A celebration dating from the time of the Druids, to celebrate the coming of the new year, and the ending of the old. To mark the end of summer and the harvest, and greet the dark season of winter, dancing in costumes around a huge bonfire, to keep the returning ghost of the dead at bay.
Then came the Romans, who celebrated Feralia, a day in late October when the Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead. Decades later, All Martyrs’ Day was moved to the fall and combined with All Saints’ Day. In 1000 A.D., the church would make November 2 All Souls’ Day, a day to honor the dead.
In the mid 1800’s Irish and English immigrants brought us to our own American Halloween traditions. Dressing up in costumes and attending Halloween parties, going from house, asking for food or money. People would give away soul cakes, in hopes the recipients would pray for their dead relatives.
Today candy has replaced soul cakes, and Halloween has become a more social event, celebrating living, with games and cute trick-or-treaters going door-to-door in their costumes, as much to be oohed and aahed over by the neighbors as for the bounty they will take home.
Shame that giving out books for Halloween never caught on. Coming home after a night of ringing doorbells with a bounty of books. That would be a real treat!
There is, of course, a bounty of Halloween books available at PaperBackSwap.
Here are a few that are currently available to order right now
Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie
The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance by Elna Baker
How to Drive Your Family Crazy on Halloween by Dean Marney
Halloween: 101 Frightfully Fun Ideas Edited by Carol Dahlstrom
The Halloween Ball by James Howard Kunstler
What an excellent idea! I can still get out and buy comic books or something for the kids. Thank-you.
OOHHH, I would love to trick or treat for books, and the idea of comic books and even small story books for the really little ones…I Love those ideas!