history of halloween assignment

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Origins of Halloween and the Day of the Dead

La Catrina – In Mexican folk culture, the Catrina, popularized by José Guadalupe Posada, is the skeleton of a high society woman and one of the most popular figures of the Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico.

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'Tis night for revel, set apart To reillume the darkened heart, And rout the hosts of Dole. 'Tis night when Goblin, Elf, and Fay, Come dancing in their best array To prank and royster on the way, And ease the troubled soul. The ghosts of all things, past parade, Emerging from the mist and shade That hid them from our gaze, And full of song and ringing mirth, In one glad moment of rebirth, Again they walk the ways of earth, As in the ancient days … —J.K. Bangs, Harper's Weekly , Nov. 5, 1910.

Each year on October 31st, as the ghosts and goblins of Halloween parade the streets and doorsteps of our neighborhoods, we re-enact remnants of ancient folk customs that pay homage to departed ancestors as well as to the souls of our loved ones who have died. These annual revivals of ancient rituals form the basis of our contemporary American festival.

Halloween has traditionally been associated in America with dressing up in costume and with consuming sweets; however, the roots of the holiday lie in late autumn harvest rituals that correspond to natural, seasonal changes and that are expressed in commemorations of the dying year. During this period of transition, cultures across the world remember those who have passed on by drawing an analogy between human death and the dark, cold winter months that loom ahead.

While trick or treating in princess and hobo costumes, carving jack-o-lanterns and telling spooky ghost stories like Washington Irving’s tale The Legend of Sleepy Hollow are traditional hallmarks of the American holiday, other cultures experience their festivals of the dead in very different forms. This EDSITEment feature can be used with students as a framework for discussing the origins and history of the Halloween festival and introducing them to the Mexican festival, the Day of the Dead ( el Día de Muertos ), recognizing the common elements shared these festivals of the dead as well as the acknowledging the differences between them.

Here are several guiding questions you might pose to your students:

• Why are the Halloween and el Día de Muertos festivals held at the end of the agricultural year in conjunction with the autumn harvest?
• Do the Halloween traditions practiced in America today continue to carry any of their more ancient meanings or historical significance?
• Why might the making and offering of special foods be an important part of festivals dedicated to the dead in America as well as Mexico ?

Origins of Halloween

The origin of our Western holiday known as Halloween is found in the ancient Celtic festival, Samhain (pronounced SOW-in). From present-day Ireland to the United Kingdom to Bretagne (Brittany), France, the ancient Celts marked this as one of their four most important festival quarter days of the year. Samhain commenced on the eve of October 31st, and ushered in the Celtic New Year on November 1st. The Celts experienced this as a liminal (threshold) period when the normally strict boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead became mutable. On the eve of Samhain, they believed the veil between the two realms was the most transparent, allowing the spirits of those who have died to return to visit earth.

The above video is a performance by the Symphony Orchestra of The Marcin Józef Żebrowski Music School in Częstochowa, Poland of French composer Camille Saint-Saëns's "Danse Macabre" (first recorded in 1872). As you listen, imagine what it might look like as spirits return to earth to dance on Halloween night.

The timing of this festival coincides with an important period in the natural calendar, one to which all cultures adhered until fairly recently. It is the time of the final harvests of the year, when animals stockpile stores of food for the winter months ahead, the sun sets earlier and rises later, and the trees shed their leaves. With the end of harvesting season, the entire natural world moves into its annual dormant state of hibernation, essentially “dying” until its annual rebirth the following spring.

After the Roman conquest of much of the Celts’ lands in France and England, Samhain  was affected by the advent and subsequent spread of Christianity. The Church attempted to subsume the festival under the celebration of martyrs and saints, which was established on the ancient Celtic new year — November 1st — and recast it as All Saints Day (with the following day, November 2nd as All Soul’s Day). This festival was called All-Hallows, while the evening before was called All-hallows-eve — later becoming, by contraction, our present-day “Halloween.”

The many traditions associated with the contemporary American holiday, including dressing up in costume, holding parades, playing scary pranks and tricks on one another, bobbing for apples, and lighting bonfires are holdovers from the Celtic Samhain festival as outlined in The Fantasy and Folklore of All Hallows from the Library of Congress’s American Folklife Center . Our most popular custom of dressing up on Halloween emanates from the Celtic belief that the ghosts of the departed along with the fairy folk would be abroad roaming the fields and roads near their homes on this night. Fearful of encountering these otherworldly beings on their way to and from the celebrations, they began to wear masks and other ghostly gear in order to fool the spirits into believing they, too, were of the spirit world.

Your students may trace how this holiday has evolved in America from the 19th century into the 21st century. Take a historical look back at Halloween through primary sources available at the Library of Congress (i.e., FSA photographs of children celebrating Halloween from the 1930s, to descriptions of Halloween festivities by Americans early in the 20th century.) Additional examples can be found in historical newspaper accounts, “ Superstitions and Celebrations: Halloween History in Chronicling America, ” which relate old world folklore and divination customs once commonly practiced in America.    

Ancient Celts in Europe and contemporary Americans are by no means the only people with long histories of acknowledging the close of the harvest season by honoring ancestors, hanging ghostly décor, and donning ghoulish apparel. Students will find commonalities within the seasonal festivals of the dead from cultures celebrating Halloween Around the World and explore the origins of our practices in the History of Halloween . The tradition of leaving food on doorsteps on All-hallows-eve in many parts of Europe in the hopes that it might prevent wandering spirits and fairies from entering the house and placate them evolved into the practice of trick or treating. Such offerings of food for the spirits forms an integral part of many fall festivals of the dead around the world, such as the Day of the Dead, el Día de Muertos, in Mexico highlighted here.

Mexico -- El Día de Muertos

Yo, Netzahualcóyotl, lo pregunto. ¿Acaso de veras se vive con raíz en la tierra? No para siempre en la tierra. Aunque sea jade se quiebra, aunque sea de oro se rompe, aunque sea plumaje de quetzal se desgarra. No para siempre en la tierra: Sólo un poco aquí. I, Netzahulacóyotl, ask this. Do we really live with roots on earth? Only for an instant do we endure. Even jade will shatter, even gold will crush, even quetzal plumes will tear. One does not live forever on this earth: only for an instant do we endure. —Netzahualcóyotl, Aztec warrior, architect, poet and ruler of Texcoco (1402-1472)

El Día de Muertos , or the Mexican Day of the Dead Festival, shares similarities with Halloween, including some similar practices, from decorating with pictures of skeletons, to ghoulishly shaped sweets, like the famous pan de muertos  (bread of the dead) or the sugar calaveras (skulls). But el Día de Muertos , which may be one of Mexico’s best-known holidays, consists also of a blending of European traditions brought by the invading Spanish conquistadores and the indigenous traditions of the peoples of Mesoamerica.

