Halloween History for Kids: 7 Fun Facts to Share

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Learn about the history of Halloween, and amaze your kids with your knowledge of this spooky holiday.

Did you know that jack-o-lanterns were originally carved into turnips? Or that trick-or-treating likely came from an English medieval custom? Keep reading to learn seven interesting Halloween facts for kids, and share them with your family to get in the spooky spirit!

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Learn about the history of Halloween, and amaze your kids with your knowledge of this spooky holiday.

1. Halloween is a cultural mashup. While discussing the history of Halloween with your kids, you can note that the holiday is a combination of several celebrations from different cultures and religions throughout history.

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Learn about the history of Halloween, and amaze your kids with your knowledge of this spooky holiday.

The ancient Celtic people celebrated Samhain to mark the end of harvest season. It was a time when the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred, as ghosts visited earth.

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Learn about the history of Halloween, and amaze your kids with your knowledge of this spooky holiday.

After the Roman Empire conquered the Celtic people, their festivals of Feralia (in which the the Romans honored the passing of the dead) and a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees, were combined with Samhain.

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Learn about the history of Halloween, and amaze your kids with your knowledge of this spooky holiday.

Taking place on November 1, the Catholic holiday of All Saints' Day (All Hallows' Day) also contributes to Halloween's rich history. While All Saints' Day honors the saints who have attained heaven, All Souls' Day, celebrated a day later on November 2, honors those who have died but have not yet reached heaven.

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Learn about the history of Halloween, and amaze your kids with your knowledge of this spooky holiday.

2. Dressing up in costumes was once a way to hide from ghosts. The tradition originated as a way for the Celtic and other European people to hide from returning spirits. People wore masks when they left home after dark to make the ghosts think they were fellow spirits, and would place bowls of food outside to keep the ghosts happy and out of their homes.

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Learn about the history of Halloween, and amaze your kids with your knowledge of this spooky holiday.

3. Jack-o'-lanterns were originally carved into turnips. In a traditional Celtic story, a man named Jack tricked the Devil. After Jack died, the Devil made him roam the night with only a burning coal to light his way. Jack put the piece of coal in a carved-out turnip, a common Irish vegetable, and became known as Jack of the Lantern.

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Learn about the history of Halloween, and amaze your kids with your knowledge of this spooky holiday.

Irish and Scottish people began carving their own versions of Jack's lantern and placing them near windows and doors to scare away evil spirits, including Jack. When immigrants brought the tradition to America, native pumpkins were more available than turnips, and today's jack-o'-lanterns were born.

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Learn about the history of Halloween, and amaze your kids with your knowledge of this spooky holiday.

4. Trick-or-treating might've evolved from the medieval custom of "souling" in England. On All Souls' Day, poor people would knock on doors asking for food. In exchange, the would say prayers for for the home owners' dead relatives.

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Learn about the history of Halloween, and amaze your kids with your knowledge of this spooky holiday.

5. Cats have been part of the history of Halloween for centuries. During the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, priests sacrificed cats (along with other animals) as part of a ritual to predict the future. They often wore animal heads and skins during this ritual.

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Learn about the history of Halloween, and amaze your kids with your knowledge of this spooky holiday.

6. The history of Halloween includes a lot of romance. In the past, Scottish girls would throw hazelnuts named after suitors into fireplaces. If a nut burned instead of exploding, it represented their future husband. According to another tradition, girls also supposedly dreamed about their future husband after eating a mixture of walnuts, hazelnuts, and nutmeg on Halloween.

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Learn about the history of Halloween, and amaze your kids with your knowledge of this spooky holiday.

In colonial America, young women would peel an apple in one strip and throw it over their shoulder. The strip was supposed to land in the shape of the first letter of their future husband's name.

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Learn about the history of Halloween, and amaze your kids with your knowledge of this spooky holiday.

Bobbing for apples was also used as a fortune-telling game: Girls would mark apples before they went into a water tub, and if a man caught that particular fruit with his teeth, it determined a future coupling.

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Learn about the history of Halloween, and amaze your kids with your knowledge of this spooky holiday.

7. The custom of decorating with black and orange for Halloween makes perfect sense. The signature combination of black and orange is one of the most recognizable symbols of Halloween.

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Learn about the history of Halloween, and amaze your kids with your knowledge of this spooky holiday.

Orange, seen through autumn's changing leaves, is also associated with the bonfires of Samhain traditions, and it's a symbol of strength and endurance. Black, typically the color of death, may also symbolize the long and cold winter ahead.

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