Halloween Facts for Kids – Halloween Information for Kids

We celebrate Halloween every year in such true spirits that it has become the second biggest festival after Christmas. It is the most favorite festival for kids as they can get a huge amount of candies. The tradition of Halloween has been passed on to us for generations and to keep its true spirits alive, we also need to teach our kids about Halloween. We have gathered a complete collection of Halloween Facts for Kids that will teach our kids what Halloween is all about. We have tried to answer almost all the questions that kids might have in their minds about Halloween. So do not forget to like and share these Halloween Facts with your kids, friends, and family.

Halloween Facts for Kids

1. What is Halloween

• Halloween is a holiday celebrated annually on 31 October.
• It is the evening just before the two Christian holy days called the All Hallows’ Day:
  • All Saints’ or Hallowmas on 1 November
  • All Souls’ Day on 2 November
• Halloween is like a community-based festival and is mostly celebrated in Western countries.
• Kids and adults wear different costumes of their choice and attend costume parties.
• Big pumpkins are carved into lanterns and put off for display by people in their houses.
• Some people like to visit haunted locations on Halloween where they share scary stories.
• People also play pranks tricks to scare each other.
• Those who like to stay home watch horror movies.
• Superstitious people light bonfires in their courtyards to keep their houses safe from ghosts and evil spirits.

2. Why is Halloween called Halloween

• As it is the evening before the All Hallows’ Day, it was called All Hallows’ Eve. Later on, with time, it changed into Halloween.

3. When is Halloween Day – When is Halloween Celebrated

• Halloween Day is celebrated on 31 October every year.

4. Is Halloween a Holiday

• Yes, Halloween is an annual holiday filled with a lot of costumes, candies for kids, and parties. It might be a working day in many parts of the world but still, it is a holiday that is celebrated whether it is a working day or not.

5. What does Halloween Celebrate

• There are two historical things for which Halloween is celebrated:
  • Samhain (Summer’s End) is the end of the harvest season
  • All Hallows’ Days – the two Christian holidays.

5. What is Halloween for Kids

• Halloween is a very special holiday for kids as they get to wear spooking costumes of their favorite characters. In addition to this, they go trick or treating in their neighborhood to collect sweets and candies.
• In Trick or Treat, kids go to every house one by one and ask the question “Trick or Treat?”. The house owners then give them sweets or candies. If a house owner does not give any candies to them then the kids would play some mischievous prank on them.
• In some countries, the kids perform some tricks such as magic tricks, singing a song, telling a joke, playing musical instruments, or any other talent the kids may have, and in return, the house owner will give them candies as treat.
• Trick and treat is a fun activity that provides an opportunity for kids, to show off their costumes and collect as many candies as they can.

6. Who Invented Halloween – Where Did Halloween Originate

• Halloween is traced back to a 2000 years old Celtic festival called Samhain (pronounced as SAH-wen) which was celebrated at the end of the summer harvest.
• So the people who invented Halloween are the ancient Celts who lived in Northern Europe most probably in the countries of Britain, France, and Ireland.

7. Who first Celebrated Halloween – Who were the first People to Celebrate Halloween

• Ancient Celts who lived in Northern Europe were the first people to celebrate Halloween.
• Celts were superstitious people who believed that on 31 October, the spirits of the dead roam freely in towns and villages.
• They feared that these spirits could harm them by damaging their crops, possessing people, and spreading incurable sickness.
• To keep these spirits away, the Celts dressed up in scary costumes made from animal hides and fire up huge bonfires.

8. How did Halloween Start

• This Celts festival Samhain was turned into Halloween over time just like other cultural changes.
• This festival was a non-religious (pagan) celebration. As Christianity became a dominant religion in the world, the Church didn’t like people celebrating non-religious holidays such as Samhain.
• In the year 800 AD, to make this non-religious (pagan) celebration a religious one, the Church moved the Christian holiday “All Saints’ Day” from Spring to November 1st. The night before 1st November (i.e. on 31 October) when Samhain was celebrated became known as All Hallows’ Eve. This later on with time changed into Halloween.