The Aztec Festival of the Dead was originally a two-month celebration during which the fall harvest was celebrated, and figures of “death” were personified as well as honored. The festival was presided over by Mictecacíhuatl, Goddess of the Dead and the Underworld, also known to the Aztecs as Mictlán. In the pre-Columbian belief system, Mictlán was not dark or macabre, but rather a peaceful realm where souls rested until the days of visiting the living, or los Días de los Muertos, arrived . Over the course of the festivities, participants place offerings for the dead in front of homemade altars, including special foods, traditional flowers, candles, photographs, and other offerings.

Pre-Hispanic cultures believed that during these days of the year the souls of the departed would return to the realm of the living, where they could visit their loved ones. With the arrival of the Spanish and Christianity, the new rulers of Mexico attempted to marshal the celebrations dedicated to the dead under the auspices of All Saints Day (November 1st), and All Souls Day (November 2nd). The dates of these two Catholic holidays are now celebrated in Mexico as los Días de los Muertos .

November 1st is a day to remember the children who died before experiencing the joys and sorrows of adulthood. Church bells toll in towns across Mexico early in the morning, to call on the souls of deceased children, or angelitos (little angels), to visit their living loved ones early in the day. In the evening of November 2nd, the more involved celebration begins, to welcome the visit of deceased adults.

The celebration includes an invitation for the dead to return to their family home for a visit. Families welcome them back by placing photographs of their deceased loved ones on altars, and may even write and dedicate poems to them. The celebration includes offerings of cempasúchil flowers , drinks and food for the deceased placed alongside their photographs and poems. Another traditional practice is the making of the bread of the dead and the sugar, colorful calaveras (skulls), decorated and labeled with names of people (living or dead). To illustrate this somewhat playful tradition students can view this video (in Spanish, accessible to English-speakers also), Las calaveras están de fiesta (Skulls Having a Party) from the EDSITEment-reviewed site, Mis Cositas , which shows the skulls or skeletons engaged in everyday life in a wide variety of professions. The ritual has special significance for those who have lost a loved one during the previous year, since the festival provides a way of coming to terms with their departure.

Extended families will often gather in cemeteries on the eve of November 2nd, el Día de los Muertos, and congregate at the gravesite of a deceased loved one to hold a commemorative feast. The family may keep a night-long vigil by eating the foods they have made in preparation for the celebration, visiting with each other, and praying for all the members of the extended family, both living and dead. Students can actually witness this celebration in honor of the dead via this highly visual video (in Spanish) from Mis Cositas , which explores in depth the preparations for this important day in Mexican culture.

The creation of the altar is an integral part of the celebration, with many of the ceremonial objects and familiar signature items of Mexican culture to many outside of the country. Altars are often decorated with flowers, whose brief life span is meant to be a reminder of the brevity of life and whose bright, earthly colors are believed to be a guide for the dead back to their loved ones. Brightly colored and intricately cut tissue paper decorates the altar, waving like multi-colored flags. Offerings of sweets, fruits, and other foods are joined by the staples of bread, salt, and water. Grooming supplies, such as a washbasin and soap, may be provided for the spirits to tidy themselves up after their long journey.

Personal possessions of deceased relatives are placed on an altar. Finally, the well-known calaveras that take their place on the altar are representations of skeletons participating in the activities of the living, like cooking, dancing, or even playing in mariachi bands. This somewhat lighthearted treatment of death is characteristic of the remaining Pre-Columbian spirit of this celebration.

Additional material on el Día de los Muertos can be accessed through a number of EDSITEment-reviewed websites. National Geographic offers a pictorial spread on the celebration including questions, fast facts and vocabulary. This holiday is the subject of an ongoing exhibit at Harvard’s Peabody Museum that includes lesson plans , a fact sheet and brochures in English and Spanish . ArtsEdge provides a lesson, Tolerance: Comparing Cultural Holidays , that has students compare our Halloween holiday to the Mexican one, el Día de los Muertos by looking at traditions, music and visual art. The Smithsonian National Museum of American History’s Latino Center Theater of the Dead provides an interactive experience that includes engaging lesson plans for early elementary school with Spanish vocabulary, el Día de los Muertos: Celebrating and Remembering , and for middle school, el Día de los Muertos: a Community Celebration .

El Día de los Muertos is celebrated not only in Mexico, but also in neighboring countries all across Latin America, as well as in the United States. Students may be interested to learn how the festival is celebrated in the Fruitvale district of Oakland, California. The Mexic-Arte Museum in Austin, Texas, sponsors  community altar creations  along with an annual  "Viva la Vida Festival."  The museum offers a comprehensive Day of the Dead Educational Activity Guide sponsored by Humanities Texas with valuable cultural background and ideas for art projects to use in classroom celebrations.

Indeed, artists in cities across the United States have found innovative ways to express themselves during Día de los Muertos . Fort Lauderdale, Florida, organizes an annual  Skeleton Processional in a community street festival with artists and dancers. The SOMArts Cultural Center in San Francisco, California, hosts an annual Day of the Dead exhibition where artists are invited to install unique altars  and expand into other forms of creation. The National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago holds a Día de Los Muertos Ball along with a number of other festive offerings.  Sugar skull art is an expressive medium to preserve the traditions of this holiday.   

• Halloween Around the World
• Halloween – History Channel
• Día de Muertos en México
• Day of the Dead El Dia de Muertos: Inside Mexico
• Smithsonian Latino Center Theatre of the Dead
• Dia de los Muertos Celebration
• Local Legacies Library of Congress

Related on EDSITEment

Understanding the salem witch trials, the legend of sleepy hollow, tales of the supernatural, harrowing halloween: spooky, supernatural, and suspenseful.

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Halloween Timeline: How the Holiday Has Changed Over the Centuries

By: History.com Editors

Updated: September 12, 2023 | Original: October 25, 2021

Halloween’s origins can be traced back to antiquity. Most point to Samhain, a Celtic festival which commemorated the end of the harvest season and the blurring of the physical and spirit worlds, as Halloween’s forebear. Over the ages, the holiday evolved, taking on Christian influences, European myth and American consumerism. Today, Halloween is celebrated with trick-or-treating, costumes, jack-o-lanterns and scary movies—all things which would likely be unrecognizable to those who took part in the holiday’s earliest forms.

Ancient Times: Halloween Begins as Samhain 

Ancient Celts , who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France, marked Samhain at the midpoint between the fall equinox and the winter solstice. During this time of year, hearth fires in family homes were left to burn out while the harvest was gathered. After the harvest work was complete, celebrants joined with Druid priests to light massive bonfires and pray. 

