Halloween, Hallowe'en...

...also called All Hallows Eve, All Saints' Eve, Samhain (the Celtic holiday), and Hallowed End.
Occasionally, we write about something that is community-related and outside of our library. This is one of those times. But it's still intended to give our readers some interesting information.
Halloween is coming. It's observed by Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Japan, the Bahamas, the United States, and sometimes Australia, Sweden, and many Latin American countries.
It's called an international holiday.
Some of the activities of Halloween include trick-or-treating, ghost tours, bonfires, costume parties, visiting haunted attractions, carving jack-o'-lanterns, reading scary stories, and watching horror movies.
Halloween has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain, which was a celebration at the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture. Traditionally, it was a time when the ancient Gaels took stock of their supplies for winter. They believed that on October 31st, now known as Halloween, the boundary between the alive and the deceased dissolved, and the dead became dangerous for the living by causing problems such as sickness or damaged crops. Costumes and masks were worn at the festivals in an attempt to mimic the evil spirits or placate them.
Today we see carved pumpkins lit by a candle inside and never realize this tradition first originated in Europe by carving a turnip or rutabaga. Along the way, we've added black cats, spiders, goblins, skeletons and scarecrows.
Many parents now hold parties at their homes for their children and friends, rather than let them roam the neighborhoods to trick-or-treat. Often if children do go out into the neighborhoods, parents go with them. Sometimes schools open their gyms and hold big community parties for children. Even various organizations hold parties or set up haunted houses.
Everyone attempts to provide a safe environment for small children to enjoy Halloween. And Moultrie is yet another city in the U.S. that attempts this same goal.
On Friday, October 31st, the day of Halloween, the citizens of Moultrie and surrounding areas can bring their children to the downtown area, where they can trick-or-treat with participating merchants from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Then a costume contest will be held at 5:30 p.m. Costume-wearers can sign up for the contest between 4 and 5:30 p.m.
Make your Halloween a safe one while you have fun. Trick-or-treat in the daylight, on the Square in Moultrie, and enjoy the safety of one big party. Make Halloween a fun time for the little ones, and try not to be too upset by the "big" children who still want to be little.
(Source: Wikipedia, Downtown Merchants Association)