Halloween originated 2000 years ago in Ireland, England, and Northern France as part of the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. On October 31st, the Celts believed the ghosts of the dead returned to earth and people wore costumes to avoid being recognized by ghosts. When Irish immigrants fled to America due to the potato famine in the 1840s, they brought their Halloween traditions with them. Today in the US, Halloween involves children dressing in costumes and going trick-or-treating in neighborhoods to collect candy, while carving jack-o-lanterns from pumpkins and attending haunted houses or parties.

1. HALLOWEEN,
or All Hallow’s Eve

2. Origins of Halloween

3. Halloween began
two thousand years
ago in Ireland,
England, and
Northern France
with the ancient
religion of the Celts
(Paganism).
Origins

4. They celebrated their New Year on November 1st
This day marked
the beginning of
the dark, cold
winter, a time of
year that was
often associated
with human
death.

5. Samhain (sow-in /saʊwɪn/)
On the night of
October 31, they
celebrated
Samhain, when it
was believed that
the ghosts of the
dead returned to
earth.

6. COSTUMES
People thought
that they would
encounter
ghosts if they
left their
homes…

7. So they wore costumes
This way, the
ghosts couldn’t
recognize them

8. All Souls Day

9. All Souls Day
November 2nd, called All Souls Day, is the
day set apart in the Roman Catholic
Church for the commemoration of the
dead.

10. Trick-or-treating began in the 15th
century…During the All
Souls Day
festival in
England, poor
people would
beg for “soul
cakes,” made
out of square
pieces of
bread with
sweets
Families
would give
soul cakes in
return for a
promise to
pray for the
family’s
relatives

11. ...then children
The practice, which
was referred to as
"going a-souling"
was eventually
taken up by
children who would
visit the houses in
their neighborhood
and be given ale,
food, and money.

12. Nowadays
Children still go
from house-to-
house, but
instead of ale,
food, and money,
they get candy.

13. With Irish immigration...
In 1848, millions
of Irish emigrants
poured into
America as a
result of the potato
famine. They
brought with them
their traditions of
Halloween.

14. ...Halloween came to America
They called
Halloween
Oidhche Shamhna
(`Night of
Samhain'), as their
ancestors had, and
kept the traditional
observances.

15. Jack-O-Lanterns

16. Jack-O-Lanterns
The Irish used to
carry turnips with
candles in them to
light their way at
night and to scare
away ghosts.

17. When they arrived
in America they
found
that pumpkins
were both plentiful
and easier to carve
than turnips.
Jack-O-Lanterns

18. People have recently started carving less traditional Jack-O-
Lanterns

19. Today people have haunted
houses...

20. Take their kids trick-or-
treating

22. The Legend of Stingy Jack
Ireland
🎃 Stingy Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him.
🎃 Stingy Jack didn’t want to pay for their drinks!
🎃 Stingy Jack convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin to pay for them.
🎃 Stingy Jack decided to keep the coin instead.
🎃 Stingy Jack put the coin in his pocket with a
silver cross to keep the Devil from changing
back.
🎃 Eventually, Stingy Jack decided to free the
Devil, as long as the Devil promised not to
bother him for one year

23. The Legend of Stingy Jack
Ireland
🎃 Eventually, Stingy Jack decided to free the Devil, if the Devil promised
not to bother him for one year.
🎃 After one year, Stingy Jack tricked the Devil again by having him
climb into a tree to get a piece of fruit.
🎃 While the Devil was up in the tree, Stingy Jack carved a cross into the
tree so the Devil could not come down.
🎃 Stingy Jack made the Devil promise not to bother him for ten more
years.
🎃 Soon after, Stingy Jack died.
🎃 God did not want Stingy Jack’s soul in Heaven, and the Devil did not
want Stingy Jack’s soul in Hell.

24. 🎃 God and the Devil sent Stingy Jack
to roam the earth forever with only a
burning coal for light.
🎃 Stingy Jack placed the coal in a
carved turnip and still wanders the
earth today.

25. 1.
Halloween in the USA
Candy, Pumpkins, and Costumes

26. Trick or treat, smell my feet
Give me something good to eat!

27. Trick-or-treating
🎃 Children walk around their
neighborhood in costumes with a
bag to collect candy.
🎃 They knock on the doors of each
house.
🎃 When the door is opened, they
say “TRICK OR TREAT”
🎃 Then, the children get candy!

29. Jack-O-Lanterns

30. Selecting a pumpkin
🎃 Before you can carve a pumpkin, you must buy one to use!
🎃We go to pumpkin patches or the grocery store to find a pumpkin.
🎃There are lots of pumpkins around the time of Halloween!

31. Carving the pumpkin
First, you must select a design.

32. Carving the pumpkin
Next, you must cut the stem off of the pumpkin
and empty out the insides!

33. Carving the pumpkin
Next, you draw the design on the pumpkin.

34. Carving the pumpkin
Then, using a special set of small knives,
you cut the design out of the pumpkin.

35. Finally, you place a candle inside the jack-
o-lantern, light the candle, and replace the
stem.

36. Wearing a costume is the best part!
Witch, Frankenstein, Ghost, Vampire, Minion

37. Symbols of Halloween
Ghost
Skull
Mummy
Zombie
Coffin
Jack-O-Lantern,
Carved Pumpkin
Spider
Skeleton
Bats
Black Cat
Werewolf
Vampire

38. Questions...
Raise your hand to answer!
1. Will you wear a
costume this year?
2. Do you
go trick-or-
treating?
3. Have
you been to a
haunted house?