Celts believed that the barrier between the physical and spirit worlds was breachable during Samhain. It was expected that ancestors might cross over during this time as well, and Celts would dress as animals and monsters so that fairies were not tempted to kidnap them.

Read more about Samhain .

10th Century: Samhain Is Christianized

In the 7th century, the Catholic Church established November 1 as All Saints' Day, a day commemorating all the saints of the church. By the 9th century, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands, where it gradually blended with and supplanted older Celtic rites. In 1000 A.D., the church made November 2 All Souls’ Day, a day to honor the dead. It’s widely believed today that the church was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, church-sanctioned holiday.

The All Saints’ Day celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints’ Day) and the night before it, the traditional night of Samhain in the Celtic religion, began to be called All-Hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween. Over many centuries, the three holidays—All Saints’ Day, All Souls' Day and Samhain—essentially merged into one: Halloween. (The Catholic Church still recognizes All Saints’ Day and All Souls' Day today, and some Wiccans and Celtic Reconstructionists commemorate Samhain.) 

Read more about  how the early Catholic Church Christianized Halloween .

The Middles Ages: Trick-or-Treating Emerges

In England and Ireland during All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day celebrations, poor people would visit the houses of wealthier families and receive pastries called soul cakes in exchange for a promise to pray for the souls of the homeowners’ dead relatives. Known as "souling," the practice was later taken up by children, who would go from door to door asking for gifts such as food, money and ale—an early form of trick-or-treating. 

Read more about the origins of trick-or-treating and the history of Halloween candy

19th Century: Jack-o-Lanterns Take Shape

The practice of carving faces into vegetables became associated with Halloween in Ireland and Scotland around the 1800s. Jack-o-lanterns originated from an Irish myth about a man nicknamed “Stingy Jack,” who tricked the Devil and was forced to roam the earth with only a burning coal in a turnip to light his way. People began to make their own versions of Jack’s lanterns by carving scary faces into turnips or potatoes and placing them into windows or near doors to frighten away Stingy Jack and other wandering evil spirits.

Read more about the myth that inspired jack-o-lanterns .

19th Century: Halloween Comes to America—And With It Comes Mischief 

With the exception of Catholic-dominated Maryland and some other southern colonies, Halloween celebrations were extremely limited in early America, which was largely Protestant. It wasn't until the mid-19th century that new immigrants—especially the millions of Irish fleeing the Irish Potato Famine —helped popularize the celebration nationally.

These immigrants celebrated as they did back in their homelands—especially by pulling pranks. In the late 1800s, common Halloween tricks included placing farmers’ wagons and livestock on barn roofs, uprooting vegetables in backyard gardens and tipping over outhouses. By the early 20th century, vandalism, physical assaults and sporadic acts of violence were not uncommon on Halloween. 

Read more about when Halloween was legitimately dangerous. 

1930s: Haunted Houses Become a Thing in the US

Haunted or spooky public attractions already had some precedent in Europe. Starting in the 1800s, Marie Tussaud’s wax museum in London featured a “Chamber of Horrors” with decapitated figures from the French Revolution . In 1915, a British amusement ride manufacturer created an early haunted house, complete with dim lights, shaking floors and demonic screams.

In the U.S., the Great Depression  kickstarted the trend. By then, violence around Halloween—no doubt exacerbated by the dire economic conditions—had reached new highs. Parents, concerned about their children running amok on All Hallows' Eve, organized “haunted houses” or “trails” to keep them off the streets. 

Read more about the Great Depression origins of Halloween haunted houses . 

1950s: Halloween Costumes Go Mainstream 

Costumes and disguises have figured into Halloween celebrations since the holiday's earliest days. But it wasn't until the mid-20th century that costumes started to look like what we know them as today.  

Around the same time neighborhoods began organizing activities such as haunted houses to keep kids safe and occupied, costumes became more important (and less abstract and scary). They began to take the form of things children would have seen and enjoyed, like characters from popular radio shows, comics and movies. In the 1950s, mass-produced box costumes became more affordable, so more kids began to use them to dress up as princesses, mummies, clowns or more specific characters like Batman and Frankenstein’s monster. 

Read more about the history of Halloween costumes. 

1980s: Fears About Poisoned Halloween Candy Reach New Heights 

While in general the fears about poisoned Halloween candy have been overblown, crimes involving poison have occurred. The most infamous case took place on October 31, 1974. That’s when a Texas man named Ronald O’Bryan gave cyanide-laced pixie sticks to five children, including his son. The other children never ate the candy, but his eight-year-old son, Timothy, did—and died soon after. 

The paranoia reached new heights in the early 1980s after a rash of Tylenol poisonings in which cyanide-laced acetaminophen was placed on store shelves and sold. After the Tylenol murders, which are still unsolved, warnings about adulterated Halloween candy increased.

Read more about how Americans became convinced their Halloween candy was poisoned.

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Celebrate Halloween!

Event Description

In the United States, Halloween is celebrated on October 31. The holiday has its roots in the pre-Christian Celtic festival of Samhain. It was Christianized in the 9th century as "All Hallows' Eve," which precedes the Roman Catholic celebration of All Saints' Day on November 1.

Classroom Activity

• If you have Internet access in your class or school, assign one common aspect of Halloween (e.g., costumes, pumpkins, witches) to a group of students and ask them to search for information about how that aspect came to be a part of Halloween tradition.
• Have students make a list of the characters from a text that they are currently reading (or from texts read earlier in the year). Ask students to create masks or costumes that represent one of the characters from the text. Each student could then be asked to deliver a short monologue as that character to a small group.
• Ask students to write a narrative describing their best Halloween ever, an expository essay that tells how to plan a Halloween celebration, or a spooky Halloween mystery story. They can plan the last one using the interactive Mystery Cube tool. Helpful information can be found on the Mystery Cube page.

This online magazine is a great place to research the history of Halloween and includes a link for teachers to find a few classroom activities.

Elementary students in the United States and Canada share their language arts activities in this collaborative Internet project about autumn. Students can view the work and use it as a model for their own projects. Don't miss the Haunted House showcased in Mrs. Silverman and Miss Sowa's class .

This page from KidsReads.com provides an annotated list of books about Halloween.

This page from the Library of Congress American Memory website features primary documents related to Halloween, including interviews, folk tales, and audio files. Some highlights include images of magician Harry Houdini, first-hand accounts of Halloween tricks of the past, and spooky songs.

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The Mystery Cube helps students identify and summarize story elements in this popular genre. It can be used as a postreading or prewriting activity.

