Holidays Around the World

Trick or treat? "Celebrate Halloween" is definitely a treat! This book continues National Geographic's spectacular "Holidays Around the World" series by looking at Halloween customs and festivities all over the world. Using fairly brief text and approximately 25 vibrant photographs, the book gives a flavor for the holiday from a global perspective. A note from an expert consultant aimed at parents and teachers, helps put Halloween - which goes back thousands of years - in a greater cultural and historic context. "Celebrate Halloween" shows a wide range of traditions of this exciting holiday, including visiting pumpkin patches and carving jack-o'-lanterns, dressing up in costumes, trick-or-treating from house to house, telling spooky stories, playing pranks, going to costume parties, and playing games such as snap apple or bobbing for apples. Kids will learn that Halloween derives from an ancient Celtic holiday known as Samhain, which took place around October 31. In the 7th century AD, the Pope named November 1 All Saints, or All Hallows, Day. The evening before was called 'All Hallows Even', which was later shortened to 'Halloween'. Although the Pope wanted Halloween to be a holy night, the old Celtic traditions remained, such as putting out food and drink for the wandering spirits believed to be out that night. In time, children and adults started dressing up like witches and skeletons and other supernatural creatures and performing tricks so that they could get the food and drinks - trick or treat! Halloween bonfires in Ireland - believed to be the birthplace of Halloween - Halloween parades in Japan, a costume-wearing pooch in the U.S., and a pumpkin patch in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower in Paris are all rich observances of this beloved holiday. A special sidebar in the back matter introduces readers to The Day of the Dead, which is celebrated the day after Halloween in Mexico.