Its origins lie in the seasonal festival, Samhain, marking the beginning of winter in Gaelic Ireland. In Irish mythology, it was a time when a doorway to the Otherworld was open, allowing the souls of the dead to come back into our world and walk the earth again.
The Christian festival, All Saints Day, is held annually on 1st November - and over time, some of the traditions of Samhain have become linked with the religious festival. The evening of 31st October became known as All Hallows Eve and, later on, this became Halloween.
In modern times, it has become a time for children's activities, including trick-or-treating and party gatherings. As Halloween approaches this year, let's take a look at some fun party ideas...
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Halloween trick or treats
If you're planning a Halloween get-together, make sure you prepare some great creepy food to keep all the little monsters happy! It will be hard NOT to play with your food with some of these tasty treats!
Try some Icky Intestines Bread, filling puff pastry with sweet cream cheese and raspberry sauce, then rolling it up in the shape of intestines for a sweet treat.
How about Eyeball Brownies, a treat that people with food allergies can enjoy too? These brownies are dairy-free, grain-free and gluten-free and are decorated with lychees and strawberry jam.
You can even make your own sweets and candies, as they can be much tastier than those you buy in the shops - and the kids can have fun helping you to prepare them. Make your own simple chocolate truffles decorated with eyeballs - it takes less than an hour!
When you've been baking for Halloween, make sure you use the appropriate food storage containers for your tasty treats and sweets, so that they stay fresh before and after the big night.
Jelly worms and brains
If you're looking for a fun activity to do with the kids, try your hand at making jelly worms and brains! They are so simple to make, using ordinary plastic drinking straws.
Once you've added boiling water to the gelatine, you need to keep the straws vertical, in a wide-mouthed jar or container. Then, pour in the liquid jelly. Once the jelly has set (usually after around eight hours in the refrigerator) pinch the end of each straw gently with your fingers to squeeze the "worms" out.
They can be kept in a lidded food container in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve them.
Apple bobbing
Easy to play, the classic game of apple bobbing is always a favourite for Halloween because it’s always so much fun! Simply find a suitable plastic tub to fill with cold water (you can reuse an old plastic box) and then float several apples in the water.
For anyone who's never played apple bobbing, keep your hands firmly behind your back, put your face into the water and try to catch an apple with your teeth. The winner is the first person to grab their apple. It's more difficult than it looks and be prepared to get wet!
Party decorations
It wouldn't be a party without some decorations for your home, such as creepy cobwebs, spooky spiders' webs, zombie and ghostly "keep out" signs for your front door, party balloons, light-up skulls and tombstones and even horrific hanging figurines, such as everyone's favourite, the scary clown.
After the fun's over, don't let your decorations get damaged by water, damp or dust - store them until next year in suitable airtight plastic containers. Whether you're keeping them in the attic, the cellar or the shed, you’ll want to keep them nice for next time!
Solent Plastics has a huge range of storage solutions to meet your Halloween needs - give us a call on 01794 514478 or email sales@solentplastics.co.uk for help and advice on our high-quality products.