The interactive Cube Creator helps students identify and summarize key elements. It can be used as a prewriting or postreading activity.

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• Kindergarten K

History of Halloween

History of Halloween is a high-interest reading comprehension lesson that allows students to practice grade-appropriate reading comprehension, foundational reading, and reading fluency skills. These reading comprehension lessons are designed to be completed in one or two class settings.

Each lesson discusses a subject that students want to read about and that teachers will want to incorporate into their reading instruction. The lesson is appropriate as a whole-class, stand-alone lesson or as an independent small-group activity. Be sure to watch the Learn Bright video that goes with this lesson!

Description

Additional information, what our history of halloween lesson plan includes.

Lesson Objectives and Overview: History of Halloween is a high-interest reading comprehension lesson plan. As such, students will practice various close reading and comprehension skills. In addition, they will learn about the origins of this fun holiday. This lesson is for students in 3rd grade, 4th grade, and 5th grade.

Classroom Procedure

Every lesson plan provides you with a classroom procedure page that outlines a step-by-step guide to follow. You do not have to follow the guide exactly. The guide helps you organize the lesson and details when to hand out worksheets. It also lists information in the yellow box that you might find useful. You will find the lesson objectives, state standards, and number of class sessions the lesson should take to complete in this area. In addition, it describes the supplies you will need as well as what and how you need to prepare beforehand.

Teacher Notes

The paragraph on this page provides a little more information or guidance on what to expect from the lesson. It explains that you can teach this lesson in a whole-class setting or as an independent, small-group activity. You can use the blank lines to record any thoughts or ideas you have as you prepare.

HISTORY OF HALLOWEEN LESSON PLAN CONTENT PAGES

The History of Halloween lesson plan contains three content pages. What happens every October 31? Why, Halloween, of course! Do you know why or how the celebration started? Believe it or not, Halloween is one of the oldest traditions in world history. It began centuries ago as a marker for the transition from the end of summer and the beginning of fall to winter. That is why we celebrate Halloween in the fall.

Ancient cultures worshiped gods that they believed influenced and controlled daily life. Every aspect of ancient life was guided by religious rituals. These cultures had a god for almost everything imaginable to help explain natural phenomena, such as the changing seasons or death. Our modern Halloween traditions originated from the belief systems of these ancient people and their understanding of nature.

Historians attribute Halloween to the Celts. The Celts, who at one time were the largest group geographically to inhabit ancient Europe, eventually settled in what is now Ireland around 500 BCE. Many historians believe that, despite their characterization as a barbaric warrior tribe, the Celts lived in a relatively advanced society for people of that time. For example, their jewelry and weapons demonstrated an advanced technical knowledge of metallurgy, or metalwork.

Much of what we know about Celtic culture comes from Roman or Greek historians. They didn’t hold the Celts in high esteem, so you have to read their accounts of the Celts with that in mind. The Celts did not write down their histories or cultural practices. They preferred to pass them down through oral traditions instead. Celtic priests, called Druids, were responsible for educating the next generation about these traditions.

Roots of Halloween

The roots of Halloween begin with the culture’s wrestling with the relationship between life and death. The Celts hypothesized that when a person died, they transitioned from physically living on this Earth to existing in a spiritual world. In many cultures, death is not the end of life but a transition to living in a spiritual world. The Celts believed the afterlife was a place of celebration! The burial of their dead was preceded by feasts and parties that honored the person who passed. So, what do the Celts, Druids, and parties have to do with Halloween? Great question!

The Celtic New Year festival was called Samhain (pronounced So-ween or Saw-wen), meaning “summer’s end” in English. The Celts believed that after a person died, they passed to the other world but could return as spirits to the side of the living. What we know about the Samhain rituals comes from Christian monks many years after the peak of Celtic culture. In writing the Celtic history, the monks eliminated many of the original rituals passed down from the Druids as they believed them to be pagan, or non-Christian. However, some traditions survived the monks’ revision of history.

The Celts stocked up on supplies for the coming winter as part of Samhain. The festival also included the tradition of slaughtering cattle and burning the bones in a large fire called a bone fire. Sound familiar? That’s exactly where the word bonfire comes from— bone fire! The Samhain festival welcomed guests from the afterlife. People even set places at their tables, inviting the spirits to join with the living in the festival!

Masks and the Great Potato Famine of 1845

Sometimes, spirits of those who had wronged others would appear. A living person who didn’t want to be recognized by the evil spirits disguised themselves with ash from the bone fire in order to blend in with other wandering spirits. Later, those who wanted to hide themselves began to wear masks. The practice became known as guising, which is pretending to be a malicious spirit.

In the 7th century, Pope Gregory III moved the All Saints Day holiday date from May 1 to November 1. All Saints Day honored the saints of the church who had passed away and gone to heaven. Because October 31 was the day before, it became a holy day known as Hallow Eve (hallow also means holy). Halloween is the contraction for Hallow Eve! Now we know where Halloween started, but how did it get to America?

Beginning in 1845, a terrible tragedy hit Ireland called the Great Potato Famine. The people of Ireland relied heavily on potatoes as their primary food source. A plant disease wiped out the crops, leaving most of Ireland in a food crisis. It is estimated that more than a million men, women, and children perished from starvation. Millions of people immigrated from Ireland—a large portion to the United States—searching for a better life. They brought with them All Hallows’ Eve, All Saints Day, and many other cultural traditions, including jack-o’-lanterns!

Jack-o’-Lanterns

The jack-o’-lantern tradition exists because of an Irish folk tale about a con man and thief named Stingy Jack. He was denied entry into heaven when he died because of his crimes, but he tricked the Devil into agreeing not to send him to the underworld. So, Stingy Jack was left to roam the Earth forever. At night, he carried a lamp made from a turnip with an ember from the underworld inside to light his way.

As part of the All Hallows’ Eve tradition, the Irish carved faces on the turnips and placed embers inside them—jack-o’-lanterns! According to the folk tale, the turnip lantern kept evil spirits like Stingy Jack away. When they arrived in America, the Irish exchanged turnips for pumpkins. They were easier to carve.

In the United States, Halloween continually evolves. While some religious groups abstain from participating in Halloween activities, most communities embrace the fun atmosphere. On October 31, many schools sponsor costume parades of characters from popular books to promote reading. Some churches sponsor trunk-or-treat events in the community as alternatives to knocking door to door. Costume parties are popular fundraising activities for community organizations. Halloween has come a long way from its Druid roots!

HISTORY OF HALLOWEEN LESSON PLAN WORKSHEETS

The History of Halloween lesson plan includes two worksheets: an activity worksheet and a practice worksheet. Each one will help students solidify their grasp of the material they learned throughout the lesson. You can refer to the classroom procedure guidelines to know when to hand out each worksheet.

