1. A Crash Course in Awesomeness
happy halloween
A Crash Course in Awesomeness

2. Origins Pre-Christianity Celtic celebration of the dead
November 1st was their New Year’s Day
The end of harvest and the beginning of winter = eternal cycle

3. “Samhain” Samhain (“Sah-ween”)= biggest celebration of the year
Souls of the dead could interact with the living
Celebrations included:
Feasts, parties, sacrifices
Bonfires to honour the dead and light their way to the underworld
Fires were also meant to ward creatures away from the living

4. Samhain -> All Saints & All Souls
Samhain + Christianity = Halloween
Missionaries labeled “pagan” holidays “evil”
Rather than banish their worship, they used it
Catholic holidays were scheduled near pagan ones
Christmas = mid-winter feast
St. John’s Day = summer solstice
All Saints Day (Nov 1), All Souls Day (Nov 2)
Celebration of all saints, celebration of all who die, replace Samhain

5. All saints & all souls -> halloween
The missionaries’ plan didn’t quite work
Celtic deities -> leprechauns and faeries
Idea of the wandering dead was too strong
“All Saints Day” a.k.a. “All Hallows Day”
Night before = “All Hallows Eve” = “Halloween”
New/Lasting Celebrations on Eve of great activity:
Still celebrate the wandering dead
BUT “evil” -> placated with treats
Dressing up to challenge & appease dark spirits
Bobbing for apples, carving pumpkins, “mumming”

6. For more info… For more info about the origins of Halloween, visit:
For more info about Samhain (and the incorrect myth about the Celtic God of Death) visit:

7. Halloween Stories! “Stingy Jack” Dr. Faustus Beethoven’s Last Night
Sleepy Hollow
Trailer
Dracula

8. the nightmare before christmas
Tim Burton’s famous stop-animation film is based on a poem Burton wrote based on a Christmas Poem.
“A Visit from St. Nicholas” by Clement Clarke Moore
“The Nightmare Before Christmas” by Tim Burton, narrated by Christopher Lee