| It's the eerie swamps where mists abound that | | | | of scaring away the mischievous spirits. |
| creatures of the night can always be found. At | | | | When Christianity arrived in Ireland, the church |
| this time of year they drift with the mist as on | | | | declared November 1st as All Saints Day to honer |
| cooler fall evenings they target their list. | | | | saints and martyrs in an attempt to play down |
| The Gremlins and Ghouls, Devils and Witches | | | | Samhain, (That has a familiar ring to it!) |
| come hide in our streets in hidden dark damp | | | | What about Trick-or-treating? |
| niches. Tis Halloween that beckons and drives | | | | Trick-or-treating originated from an All Souls Day |
| them forth gaining in numbers till the | | | | tradition when people walked from village to village |
| twenty-fourth.On Halloween night they invade the | | | | begging for "soul cakes" a type of rough bread. |
| streets passing door to door as they play trick or | | | | The recipient of the "soul cakes," would say a |
| treats. | | | | prayer for the giver of the cakes. The more |
| While that may well rime reasonably fine... o.k. let's | | | | cakes they gave away the more people they had |
| stop already! | | | | praying for their souls and in the 1500s, All Saint's |
| The Facts of Halloween | | | | Day became All Hallows' Day, and Samhain had by |
| Do you know the origins of Halloween? It's an | | | | this time become known as 'All Hallows Evening' |
| interesting piece of history. | | | | and eventually Hallow Evening became what we |
| Did you know that the origins of Halloween date | | | | know it today - Halloween. |
| back over 2000 years and came over from | | | | These days of course the rough bread or soul |
| Great Britain and Ireland? Halloween originated | | | | cakes have turned into all together more 'modern' |
| with an ancient Celtic festival called Samhain | | | | equivalents. |
| (pronounced Sah-ween or Sow-in). | | | | The Witches, Ghouls, Goblins and Devils (large or |
| The Celtic New Year began on November 1st | | | | small) are manifested by the costumes we and |
| making the last day of the Celtic year, October | | | | our kids buy (or get bought for them) each year... |
| 31st, the Celts believed that ghosts roamed the | | | | although where exactly the Transformers |
| world throughout that night, causing harm to | | | | characters fit into Halloween is anyone's guess! |
| crops and creating general mischief. | | | | So there you have it, a bit of history a bit of |
| So the Celts dressed up in scary costumes and | | | | rhyme to explain the origins of Halloween time! |
| paraded around and about the village in the hopes | | | | |