COSTUME CREATION ACTIVITY WORKSHEET

For the activity, students will choose a favorite book or story and create a costume of their favorite character. Using the template on the page, they will share details about their character and explain how that character is similar to them. If they want, students can dress up in the costume they created.

PRACTICE WORKSHEET

The practice worksheet requires students to answer a series of 15 questions. These questions all relate to the content pages, so students will need to refer to them often for the answers. In addition, each question provides which reading tool the question corresponds to, such as text feature, vocabulary, or comprehension.

Worksheet Answer Keys

At the end of the lesson plan document is an answer key for the practice worksheet. The correct answers are all in red to make it easier for you to compare them with students’ responses. If you choose to administer the lesson pages to your students via PDF, you will need to save a new file that omits these pages. Otherwise, you can simply print out the applicable pages and keep these as reference for yourself when grading assignments.

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For most young students, Halloween ranks right up there as one of their favorite holidays. What's more fun than dressing up and eating candy, right? As a teacher you already know that when children are engaged and excited it's a perfect time to learn. Halloween presents a great opportunity for teachers of both elementary and middle school classrooms.

Halloween Teaching Resources

The right combination of fun and education helps children learn. Halloween and Halloween themed lesson plans can help you teach everything from creative writing to physics - those pumpkin drops are great fun and an excellent way to teach about gravity and momentum!

Halloween also comes with a rich history and an opportunity to teach about different cultures. And for the youngest of children it's also a prime time to teach about personal safety. Here at TeacherPlanet.com you will find exciting lesson plans for a variety of Halloween unit themes.

You'll also find clip art, worksheets, activities and an abundance of classroom resources. Halloween makes learning fun. Whether you're teaching a math unit or you're focusing on creative writing, a little spooky fun can help your students learn.

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GAMES AND INTERACTIVES

PBS Kids Halloween Games You will find a ton of games to help celebrate Halloween! Source : PBS Kids

Halloween Games You'll find lots of Halloween games here! Source : Safe Kids Games

Halloween Quizzes How much do you know about Halloween? Take one or more of these quizzes and find out! Elementary Quiz Middle School Quiz High School Quiz Source : NHPBS Granite State Challenge

• Grades PreK-1 - Sesame Street: Happy Halloween! - Halloween Compilation (19:15) -  VIEW
• Grades PreK-1 - Sesame Street: Happy Halloween! - Halloween Compilation 2 (15:19) -  VIEW
• Grades PreK-1 - Sesame Street: Happy Halloween! - Halloween Parodies (13:40) -  VIEW 
• Grades PreK-1 -   Peg + Cat - The Parade Problem/The Halloween Problem - (25:33)- VIEW
• Grades PreK-2 - SuperWhy - The Ghost Who Was Afraid of Halloween - (25:48) - VIEW
• Grades PreK-2 - Sid the Science Kid - Halloween Spooky Science Special - (26:38)- VIEW
• Grades PreK-2 - PBS Learning Media - KidVision - Costume Shop (6:48) - VIEW and DO
• Grades PreK-3  - PBS Kids - Halloween Compilation (1:23:56)  - VIEW
• Grades PreK-3  - PBS Kids - Halloween Compilation 2 (37:25)  - VIEW
• Grades PreK-6 - PBS LearningMedia - Halloween Collection - VIEW and DO
• Grades 2-6  - PBS LearningMedia - All About the Holidays (0:53) -  VIEW and DO
• Grades 3-6 - PBS LearningMedia - Cyberchase - Sharing Halloween Candy (2:28) -  VIEW and DO
• Grades 9-12 - NHPBS Video - Antiques Roadshow - Kooky & Spooky (52:30)  - VIEW
• Grades 9-12 - NHPBS Video - Origin of Everything - Is Poisoned Halloween Candy a Myth? (6:36) -  VIEW

LESSON PLANS

History and Origins of Halloween and Day of the Dead Celebrations You'll find background information, links and lesson plans related to Halloween here. Source: National Endowment for the Humanities

Halloween Collection of Halloween teaching ideas. Source : Education World

• Try for free

Halloween Activities, Worksheets & Lesson Plans

Spooky Classroom Activities for Halloween

Discover Halloween-themed activities that will bring a fun, spooky twist to students’ learning during this season of haunted houses, jack-o-lanterns, and candy corn.

The air is crisp, the Autumn leaves are falling, and it’s starting to feel a little spooky. Halloween is the perfect time to bring some fall-themed fun into the classroom. Whether you want to host a classroom Halloween party, decorate pumpkins, or simply integrate Halloween-themed reading, writing, and math activities into your lesson plans, we’ve got something for you!

Read on for classroom activities, worksheets, and lesson plans for Halloween. Organized by grade and topic, to help you find what you’re looking for.

Halloween Activities For Elementary Grades

Choose from our top 10 Halloween activities, worksheets, and themed packets for elementary students that build important reading, writing, and maths skills while incorporating some spooky fun!

• Halloween Classroom Games (Grades K-5)
• Halloween Math and Writing Choice Board (Grades K-4)
• Halloween Crafts, Songs, and Stories Choice Board (Grades 2-4)
• Elementary ELA Halloween Activity Packet (Grades 1-4)
• Elementary Math Halloween Activity Packet (Grades 1-4)
• Halloween Haunted House Math and Writing Mini-Project (Grades 2-5)
• Halloween Scary Story Starter Cards Writing Prompts (Grades 2-5)
• Halloween English Language Arts Choice Board (Grades 3-5)
• Halloween Math Choice Board (Grades 3-5)
• Monster Mash: Halloween Activity Packet (Grades 3-5)

More Halloween Activities for Grades K-

Halloween Math Activities

Add some Halloween spirit to your math lessons this year! Choose from activities suitable for Kindergarten through 5th grade that help students understand the concept of matching, counting, addition, subtraction, division, multiplication of Halloween candy, and more.

• Pumpkin Count Worksheet (Kindergarten)
• Match the Monsters Worksheet (Kindergarten)
• The Same: Drawing Monsters Worksheet (Kindergarten)
• Elementary Mathematics Halloween Activities Packet (Grades 1-4)
• An Outdoor Night Lantern Worksheet (Grades 1-3)
• Wilma Witch's Party Worksheet (Grades 3-5)
• More Halloween Math Activities

Halloween Craft Activities & Coloring

Spook up the classroom with these fun arts and crafts activities, and Halloween-themed coloring pages. Choose from printable templates and Halloween costume patterns. Perfect for Pre-K and elementary grades!

