October 31st is time for grand Halloween parties. Halloween is a popular festival that is celebrated in the USA and a host of other countries such as Ireland, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom and other European countries.
Halloween has its origins in the Celtic regions of Ireland where October marked the end of the harvesting season. This culmination is celebrated as the festival of Samhain. It is during this period that the ancient people used to plan their livestock and food supplies for the impending winter. They believed that during this period the dead souls could create trouble for the living beings in the form of diseases, plague or cause crops to fail.
In order to placate the dead souls, they used to dance around bonfires and throw bones of slaughtered livestock in the fire. They also wore masks and costumes to mimic the dead souls.
Evolution of Modern Halloween
As the Irish people migrated to the United States, they also took along their customs and culture. They mixed with other people, notably Mexicans and others who also contributed part of their culture to Halloween.
Traditionally, it is said that people wore the scary costumes of ghosts, witches, and monsters. Costumes of modern day Halloween resemble popular characters from TV shows and movies. Halloween costumes for kids, teens and adults are available with just a few clicks of the button. Costume accessories such as ghoulish masks, scary make up kits, hats, weapons etc are also available along with the costumes. Sample costume ideas have been noted. Different Celebration Ideas for Halloween
Costumes for Kids
Spiderman costume
Cartoon character costume
Princess costumes
Costumes for adults
Classic costumes
Crazy costumes
Historical costumes
Halloween Decorations
Halloween decorations are unique in nature. You can decorate your office, house, storeroom and backyard with spooky stuff either bought from outlets or obtained through the Internet.
Halloween House Party decorations
Decorate your venue walkway with jack-o-lanterns or ghoulish props
Hang cobwebs in the corners of the rooms
Dim the lights if the theme is scary
Hang scary Halloween clocks
Suspend orange and black streamers
Place Halloween centerpieces for dreadful and eerie effects
Drape the kitchen table with spooky table cloth and arrange Halloween tableware
Backyard decorations
Make a scarecrow stand still amidst the yard
Place coffins and tombstones in the yard
Halloween Games
Traditional games played at Halloween parties include Treasure hunt, pumpkin carving, and bobbing apples. Some of the modern additions are relay races, Halloween word puzzles and pumpkin bowling.
Halloween Food and Recipes
Since pumpkin is available in plenty, it is used to make various ghoulish recipes. The pumpkin seeds also form the basis for tasty Halloween treats. Usual snacks and treats include candies, cookies and cupcakes. Various ghoulish shaped cookie cutters are available online or in markets. for scary decorations or toppings of snacks raisins, gummy worms, walnuts etc are used. Variety of spooky drinks that resemble blood, slime etc is available.
Halloween Safety Tips
Kids should go for trick or treat under some adult supervision
Beware of the costume accessories such as weapons and armors
Assist the kids to wear masks to avoid chokes
Do not scare the older guests with ghoulish games