9. History of Trick or Treat

• Trick or treat history is usually connected to the old custom of souling.
• In souling, the poor will go from house to house to beg for soul cakes. In return for the soul cakes, the beggars would pray for those members of the family who were recently dead.
• Soul cakes were round in shape and were made from bread with currants.

10. Why Do We Carve Pumpkins on Halloween – Story of Jack o’ Lanterns

• According to an old tale, a drunken farmer named Stingy Jack was not allowed to enter both heaven and hell after his death. His soul wandered in the darkness. He carved out a lantern out of a turnip and coal, to light his way and guide his soul.
• The Celtics believed in this story of Jack Stingy, so they began to place Jack o’ Lanterns outside their houses. The purpose was to guide lost souls home while they wandered during the Samhain festival eve.
• Initially, the Jack o’ Lanterns were carved out from potatoes but after the potatoes famine, people began to use pumpkin instead.

10. History of Halloween in America

• The Halloween festival was brought to America by the Irish people who came to America in the early nineteenth century.
• Later on in the mid of twentieth century, the festival became a hugely celebrated children’s holiday.
• Its popularity has increased over time and now it is more like a community celebration. Now even the adults celebrate it by participating in costume parties and is a huge commercial event in North America.

11. How long has Halloween been around

• Halloween has been around for more than 2000 years.
• It was made a Christian holiday 1200 years ago.

12. Why do we Celebrate Halloween – Why Halloween is Celebrated in the USA

• We celebrate Halloween because:
  • Our forefathers have been celebrating it for centuries.
  • It is the evening before the Christian holiday “All Saints’ or Hallowmas”.
  • It is a community festival and being part of our community we celebrate it with them.
  • We love festivals and celebrations as they give us a break from our daily hectic routines.
  • It is the only festival where kids and adults can wear any costume they want to.
  • Kids love candies and they can get as much as they want on Halloween
  • We feel happy when we celebrate Halloween.

We do not need any reason for why is Halloween celebrated. If it makes us happy then we should celebrate it.

13. How to Celebrate Halloween

• Watch the scariest movies suitable for your age along with your friends in an outdoor location.
• Carve up Jack-o-lanterns from Pumpkins and put them on the display in your home.
• Go on camping with your friends and family, and tell ghost stories to each other.
• Dressing up the whole family in a single theme costume. Don’t forget the pets.
• Revive the tradition of bobbing apples.

14. Interesting Facts about Halloween – Halloween Fun Facts for Kids

• Originally kids used to dance, sing or perform something before they could get their treatment from the house.
• In old times people used to wear animal skins as costumes.
• Jack-o’-lanterns were also made from beets, potatoes, and turnips.
• In some American towns, Halloween was once called “Cabbage Night.”
• The fear of Halloween is called Samhainophobia.
• In America, Halloween is the second-most commercial holiday after Christmas.
• Halloween is the sixth most popular card-giving holiday. About 20 million Halloween cards are sent each year.
• Back in 1950, Trick or treaters of Philadelphia collected change instead of sweets for children overseas. The money collected was sent to UNICEF. This, later on, created the Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF program.
• In the year 2012, 41.1 million children between the ages 5 and 14 went out into the streets for trick or treat in their best costumes. It almost tripled in 2014.
• In America, parents spend around 1 billion dollars on their kids’ Halloween costumes.
• It is expected that more than 175 million Americans are going to celebrate Halloween this year (2018).
• It is expected that more than $9 billion will be spent on this coming Halloween (2018).

15. Halloween Safety Precautions for Kids

• Go out for trick or treat only in residential areas near your house where people are still awake.
• Avoid the house for trick-or-treating if the lights are out and there are no Halloween decorations. Some people are not open to trick-or-treaters.
• Don’t play any trick if you do not get any treats from a house.
• Do check your candy before eating it. It is better to let your parents inspect you.