• Pumpkins Coloring Page
• The Little Green Witch Coloring Page
• Mask Template
• Halloween Patterns
• Eerie Invitations
• Quick Halloween Costumes, List A-C (K-12)
• Quick DIY Halloween Costumes, List H-R (K-12)
• Halloween Costume Patterns, Templates & Accessories (K-12)
• More Halloween Craft Activities

Halloween Activities for Middle School

Help your middle schoolers learn about the history of Halloween with videos and accompanying activities, build math and writing skills with easy, no-prep Halloween activities, discover Halloween book for your Language Arts classes, or have fun with some Halloween games!

• Halloween Writing and Math Choice Board for 5-8
• Halloween Choice Board for Middle School
• Halloween Math, Reading, And Writing Activities For Middle School
• Halloween History: Videos & Activities
• Halloween Games For Grades K-8
• Top 13 Halloween Books for the Classroom

More Halloween Activities for Grades 6-8 #

Halloween Bulletin Boards & Classroom Decoration

Get inspired by ideas for Halloween-themed bulletin boards and Halloween quotes, or use our printable packet for a quick and easy option.

• Halloween and Fall Word Wall Decor Packet
• 28 Halloween and Fall Bulletin Board Ideas
• Spookiest Halloween Quotes from Infoplease

Halloween Lesson Plans

Be prepared for Halloween with these handy lesson plans, and fun, creative ideas for planning a Halloween-themed lesson.

• Creating Halloween Problems
• Halloween Lessons
• Which Foods Contain Sugar?
• The Witch's Wart
• Halloween Word Game
• Walk on the Witch: Musical Chairs for Halloween

Have a Halloween Party

• Find the Pumpkins

Halloween Quizzes

These fun quizzes from Infoplease cover Halloween-themed topics from witches and zombies to haunted houses around the world. Great for some spooky pop culture fun!

• Halloween Geography Quiz
• Halloween Movies Quiz
• Unearthing Zombies Quiz
• Halloween Fun Quiz
• Worldwide Witchcraft Locations Quiz
• Real-Life Exorcism Quiz
• The Mysterious Bermuda Triangle
• Aliens, UFOs, & Extraterrestrials, Oh My!

Recommended Halloween Resources

Fall Activities for Elementary Students (K-2)

Day of the Dead Reading Comprehension Activities

Fall Math Activities for Middle School

Halloween Classroom Games

Grade 3 Holiday Math and Literacy Kit

Grade 1 Fall Math and Literacy Activities

CHOICE BOARDS

Holiday Choice Boards Essentials Kit

TEACHING RESOURCE

Halloween Scary Story Starter Cards Writing Prompts Activity

CLASSROOM TOOLS

Halloween and Fall Word Wall Decor Themed Packet

Halloween Writing and Math Choice Board for Grades 5-8

Halloween Haunted House Math and Writing Mini-Project

Halloween Math and Writing Choice Board for Grades K to 4

BOOK GUIDES

Selected Horror Stories of Stephen King

LESSON PLANS

A Note About Witches: Fill-in-the-Blanks

Cat Bulletin Board

Fill-in Story: A Scary Halloween

Fall Reading Activities: The Scarecrow's Night Out

Monster Mash: Halloween Activity Packet

Halloween Writing Activity: The Halloween Party

Halloween Games for Grades K-8

Creating Halloween Word Problems

Fill-in Story: Halloween Carnival

History of Halloween Videos & Activities

Home — Essay Samples — Life — Halloween — The Origin And History Of Halloween

The Origin and History of Halloween

• Categories: Halloween Party Tradition

About this sample

Words: 1523 |

Published: May 14, 2021

Words: 1523 | Pages: 3 | 8 min read

Table of contents

History of trick-or-treating, halloween parties, works cited.

• Browne, R. (2018). Halloween: An American Holiday, an American History. Pelican Publishing.
• Curran, B. (2019). A Haunted History of Halloween: Ghosts, Legends, and Unforgettable Tales. Sterling.
• Guiley, R. E. (2019). The Encyclopedia of Saints, Second Edition. Checkmark Books.
• Hutton, R. (2018). The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain. Oxford University Press.
• Nickell, J. (2013). The Mystery Chronicles: More Real-Life X-Files. University Press of Kentucky.
• Santino, J. (2019). Halloween and Other Festivals of Death and Life. University of Tennessee Press.
• Skal, D. J. (2015). Something in the Blood: The Untold Story of Bram Stoker , the Man Who Wrote Dracula. W. W. Norton & Company.
• Smith, T. (2017). Halloween in America: A Collector's Guide with Prices. Schiffer Publishing.
• Stern, J. (2017). American Rituals: An Encyclopedia of Holidays, Festivals, Solemn Observances, and Spiritual Commemorations. ABC-CLIO.
• Turner, R. (2019). Halloween in the Crosshairs: Multiculturalism and the Politics of Fear in a Small Town. University of Tennessee Press.

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Reading Worksheets, Spelling, Grammar, Comprehension, Lesson Plans

Halloween Worksheets

Halloween ranks as one of the most popular holidays for children. Besides the yummy treats they receive from trick-or-treating, they also get to dress up in costumes, attend parties and carnivals, and even, occasionally scare their friends. Below are our Halloween worksheets that provide a little learning along with the fun. They are free for you to use in the classroom or at home. You may view the worksheet or download a PDF by clicking on the title.

Halloween Jack-o’-lantern Printable Bookmark

This festive activity includes three printable, themed bookmarks that you can customize by having your students color their own spooky picture on the back of the bookmarks, or even glue two together to create a bookmark with jack-o’-lanterns on both sides! 

Halloween Writing Paper

This Halloween writing paper with lines is certainly a treat!

Halloween Preschool Theme Activities

Celebrate Halloween as you learn all about numbers, letters, and colors with our Halloween Preschool Theme Activities. These printable worksheets are equally as fun as they are educational, making them perfect for use both at home and in the classroom.

Circle the Consonants: Pumpkin Patch

Students will have fun looking for consonants in the pumpkin patch with this festive activity!

Color the Halloween Adjectives

With this educational, fun Halloween coloring activity, students will be asked to color each shape with an adjective in it yellow, and the other shapes any color they like. Once completed, a picture of a Halloween cat, pumpkin, and moon will appear! This activity is easy to print, making it great for use both at home and in class.

Color the Halloween Words Activity

In this Halloween Activity, color the word ‘scary’ with yellow, ‘ghost’ with blue, ‘bat’ with green, and so on. Once students are done coloring, they will find that they have revealed the word ‘BOO!’ Ideal for 1st-3rd Grade, but can be used where appropriate.

