Halloween (Oct 31)

This is a video from PBS Learning that describes the historical traditions about spirits that are the basis for this holiday.

How did our Halloween traditions get started? Why is October 31st the day we celebrate 'spooky' things?

Have you heard of Samhain, a Celtic festival celebrated in Ireland and Scotland? Many of our Halloween activities come from Samhain celebrations. Samhain marked the end of the harvest season, but it was also a time when the border between this world and others was at its thinnest.

A very thorough article from Wikipedia all about Halloween

A page from History.com that documents the pagan origins of Halloween and how it became a holiday celebrated by Christians

The history of Halloween and the gradual establishment of Halloween traditions in Canada is explored in this article from the Canadian Encyclopedia

Learn about how the tradition of pumpkin carving began during Halloween.

Information from the Farmer's Almanac about how many of the traditions we follow for Halloween developed.

Can geography save your life in case of, say, a zombie apocalypse?

This TED talk/lesson discusses how the popular image of the vampire has evolved into what we know today. Take a look at both the science and the superstition. Click on Think to get a short quiz and on Dig Deeper for further resources.