October 31st is Halloween. This is not a holiday, but it is a very special day for children in Canada and the United States. On Halloween, children dress up in costumes to disguise themselves. Some wear masks and others wear makeup. In the evening, they walk around their neighborhoods and go from door to door shouting “trick or treat,” “Halloween apples,” or “shell out.” Children carry bags to collect a variety of treats from their neighbors. People give out many different kinds of treats, such as candy, chocolates, gum, popcorn, etc. In the past, it was also very common to give children apples on Halloween. Children usually collect many, many treats on this evening; the treats often last for several weeks. Children look forward to Halloween for a long time before the day actually arrives. They have fun deciding what special disguise they will choose for Halloween and planning their costumes. Will they be ghosts or witches, pumpkins or princesses, pirates or monsters, or perhaps a famous cartoon character or movie star this year? While some children wear store-bought costumes, many others like to help their parents with the sewing or preparation of their own special outfit. On Halloween, some children also collect money for UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Education Fund). They carry small black and orange boxes to hold the money. It is a good idea to have change ready for these children when they come to your door. Many elementary schools hold parties and celebrations on Halloween. Children have fun bobbing for apples, carving pumpkins, and sharing scary ghost stories.
Adults sometimes celebrate Halloween, too. They have special Halloween parties and dress up in costumes. One traditional custom of Halloween is to put a jack-o’-lantern in the window. To make a jack-o’-lantern, clean out the inside of a pumpkin, carve out a face, and put a candle inside. People often decorate their homes with pictures of black cats, spiders, witches, bats, and ghosts. Because the traditional colors of Halloween are black and orange, you can see many stores filled with products in these colors. Bakeries sell cakes and cookies decorated for Halloween and grocery stores are filled with large bags of Halloween treats.
Because Halloween is such a special day for children, it is important for parents to make sure their children are safe on this day. Children should wear bright or light costumes so motorists can see them easily. If children wear masks, the eye holes must be big enough for the children to see out of clearly. Small children should not go out “trick or treating” alone. A parent or older brother or sister should accompany them. Before children eat their treats, parents should examine them carefully. Unfortunately, a cruel person might put something dangerous into the children’s bags. This, of course, does not happen very often, but it is better to be safe than sorry.
