000 years old! It’s believed it began around 4000 BC.
♦ Both Anoka, Minnesota and Salem, Massachusetts are the Halloween capitals of the world, well… According to them anyway.
♦ The most Jack L’ Lanterns lit at once was 30,128, this record is held in Boston, Massachusetts.
♦ The largest Halloween parade in the world is held in New York City. The Village Halloween parade draws over 2 million spectators and has 50,000 people included in the parade.
History Of Halloween For Kids
Halloween Facts For Kids
Halloween is one of the most fun holidays to shop for. Whether it’s finding that perfect Halloween costume or out decorating the neighbors, there is always something fun. Click the links below to see what amazing and fun things you can purchase!
Click Here For Affordable Halloween Costumes
Click Here For Affordable Halloween Decorations
Halloween History For Kids
Fun Historical Halloween Facts For Kids
I wanted to make sure that we took some time to discuss the history of Halloween. It’s very important in my eyes that we all know why we are celebrating. Even if you don’t feel it’s important it’s terribly interesting. So let’s take a look at some fun Halloween History for kids.
Halloween’s Origins
It is believed that most of Halloween’s roots come from Ireland. It dates back as far as 4000 years when it was used as the Celtic New Year. Then it was called Samhain, which means “Summers End”. The US has only been celebrating it since the early 1900’s. Many believe it become popular in the states because of the Irish potato famine of 1846. The Irish fled to the US bringing with them their fantastic Halloween customs. I would have to say thank you to the Irish!
Why Jack o’ Lanterns?
The story behind Jack o’ Lanterns is actually a pretty tragic tale. A farmer named Stingy Jack was not allowed in either Heaven or Hell. He was sentenced to live in purgatory. As he wondered without any cause he carved a turnip and used a lump of coal to light it up. This was to help guide the way for his lost soul.
Placing Jack o’ Lanterns outside helped guide lost souls home as they wandered the streets. This was a belief put in place by the Celtics. They carved scary faces on them to help ward away evil spirits. When the potato famine occurred turnips changed to pumpkins because they were so much easier to come by. If you ask me, I would say a pumpkin makes for better carving anyway.
Broomsticks and Black Cats
It seems that black cats and broom sticks were more of a misconception than anything. During the Dark Ages when single women were frequently accused of being witches their pet cats were thought to be “familiars”.
These women were often times poor and could not afford to purchases horses for travel. When they became old they would use sticks or brooms as they walked through the woods.
Bats and Spiders
Bats and spiders were also considered “familiars”. If a bat was spotted flying around a home 3 times it was believed that someone inside was going to lose their life. Seeing a bat fly into a house on Halloween meant it was let in by a spirit and the house was deemed haunted.
The way you can tell if a witch is near by is if a spider falls into a candle lite lamp and is consumed by the flame.
Why Orange and Black?
This one is actually pretty simple to explain. It was a way to represent the harvest and death of summer. The bright orange represented a bright beautiful harvest while the color of black represented the death of summer.
Trick Or Treating And Dressing In Costumes
It was believed by the Celtics that since Halloween was the beginning of the new year and the end of the old that this blurred the lines between the living and the dead. This would allow the spirits to cross over into our world and hang out with the living.
It was believed that ghouls and ghosts would disguise themselves as humans and come to their homes begging for money and food. They owners of the home often caved and provided money and food out of worry that turning them away would cause the spirit to become angry and haunt them.
Celtics also believed that dressing up as a spirit could fool an angry or evil spirit and they would leave them alone.
Halloween Facts For Kids
Ellen Shows Kids Halloween Costumes
For a good laugh and some great Halloween costumes check out the video of Ellen below. She always brings a smile to my face, and is a lot of fun to watch.
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Halloween Facts For Kids
Halloween History And Facts Conclusion
Thank you so much for showing some interest in this amazing and fun holiday. I hope that you can walk away from this knowing a little more about why we celebrate something so strange. It has certainly changed over the years and has been recognized by corporate America as a cash cow. It’s one that I don’t mind supporting because we have so much fun with it!
Don’t forget to get into the spirit by dressing up and supporting this holiday. Places around our country are trying to put a damper on Halloween fun. Let’s not allow that to happen! Go out and support this wonderful holiday by dressing up, trick or treating and getting some yummy candy! Don’t forget to BRUSH YOUR TEETH!
While you are learning some Halloween facts for kids, you might as well also learn about some other Holidays. Thanksgiving is just around the corner and also has a very interesting and fun history, it’s certainly worth taking a look at. Click either of the links below to learn more about our holidays and what they mean.
Thanksgiving Facts For Kids
Earth Day Facts For Kids
History Of Halloween For Kids
Halloween Facts For Kids
This really helped me on my three page essay I had to write about the history of Halloween. I really appreciate all this writing.