Halloween Connect Four Maze Activity

In this printable Halloween activity, students will be asked to connect the Halloween Jack-o-Lantern to the hat, cat, ghost, and bat. Can you do this without touching the walls of the maze? Let’s find out! This holiday worksheet is perfect for keeping students engaged and having fun in the classroom.

Halloween: Color the Long A Sounds Activity

Practice sounding out long a with this printable Halloween Coloring Activity. Students will be asked to color the spaces with words that have a long a sound blue and color the spaces with words that have a short a sound any color they like.

Halloween: Color the Short A Sounds Activity

This worksheet is great for practicing the long and short a sounds. Students will be asked to color the spaces with words that have a short a sound orange and can color the spaces with words that have a long a sound any color they like.

Writing Prompt: My Halloween Costume

What would you like to be for Halloween? What would your costume look like? Write a description of your costume in the space provided on the worksheet, and then draw a picture of your costume in the box!

Adjectives Set the Mood: Trick or Treat Halloween Activity

Have you ever been trick or treated? Help Matt and Ava finish telling their story about trick or treated with this fun writing worksheet!

Comparatives and Superlatives: Halloween Edition

Practice comparative and superlative forms with this Halloween Words Activity! Students will be asked to write the comparative and superlative forms for the Halloween themed adjectives and adverbs, such as spooky, eerie, and strange.

Halloween Acrostic Poem Activity

Help your students develop their writing skills with our festive GHOST acrostic poem!

Halloween Secret Code Activity

This Halloween activity asks students to decode a secret message. Each number on the worksheet stands for a letter in the alphabet. Students will write the correct letter in the blank to find the coded words and to complete the phrase.

Halloween Spiders: Make a Word Activity!

On the worksheet, each spider has a letter on its back. Students will be asked to make as many words as they can in the amount of time given, using only the letters on the spiders’ backs. The longer the word, the more points it is worth!

Halloween Word Search Activity

Who doesn’t love a good word search? Use this festive Halloween word search activity to bring some fun into the classroom!

Halloween Words Activity: Alphabetical Order

Spooky, Pumpkin, Costume, Treats! Can you put these Halloween words in alphabetical order? Students will practice rewriting the words listed on the worksheet in alphabetical order with this fun classroom activity.

What Happens Next? Halloween Surprise Activity

Keep learning fun during the holidays with this Halloween Reading Comprehension Activity. Students will be asked to read a passage and then answer the given questions about the story. This worksheet is great for use both at home and in the classroom.

Halloween Bio Poem Activity: Ghost

Create a bio poem about your own personal ghost with our fun Halloween printable activity!

Halloween Synonym Match Worksheet

This Halloween matching activity asks students to read through two lists, Column A and Column B, and pair the words from Column A to their synonyms in Column B. This festive worksheet is great for teaching students how to identify synonyms in a way that is both fun and educational.

American Prophets

The law of liberty, revelation #22, what is god doing #21, fairness and the christian #1, the shield of thanksgiving.

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Halloween, ghosts, and spirits.

In Audio , Sermons by Ronald L. Dart October 19, 1996 Leave a Comment

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Halloween is an odd event— very odd, in a way, because in its origins it was not evil; it was actually good. A number of you probably know that “Halloween” is “All Hallows Even”; in other words, All Hallows Eve—the evening before All Hallows. And “All Hallows” is All Saints day. And, originally, All Saints Day (November 1st) was the day when all the saints were honored. In other words, it’s a time that the Church had set aside to honor those people who had lived exemplary lives, who had blessed others by their lives, and were considered saints by the Church at that time.

October 31st, though, among non-Christian Celtic people, was a different matter altogether. It was the festival of Samhain . What you may not know is the fact it was also New Year’s Eve in Celtic and Anglo-Saxon England at that time. It was actually the end of the old year and the beginning of the new. It took place in the autumn, as a matter of fact. It was an occasion for fire festivals, they lit huge bonfires on top of hills to frighten off the evil spirits, and also it was a time when laws and land tenures were renewed.

It harkens back, in a way, to the Old Testament. You’ll recall where, in the year of release, all the captives were released. People who have been enslaved because of having been a thief and caught and sold into slavery were turned loose, in the seventh year. That was always in the autumn, not in the spring. In that Jubilee year, all the land again went back to its original family owner—the one who received it by lot. Here they had, in the autumn, a time when all the laws and land tenures were renewed.

In the Celtic religions, the dead were supposed to visit their homes on this night. As a consequence, you get the sinister aspects of the festival. And, of course, you had the Celtic Church right alongside of the Roman Church; and the gradual melding that took place in these things over time created something along the lines of Halloween. And though it really became in later times a secular holiday, at the same time it has also retained a lot of those sinister overtones.

“Halloween was thought to be the most favorable time for divinations, for marriage, for health, for death, and for luck. And it was the only day when the help of the devil was invoked in such matters.” I think that is fascinating. For people who call themselves Christians—who are believers in Christ, people who try to serve God—you can almost see how it would be tempting, in certain circumstances (and I want to talk about that a little later), to get some guidance from that side of the spirit world.

Halloween is a night of great evil. But really, it’s a night of great evil only because the devil is invoked in some of the customs and some of the practices. If it were nothing but a harvest festival, it probably wouldn’t amount to much. The question is: Is there really a devil, and are there demons in a spirit world that come out on Halloween or at other times? I recently received a letter from a long-time correspondent, and he had what I think is easily the most comprehensive set of questions about the spirit world and the paranormal that I have ever received in my life. I mean, to answer it would require me to write a book, “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About the Spirit World But Were Afraid To Ask”. And he gave me a really good list. He asked me about spirit sightings, dreams that come true, UFOs, abductions, strange lights, hauntings, healings, psychics, miracles that seem to have nothing to do with God and yet are miracles, and a whole long list. And he asked that, somewhere along the line, I would do a sermon or a tape or something on the subject. And so you owe this sermon today to my friend who wrote to me about this.

Ronald L. Dart

Ronald L. Dart (1934–2016) — People around the world have come to appreciate his easy style, non-combative approach to explaining the Bible, and the personal, almost one-on-one method of explaining what’s going on in the world in the light of the Bible. After retiring from teaching and church administration in 1995 he started Christian Educational Ministries and the Born to Win radio program.

Click here for more posts by Ronald L. Dart

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Image Credits: Władysław Podkowiński

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What is May Day? How to celebrate the spring holiday with pagan origins

Spring is in full bloom and we're halfway to summer.

May 1, known as May Day, has long been celebrated as the midway point between the spring equinox and the summer solstice. Like those days, May Day marks a specific time of year and the changing seasons − the days are growing longer , the weather is warmer and more wildlife and humans alike are out and about.

