Halloween History at The Cafe

Check out the latest addition to Imagination-Cafe  - The Celtic Roots of Halloween by Donna Marie West

This article is interesting and loaded with fun facts to get the kiddies all set for the big night.  In addition, you'll also find a yummy recipe for 'Easy Soul Cakes' an ole time favorite.

Here's a preview;

   THE CELTIC ROOTS OF HALLOWEEN

by Donna Marie West

If you celebrate Halloween the way many American children do, chances are you dress up as a monster, a princess, or your favorite super hero to trick-or-treat around the neighborhood. Maybe you go to a costume party with friends. But do you have any idea where those traditions began?

Dressing Up

Two thousand years ago, the Celtic people of France and Great Britain celebrated a holiday called Samhain every October 31. Samhain, which means ‘end of summer,’ marked the last harvest and the storage of food for the winter. The Celts believed the change of season was a magical time when the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead was very thin. They imagined all sorts of spirits, goblins and fairies walking among the people. The ghosts of the dead rose to play tricks on the living, causing sickness and other trouble in people’s homes, and even destroying crops in the field. People came up with a great idea in order not to be recognized by these spirits or ghosts: They wore masks or straw hats, painted their faces black, or dressed in disguises.

Women put on men’s clothes, and men dressed as women – something they would never do at any other time of year!

Read the rest of the article here; http://imagination-cafe.com/weekly/history/celtic_halloween.asp

About the Author:

"Donna Marie West is a teacher and writer living near Montreal, Canada. She loves to explore interesting and unexplained things and pass on everything she learns to her students and readers. When she's not busy working, writing, or doing research, she loves to read, to ride her horse or cuddle with her cats."