Halloween Newsletter

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Did you know...?

· Pumpkins are not vegetables - they're actually fruits. A pumpkin is a type of squash and a member of the gourd family. Squash, cucumbers and melons belong to this family, too.

· People have grown pumpkins in North America for five thousand years.

· Forget apples - a pumpkin a day will keep the doctor away. That's because pumpkins are packed with lots of vitamins, protein, iron and fiber. They're also low in calories, fat and sodium.

· In 1996, the largest pumpkin ever grown was raised by Paula and Nathan Zehr of Lowville, New York. It weighed 1,061 pounds. (That makes a lot of pie!)

· Save those pumpkin seeds and mark your calendars: For a successful crop of pumpkins, seeds should be planted between the last week of May and the middle of June. They take between 3-4 months to grow.

Lead Story

 There are many different ideas about Halloween's origins. Some say it dates back nearly 6,000 years, while others argue that Halloween has a much shorter history. What most agree on is that Halloween's original focus was more about harvests than horror.

Some say the tradition began with the Celts, who lived thousands of years ago in what is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France. The Celts celebrated their new year on November 1, which marked the end of summer and the beginning of the dark, cold winter (the only two seasons the Celts recognized.) To help protect themselves and their crops during the long winter, the Celts staged a joyous harvest celebration called Samhain (pronounced sow-in), which means "summer's end." Some say Celtic priests burned crops and animals as part of the celebration. They also supposedly wore costumes and told each other's fortunes at this time.

How did the name 'Halloween' come about? By the 800s, Christianity had spread into Celtic lands and Pope Boniface IV named November 1 "All Saints' Day." It was a day to honor those who died for their beliefs. The celebration was also called "All-hallows" or "All-hallowmas" (from an old English word "Alholowmesse," meaning All Saints' Day). People began to call the night before it "All-hallows Eve." This name eventually became Halloween.

 Below the Fold

 Why did people start trick-or-treating?

Trick-or-treating most likely dates back to early All Souls' Day parades in England. During the festivities, poor people would beg for food. Families would then give them pastries called "soul cakes" in return for their promise to pray for the family's dead relatives.

Children eventually took on this tradition, known as "going a-souling," and they would visit houses in their neighborhood for drinks, food and money.

Where did costumes come from?

Dressing up in Halloween costumes also has European origins. Hundreds of years ago, people believed that ghosts roamed the streets on Halloween night, so they wore masks when they left home to fool ghosts into thinking they were other spirits.

On Halloween, people would also place bowls of food outside their homes to please the ghosts and discourage them from entering their houses. Over the course of several centuries, people gradually began to eat these goodies themselves (and leave nothing for the ghost.

 Where did the name 'Jack-o'-Lantern' come from?

 The name "Jack-o'-Lantern" comes from an old Irish myth about a famous trickster named Stingy Jack, who was not allowed into either heaven or hell because of his trickery. So, according to the story, the devil gave Jack a glowing piece of coal placed inside a hollowed-out turnip to light his way at night. As the legend goes, Jack has been roaming the face of the earth ever since. The Irish named this ghostly figure "Jack of the Lantern," which was later shortened to "Jack o' Lantern."

 Why are Jack-o'-Lanterns made out of pumpkins?

Hundreds of years ago, children in Scotland and Ireland made their version of Jack-o'-Lanterns out of turnips. They'd hollow them out, carve faces on them and place candles inside. Then they would carry them around at night to scare away wandering evil spirits like Stingy Jack. All of this changed, however, when European immigrants came to America and saw that pumpkins made better Jack-o'-Lanterns because of their bright orange color, round shapes and soft insides. Can you imagine carving faces into a tough old turnip?

 Survey - Costumes

 · A bag of jelly beans.  It was a comforter bag with holes cut out of it then filled with balloons  with tights under it. 

· Marine with my dad’s actual uniform.

· A  gypsy but costumes were never bought - the fun was coming up with your costume with things from home 

· Sleeping Beauty

· Ghost

· I saw the play CATS, I was a cat for like, four years in a row

· Cinderella”

· My mom made my sister and I witches costumes. She took an old white bedspread, died black. She made witches hats out of cardboard painted them orange with decorations.

· Baby 

· Ghostbuster. It was complete with that humongous tank on the back and flashing lights!  Funny, my best friend at the time was a ghost, and I had no idea!!

· Hobo after watching “Meet Me in St Louis” I even wore burnt pumpkin on my face to look like a beard

· A witch

· a Bride (my best friend, a girl,  was the groom)

 Survey - Treats

 · Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups

· always hoped to get goody bags FULL of candy

· Chocolate

· Candy bars

· Candy corn

· Step away from the Snickers, they’re MINE!

· Nestle Crunch Bar

· little toys instead of candy from one special house

· Anything with peanut butter!

· Home made caramel or candy apples

· ANY HERSHEY milk chocolate and Plain M&M

· BIG bags of chips from the stores on the Main Rd

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