Halloween

Halloween is the annual festival of all things spooky, celebrated on October 31st. The name is thought to be derived from All Hallows Eve - the night before All Saints Day.

These days Halloween has a number of traditions associated with it.

Jack-o-Lanterns
Carving a lantern out of vegetables might be considered an inefficient way of providing a light source, but carving a scary face into a pumpkin, swede or squash, then hollowing out a space for a candle in the middle is great fun and make a great piece of Halloween window dressing.

Trick or Treat
Traditionally an activity for younger children, trick-or-treaters go from house to house in costume offering householders the choice or 'Trick or Treat'? A treat is usually candy, but the trick can be anything - usually mild mischief perpetrated on the garden or outside of the house. Most people choose 'treat' just to be on the safe side!

Costumes
Halloween costumes are traditionally 'creepy',  taking their inspiration from supernatural themes and frequently featuring witches, ghosts, zombies, skeletons and demons. However, this has developed into a much broader remit and a Halloween party for adults will likely be a fancy dress or costume party featuring characters from popular culture and history as much as monsters.

Halloween Food
Halloween comes just a few days before Bonfire Night in the UK and so shares much of the same foods. Parkin, Toffee and Toffee Apples are popular as are many types of small candy gleaned from 'Trick or Treat' activities. In the US, pumpkin based foods and candy corn feature heavily in celebrations.