10 Halloween -- A Favorite Event for Kids. Part I

Halloween ¹⁾was celebrated on October 31, Thursday! It's easy to see when Halloween is approaching, because many pumpkins ²⁾are displayed in piles outside stores and many homes are decorated with Jack-o’-lanterns, and pictures or statues of witches, vampires, and other monsters.³⁾ Halloween is probably the second favorite holiday for kids, following Christmas.

1. Why do kids love Halloween?

There are three big reasons: (1) Kids will get a lot of candy for free. (2) Kids can go out at night wearing costumes ⁴⁾. (3) Kids can try out making jack-o’-lanterns ^1,
5) with the help of older kids or adults.

(1) Kids will get a lot of candy for free.

On Halloween, kids dress up in costumes ⁴⁾ that are often scary and go "Trick or Treating." They usually form a small group and visit many houses, ringing the doorbell at each house. When the owner approaches, all the kids say "TRICK OR TREAT!" The homeowner gives them candy, and they move to the next house.

(2) Kids can go out at night wearing costumes ⁴⁾.

Common costumes are ghosts, skeletons, witches, and vampires. Smaller children may wear outfits that are not scary, such as a bunny, mouse, or their favorite cartoon character.

Since trick or treating takes place at night, and often involves knocking on the doors of strangers, safety is a concern. Parents or other relatives usually escort young children. If parents are concerned about safety or if the weather is bad, they may bring their children to indoor parties instead of going trick or treating outside. In the past, homeowners gave out homemade treats, like cookies and caramel apples ⁶⁾. But most people now give away store candy in sealed wrappers for safety. With a few simple precautions, millions of kids have a safe and fun Halloween every year.

Halloween expressions:

Boo! - This word is used to scare or startle people

TRICK OR TREAT! - Children say this phrase at the door of a house in order to get candy.

To be continued in Halloween -- A Favorite Event for Kids. Part II

November 26, 2002, in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
http://www.exploreamerica.info
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1) Sources on Halloween: < http://wilstar.com/holidays/hallown2.htm > < http://wilstar.com/holidays/hallown.htm > < http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/halloween/ >
2) Pumpkins here are most likely different from pumpkins in Japan. They usually grow much bigger than the Japanese varieties. Some can grow to over 500 lbs. (=226.8 kg) (see a great pumpkin at our photo gallery < http://www.exploreamerica.info/Photo_StateFair_A_Great_Pumpkin.htm >, or our newsletter 4 on Stat Fair < http://www.exploreamerica.info/what_letter_e4.htm > ).
3) One decoration that is becoming more common in recent years is a figure of a witch that is attached to a tree. The witch is made to look like it was flying and crashed into a tree. See the photo (Top Left) < http://www.geocities.com/Eureka/Promenade/6312/halloween/halownpics.html > a witch crash project < http://www.geocities.com/Eureka/Promenade/6312/halloween/wc.html >

4) Costume examples: < http://www.halloweenmart.com/cgi-bin/miva?Merchant2/merchant.mv+Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=HM&Category_Code=200 >
5) Photo examples of jack-o’-lanterns < http://www.exploreamerica.info/Photo_Gallery_01_Halloween.htm >
6) Caramel Apples recipes, Halloween recipes, etc. : < http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/8149/hal-recipes.html > < http://dessert.allrecipes.com/AZ/Crmlppls.asp > < http://www.jackolanterns.net/recipes.htm >

Keywords: Halloween, pumpkins, jack-o’-lantern, carving pumpkins, costumes, Trick or Treat!, candy

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