Halloween, or Hallowe'en, is a holiday celebrated on the night of October 31. Halloween activities include trick-or-treating, ghost tours, bonfires, costume parties, visiting "haunted houses" and carving jack-o-lanterns. Irish immigrants carried versions of the tradition to North America in the nineteenth century.
Halloween is very popular in Ireland, where it originated, and is known in Irish as Oiche Shamhna (pron: ee-hah how-nah), literally "Samhain Night". Pre-Christian Celts had an autumn festival, Samhain (pronounced 'so-wen' - from the Old Irish samain), "End of Summer", a pastoral and agricultural "fire festival" or feast, when the dead revisited the mortal world, and large communal bonfires would hence be lit to ward off evil spirits.
Costumes and masks were also worn at the festivals in an attempt to mimic the evil spirits or placate them.
On Halloween night in present-day Ireland, adults and children dress up as creatures from the underworld (e.g., ghosts, ghouls, zombies, witches and goblins), light bonfires, and enjoy spectacular fireworks displays - in particular, the city of Derry is home to the largest organised Halloween celebration on the island, in the form of a street carnival and fireworks display. It is also common for fireworks to be set off for the entire month preceding Halloween, as well as a few days after.
The Children's Area of the KC Irish Fest will be celebrating Halloween early this year in thanking the Irish for inventing Halloween and all our fun traditions. There will be costume contests, pumpkin designing, and learn about Old Jack and the beginning of carving pumpkins. And we will have the fireworks.
We will be adding new games and new crafts this year - fun..fun for all. Have your face painted as a monster or fairy princess. Join us for some special stage activities!
BE THERE AND JOIN US FOR THE FUN!
Posted by Shawn Sullivan-Warner - the head Ghost of the Children's area
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