Spooky Halloween Traditions and Superstitions

The month of October is the trick-or-treat time with fun holidays in line. Halloween is an exciting time for both kids and adults and is a time of celebration and superstition. It is commonly referred to as All Hollows Eve or day and originated from the pagan holiday honoring the dead. Of all the holidays in America, Halloween, steeped in traditions marks the best example of the quintessential American assimilation into one culture. Every October 31, both children and adults slip into the night as ghouls and goblins or any other scary weird characters and celebrate the Halloween tradition by dressing in these uncanny costumes and telling tales of witches and ghosts. An important part of this tradition is trick-or-treat; it is an activity for children, dressing up in costumes and knocking doors in the neighborhood asking for treats such as confectionery by calling out the question 'trick or treat'. The trick part of 'trick or treat' is a threat to play a prank on the house owner or on his property if no treat is given. Children are usually treated with candies and sweets or if they come with a cause of collecting money for the United Nations Children's Fund, money is given in lieu of or in addition to candy. The children are accompanied by an adult to keep an eye on them, until they are old enough to go by themselves. Another fun activity of this magical time of the year is carving pumpkins or making jack O' lanterns. Pumpkins are carved to resemble as scary or comical figure and illuminated with light to highlight the design to give it an extra spookiness. The tradition of carving lanterns to ward off evil spirits traces back its roots to Irish culture.

It is a common custom to host or attend costume parties and contests. From the traditional devils, vampires, skeleton, witches costumes to Zombie and psycho costumes are most sought after. An irrational belief of wearing Halloween costumes and scary masks is that people believed the spirits roamed freely amongst the living on this day. And as a safety measure they wore costumes to trick and confuse the spirits into thinking that they were spirits as well. The Halloween theme parties are a great hit filled with festive atmosphere and colorful costumes. As the popularity of this scary themed holiday increased, several television and movie adaptations were seen. Watching horror movies and visiting haunted attractions or haunted theme parks is a popular modern notion to celebrate the evening. Traditional Halloween menu includes a sumptuous feast with pies, pumpkin dishes and candies and candied apples.

Several safety precautions are must to prevent mishaps during this trick-or-treat season to avoid scary time for reason other than costumes. Keep the home safe for children visiting with trick or treat concept. Cover the porch and front yard with good lighting and remove the obstacles from the way to prevent children from tripping over. At the same time high flame candles can be hazardous as they have the potential of producing intense heat and the danger of erupting ignitable objects prevails. Place candlelit pumpkins and other light arrangements way from the curtains or inflammable objects. Have smoke and fire monitored services from service providers like ADT Home Security to help prevent loss of life and property as the Halloween season is the fifth highest day of the year for home fires and burn-related injuries caused by candles igniting flammable costumes and decorations according to National Fire Protection Association. If you come across any suspicious or criminal activity alert your neighbors and report to your local police or sheriff's department. Enjoy Halloween with plenty of treats and no tricks with your loved ones.

Treeves - About Author:
Tina is a specialty freelance writer and likes to write about spooky traditions like Halloween, superstitions associated with it and the safety precautions to be taken by installing alarm systems like ADT Home Security to avoid any mishaps during the 'trick or treat' season.

Article Source:
http://www.articleside.com/family-articles/spooky-halloween-traditions-and-superstitions.htm

Related Family Articles

Related Family Topics

ectopic antique tables knitting yarn divorce ny church chairs foster care fostering pet shop white cotbed baby prams