Javier Villena Fernández y Kevin Villena Bravo

HISTORY!COSTUMES! RECIPES!COUNTRIES...SCARY STORIES... TRADITIONS! *CLIC IN THE IMAGES TO GO TO SLIDES

*CLIC TO GO TO INDEX Halloween is a holiday celebated on the night of October 31. Halloween (the word) is a Shortening of All Hallows. Also it can be called All Hallows Eve. Halloween has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival called Samhain. This festival is a celebration of the end of the haverst season in Celtic culture. Samhain was a time used by the ancient pagans to take stock of supplies and prepare for winter. Too small letters!! You can’t distinguish the letters when reading!!

Samhain was a fire festival. Sacred bonfires were lit on the tops of hills in honor of the Gods. The townspeople would take an ember from the bonfire to their home and re- light the fire in their family hearth. The ember would usually be carried in a holder - often a turnip or gourd. They felt nervous about walking home in the dark; they were afraid of evil spirits. So they dressed up in costumes and carved scary faces in their ember holders. They hoped that the spirits would be frightened and not bother them. Children continue to dress up today in various costumes *CLIC TO GO TO INDEX

Jack-o'-lantern: The term "Jack-o'-lantern" came from an Irish folk tale of the 18th century. Jack was an Irishman. He had tricked the Devil into climbing an apple tree. He then cut a cross symbol in the tree trunk, thus trapping the Devil in the branches. When Jack died, he was unable to again access to Heaven because of his meanness. The Devil, having a long memory, would not allow him into Hell. So he was forced to walk the earth endlessly. The devil took pity on him and gave him a piece of coal to light his path. Jack put it inside a hollowed-out turnip that he had been eating. In All Souls' Day, European Christians had a tradition of going from home to home, asking for soul cakes, or currant buns. In return, they would pray for the souls of the homeowner's relatives. *CLIC TO GO TO INDEX

Pizza Mummies Healthy Cat Creepy CupcakesMummy Meatloaf Hairy LonglegsCheese Fingers

Halloween is celebrated outside of North America, particularly among American emigrants, but not to the extent that it is in the U.S. and Canada. Halloween has become a major folk holiday in the US and Canada. "Trick or Treaters" go from door to door and collect candies, apples and other goodies. Hallmark Cards reports that 65% of Americans will decorate their homes and offices for Halloween. This percentage is exceeded only by Christmas. In the fall, countless numbers of Monarch butterflies return to Mexico and the shelter of its oyamel fir trees. The beliefs of the Aztecs live on in many contemporary Mexicans who believe that the butterflies bear the spirits of their dead ancestors. It is these spirits that the people honor during "Los Dias de los Muertos" (The Days of the Dead). *CLIC TO GO TO INDEX

There's a bridge called "Covert's Crossing" or "Covert's Bridge" up in New Castle. A young couple had gotten married on Halloween. Around midnight, they were riding in a horse drawn carriage across the bridge at the same time a car was. The bridge was only one lane, so by the time they saw each other it was too late. Story has it that they crashed and the hubcap of the car flew off, decapitating the bride. The police never found her head or the body of the groom. It’s been said that if you sit on the bridge on Halloween night around midnight, you can see the headless bride standing on some rocks in the river. However, they don't know if she is looking for her head or her lost love. *CLIC TO GO TO INDEX