Happy Halloween | Lucky says, Boo-careful this Halloween. Halloween is the time when the veil between the living and the dead is the thinnest.
If you are planning on taking you children or grandchildren out for trick-or-treating this season, there are a few suggestions to keep them safe.
* Halloween is a time of fun and celebration. It is also a time for safety. According to the National Safety Council, Halloween is one of the top holidays when children are injured by trick or treating. Consider taking them to a planned Happy Halloween party at a local community center or neighborhood home.
* Come in when the streetlights come on.
* Tell them not to eat any treats before you check them.
* Put reflective gear on the customs.
* Never enter a person home and walk in groups.
* Stay with the area you are familiar.
* Walk with an older sibling.
* Don’t cross the street.
* Only visit neighbors that your family knows.
* Wear costumes with good eye holes.
Halloween has its roots in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, which marked the end of the harvest season in Ireland and Britain. The Celts believed that on October 31, ghosts from the underworld were allowed to roam freely among the living. They lit bonfires and put on costumes to scare away these evil spirits.
Samhain was also a celebration of life and fertility. People would make offerings at sacred wells and hold feasts featuring food left over from harvest season — pumpkins were especially popular because they lasted longer than other vegetables during winter months when there was less sunlight.
The Romans imported Samhain into their own festivities around 500 B.C., according to History Channel’s “Halloween: An American Holiday.” They celebrated it by lighting candles and wearing masks that represented dead ancestors who returned home during this time each year. The Romans called it Feralia (Festival of The Dead) or Parentalia (Homecoming Festival).