"It's a beautiful holiday, we're at the height of spring, this is a very happy holiday where one celebrates fertility in nature and in our lives," said Helen A. Berger, a sociology professor at Brandeis University in Boston studying pagan communities in the U.S.

For many, May Day is better known as International Workers' Day, a holiday supporting labor organizing and workers' rights that's been in the mainstream for generations.

Celebrations of spring marking May Day are held in many different parts of the U.S., with maypole dances in some communities. In the 20th Century, it was also popular to make May Day flower baskets and gift them to friends and neighbors.

Other holidays also fall on May 1, including a holiday celebrated in Hawaii.

Here's what you need to know about May Day:

MAP See where to view flowers in peak bloom across the US

May Day has pagan origins

May Day has origins stretching back to the Middle Ages and the holiday is one of four annual cross-quarter days in the pagan calendar, marking the midpoints between solstices and equinoxes. The most famous cross-quarter day is Halloween, falling on Oct. 31, halfway between the fall equinox and the winter solstice.

"It's an old custom," Berger said.

Halloween, also referred to as Samhain, is considered the most important cross-quarter holiday for practicing pagans and members of the wiccan community, and May Day, also called Beltane, is the next most significant, Berger said. Whereas Halloween is all about death, she said, May Day is a celebration of rebirth.

"It's opposite that of Halloween," Berger said.

Now, most May Day celebrations are free from religious dogma and are meant for anyone, said Alysha Kravetz, of Bronx, New York, who has been practicing witchcraft for 20 years.

"They're really about connecting with the Earth that we live on," Kravetz told USA TODAY.

Going back hundreds of years, communities in what is now the United Kingdom and Ireland celebrated the height of spring with rituals resembling some still observed today, Berger said. People gathered to dance around maypoles, which symbolized fertility, according to Berger. Further back in history, ancient Romans celebrated Floralia, honoring the goddess Flora, according to Kravetz.

"We can kind of trace this continuation of these themes as the Roman Empire took over Europe and took their traditions throughout Europe," Kravetz said.

Today, some school children still dance around maypoles on May 1 and there are community gatherings throughout the country, including in some churches, Kravetz said.

May Day is Lei Day in Hawaii

For nearly 100 years, people in Hawaii have celebrated May Day as Lei Day, with celebratory pageants full of colorful lei flower necklaces taking place at schools, said John Rosa, a professor of Hawaiian history at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

"A lot of it is because spring is here, summer's around the corner and we're wrapping up the school year," he said.

Rosa said that in 1927, the poet Don Blanding was visiting Hawaii and proclaimed the now famous phrase, "May Day is Lei Day in Hawaii." The next year, people in the U.S. territory began observing the holiday with lei necklaces and festivities focused on tradition Hawaiian dances, as well as waltzes, Rosa said.

For decades, Lei Day celebrations have mostly taken place at elementary and middle schools, where some students are honored in massive schoolwide pageants, Rosa said.

"People in Hawaii who've grown up here, many of us have memories of learning how to make the particular lei," he said, referring to different flowers used to represent each of Hawaii's eight major islands .

May 1 is International Workers' Day

May 1 also is celebrated around the world as International Workers' Day, or Labor Day, a holiday honoring advances in the fight for labor rights and workplace protections.

International Workers' Day started as a commemoration of the 1886 Haymarket Square riots in Chicago, when on May 4, a bomb detonated amid massive strikes organized by workers demanding an eight hour work day. Many protesters and police were killed, according to the Library of Congress.

In 1889, an international group of socialist organizers and trade unions designated May 1 as May Day, and in 1894, U.S. President Grover Cleveland said Americans would celebrate labor on Sept. 1, or Labor Day.

Today, labor organizers − especially in Europe − rally around the May 1 holiday and use it as a time to point to the achievements of the global labor movement .

How can I celebrate May Day?

In the morning on May 1, traditional May Day gatherings will center around maypole dances, where a large pole is inserted into a hole in the ground and people weave ribbons in a pattern around it. Some celebrations also include bonfires.

While the holiday is rooted in paganism, many people who participate in maypole dances don't identify as pagan, according to Berger.

"You don't have to be pagan to be celebrating," she said.

Some maypole dance celebrations include a Morris dance , a type of traditional English folk dance, where participants wear small bells below their knees and flower crowns.

Dancing in general is a wonderful way to mark May Day, Kravetz said.

"The actual activity is less important than the intention of knowing that you're doing it to shake off those winter blues and shake off that stagnant energy," she said.

During the 1900s, in the U.S. – especially in New England – it was common for people to make May Day flower baskets − with some calling the holiday May Basket Day. Observing was simple: Hang a small basket of flowers and other goodies on someone's front door knob as a surprise.

May Day also can just be about appreciating nature's beauty and engaging in some self-reflection, Berger said. The simplest way to observe the holiday is to manifest positive energy for the rest of the year's warm seasons, she said.

"Just go out into the world, try to find a park, a path to walk along, and just take in spring, breathe in this season," Berger said.

© David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Red Sox DFA Veteran To Make Room On Roster For Newly-Acquired All-Star

Boston just got a boost for the lineup after making an intriguing trade

• Author: Patrick McAvoy

In this story:

The Boston Red Sox have a new first baseman in town.

Boston recently acquired one-time All-Star Garrett Cooper in a trade with the Chicago Cubs to fill in for Triston Casas while he is sidelined. Casas will be away from the team until at least the summer and Cooper is expected to see most of the time at first base now.

To make room on the roster for Cooper, Boston designated veteran utility man Pablo Reyes for assignment, according to WEEI's Rob Bradford.

"The Red Sox today added (first baseman/outfielder) Garrett Cooper to the active Major League roster," Bradford said. "To make room, Boston designated (infielder/outfielder) Pablo Reyes for assignment."

Reyes joined the Red Sox last season and was great. He appeared in 64 games with Boston at the big league level and slashed .287/.339/.377 with two home runs, nine doubles, 20 RBIs, and seven stolen bases. Reyes helped out all over the diamond and saw time at first base, second base, shortstop, third base, designated hitter, and even pitcher.

He played all over the field with Boston this season too, but hasn't been as successful this season and slashed .183/.234/.217 in 21 games before being designated for assignment.

Cooper should be a major lift for the Red Sox and was slashing .270/.341/.432 with Chicago before being traded to Boston to go along with one home run and six RBIs. Hopefully, Casas won't be away from the team for too long, but Cooper will help in the meantime.

More MLB: Here's Why Red Sox's Masataka Yoshida Surprisingly Left Series Finale Vs. Cubs

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