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| Kids Halloween Costumes & The History of Halloween |
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The most famous symbol of Halloween is a pumpkin carved into a jack-o-lantern. Here's a bit about the origins of how pumpkin carving began.
When did Halloween start? Have there always been pumpkins carved and childrens halloween costumes? Here are some answers!
Halloween is a night for dressing up baby, children or adults in unique halloween costumes, telling scary ghost stories, having halloween parties, trick-or-treating from home to home and pumpkin carving.
FUN FACT: Halloween is actually based on an ancient Celtic holiday known as Samhain (pronounced "sow wan"), which means "summer's end".
It was the end of the Celtic year, starting at sundown on October 31st and going through to sundown November 1st. It was a night to honor loved ones that had passed on since the veil between their realm and ours is at it's thinnest on that night.
Halloween has been celebrated for centuries by the Celts, witches and many other nature based religions, and it is believed to be the most magical night of the year. Halloween is the Witches' New Year, and the Last Harvest. Although the religious significance of it has passed for the general public, Halloween is a "magical" night for all!
On Halloween night, glowing jack-o-lanterns, carved from turnips or gourds, were set on porches and in windows to welcome deceased loved ones, but also to act as protection against evil spirits. Burning lumps of coal were used inside as a source of light, and were later to be replaced by candles.
When European settlers, particularly the Irish, arrived in American they found the native pumpkin to be larger, easier to carve and seemed the perfect choice for jack-o-lanterns. Halloween didn't really catch on big in this country until the late 1800's and has been celebrated in so many ways ever since!
Pumpkins are indigenous to the western hemisphere and were unknown in Europe before the time of Columbus. In 1584, the French explorer Jacques Cartier reported from the St. Lawrence region that he had found "gros melons", which translated into English as "ponpions," or pumpkins. Pumpkins have been grown in America for over 5,000 years. Native Americans called pumpkins "isquotersquash."
FUN FACT: Did you know that pumpkins are not a vegetable - they are a fruit! Pumpkins, like gourds, and other varieties of squash are all members of the Cucurbitacae family , which also includes cucumbers, gherkins, and melons.
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