The month is amber, Gold and brown. Blue ghosts of smoke Float through the town. Great Vs of geese Honk overhead, And maples turn A fiery red. Frost bites the lawn, The stars are slits In a black cats eye Before she spits. At last, small witches, Goblins, hags, And pirates armed With paper bags. Their costumes hinged On safety pins, Go haunt a night Of pumpkin grins.

This Is Halloween

Halloween is an annual holiday observed on October 31. It has roots in the Celtic festival of Samhain and the Christian holiday All Saints' Day, but is today largely a secular celebration.

The ancient Celts believed that the border between this world and the Otherworld became thin on this day, allowing spirits (both harmless and harmful) to pass through. The family's ancestors were honoured and invited home while harmful spirits were warded off.

No sun, no light, Not even a spark, The whole world Is completely dark. The clock strikes twelve, You hear it chime, Not one single person Is awake at this time. No other color Than black is to see.

You notice a monster, During the day its a tree. Though theres no wind, You can smell the crisp air. The shapes you see, Are the creeps of your nightmare. No sun, no lamp, Not a single light. So dark, so black, In the middle of the night.

Halloween costumes are traditionally those of monsters such as ghosts, skeletons, witches, and devils. They are said to be used to scare off demons. Costumes are also based on themes other than traditional horror, such as those of characters from television shows, movies, and other pop culture icons.

Long ago people believed in ghosts. They thought that the dead came back to their homes on Halloween and walked around all night.

There's a house upon the hilltop We will not go inside For that is where the witches live, Where ghosts and goblins hide. Tonight they have their party, All the lights are burning bright, But oh we will not go inside The haunted house tonight.

The demons there are whirling And the spirits swirl about. They sing their songs to Halloween. "Come join the fun," they shout. But we do not want to go there So we run with all our might And oh we will not go inside The haunted house tonight.

Witches flying past on broomsticks, Black cats leaping here and there, White-robed spooks on every corner, Mournful moaning in the air, Goblins peering out of windows, Spirit-things that rap and run- But don't be scared-it's just October, Having one last hour of fun!

Ding, dang, dong! Crackle a little song! Use your bones As xylophones One went crack, whats wrong?

It was a black and gloomy night And not a star was in sight The moon shone brightly in the sky When suddenly I heard a cry. I ran past the gravestones, covered in moss. This graveyard was haunted, The shriek meant a loss.

I needed to save whoever screamed. Since theres a ghost that eats brains, so it seemed. I kept on running Till Id seen the case. My scared friend Patrick had tripped on his lace.

"Will you walk into my parlor?" said the spider to the fly; It is the prettiest little parlor that you ever did spy. The way into my parlor is up a winding stair, And I have many curious things to show when you are there." "Oh no, no!" said the little fly, "to ask me is in vain; For who goes up your winding stair can never come down again."

Witches have had a long history with Halloween. Legends tell of witches gathering on this night, arriving on broomsticks, to celebrate a party hosted by the devil. Superstitions tell of witches casting spells on unsuspecting people, transform themselves into different forms and causing other magical mischief.

The sky is dark, The stars are blue, The witches are making Their witches brew.

The Witches Caldron "Eye of newt, and toe of frog, Wool of bat, and tongue of dog" "Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting, Lizard's leg, and owlet's wing" "For a charm of powerful trouble, Like a hell-broth boil and babble" "Double, double, toil and trouble, Fire burn, and caldron bubble" William Shakespeare

The black cat has long been associated with witches. Many superstitions have evolved about cats. It was believed that witches could change into cats. Some people also believed that cats were the spirits of the dead.

One of the best known superstitions is that if a black cat was to cross your path you would have to turn around and go back because many people believe if you continued bad luck would strike you.

Celtic priests called Druids celebrated Halloween many centuries ago in Ireland and Scotland. The Druids thought that Halloween was the night when the witches came out. As they were afraid of the witches they put on different clothes and painted their faces to deceive the evil spirits. They also placed food and small gifts near the doors of their houses for the witches.

The old Celtic custom was to light great bonfires on Halloween, and after these had burned out to make a circle of the ashes of each fire. Within this circle, and near the circumference, each member of the various families that had helped to make a fire would place a pebble. If, on the next day, any stone was displaced, or had been damaged, it was considered to be an indication that the one to whom the stone belonged would die within twelve months.

Jack-o-lanterns originated in Ireland where people placed candles in hollowed- out turnips to keep away spirits and ghosts on the Samhain holiday. Some of them have scary and some have funny faces.

According to folklore, the jack-o- lantern got his name from a man named Jack who used to play practical jokes on the devil and was punished for it.

Trick-or-treating is a customary celebration for children on Halloween. Children go in costume from house to house, asking for treats such as candy or sometimes money, with the question, "Trick or treat?" The word "trick" refers to a (mostly idle) "threat" to perform mischief on the homeowners or their property if no treat is given. Sometimes children perform some sort of trick, i.e. sings a song or tells a ghost story, to earn their treats.

In masks and gowns we haunt the street And knock on doors for trick or treat. Tonight we are the king and queen, For all tonight is …

Menu o Halloween Witches Brew o Chocolate Spiders o Gingerbread Ghosts o Scary Faced Pizzas o Halloween Mix o Coco Lanterns o Vampire Punch o Witches Fingers o Night Crawlers o Candied Apples o Pumpkin Chips

Fortunetelling Apples were once thought to be a link between men and the Gods and were often used to tell the future. By putting an apple under your pillow you could dream a wish and eat the apple in the morning. Later people began to use apples in games.

A burning a candle inside a jack-o-lantern on Halloween keeps evil spirits and demons at bay. If a candle suddenly goes out by itself on Halloween, as though by breath or wind, it is believed that a ghost has come to call. Always burn new candles on Halloween to ensure the best of luck. It is not a good idea to burn Halloween candles at any other time of the year. It may bring bad luck or strange things will happen to you, over which you will have no control. Superstitions

Gazing into a flame of a candle on Halloween night will enable you to peer into the future. Girls who carry a lamp to a spring of water on this night can see their future husband in the reflection. It is believed that if a person lights a new orange colored candle at midnight on Halloween and lets it burn until sunrise, he or she will be the recipient of good luck. Superstitions

If you hear footsteps trailing close behind you on Halloween night, do not to turn around to see who it is, for it may be Death himself! To look Death in the eye, according to ancient folklore, is a sure way to hasten your own demise. If a bat flies around a house three times, it is considered to be a death omen. A person born on Halloween can both see and talk to spirits. Superstitions

If you see a spider on Halloween, it could be the spirit of a dead loved one who is watching you. Put your clothes on inside out and walk backwards on Halloween night to meet a witch. You should walk around your home three times backwards and counterclockwise before sunset on Halloween to ward off evil spirits. Superstitions

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