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Halloween History
Trivia
Halloween is one of the oldest holidays with origins
going back thousands of years. The holiday we know as Halloween has
had many influences from many cultures over the centuries. From the
Roman's Pomona Day, to the Celtic festival of Samhain, to the
Christian holidays of All Saints and All Souls Days.
October
31, the evening which precedes the Christian feast of All Saints'
Day is Halloween. Halloween traditions are thought to have
originated among ancient Druids, of Great Britian, who believed that
evil spirits were active on that evening.
Ancient Celts
observed Halloween as the last evening of the year and believed that
during it the spirits of the dead revisited their earthly
homes.
After the Romans conquered ancient Britain about 55
BC, they added features of a Roman harvest festival to Halloween.
The concept of ghosts and witches is still common to all Halloween
observances.
Even as the decades went by the European people were
always uneasy at this time of year. They stayed inside in the
comfort of warmth of their homes on this night. The cold, envious
ghosts were outside, and if anyone went out after dark they often
wore masks to keep from being recognised.
Trick or treat? Until very
recently children would dress up as ghosts and goblins to scare the
neighbours, but there was no trick or treating. Around 40 years ago
people began to offer treats to their costumed visitors. In parts of
England the poor once went to houses singing and begging for soul
cakes or money. Spanish people put cakes and nuts on graves on
Halloween, to bribe the evil spirits.
There is nothing funny about Halloween. This sarcastic
festival reflects, rather, an infernal demand for revenge by
children on the adult world. Jean Baudrillard (b. 1929), French
semiologist. America, "Astral America" (1986; tr. 1988).
Jack-o-Lantern: The
Jack-o-lantern custom probably comes from Irish folklore.
As
the tale is told, a man named Jack, who was notorious as a drunkard
and trickster, tricked Satan into climbing a tree. Jack then carved
an image of a cross in the tree's trunk, trapping the devil up the
tree. Jack made a deal with the devil that, if he would never tempt
him again, he would promise to let him down the tree.
According to the folk tale, after Jack died, he was denied
entrance to Heaven because of his evil ways, but he was also denied
access to Hell because he had tricked the devil. Instead, the devil
gave him a single ember to light his way through the frigid
darkness. The ember was placed inside a hollowed-out turnip to keep
it glowing longer. The Irish used turnips as their "Jack's lanterns"
originally.
The Irish Potato Famine (1845-50) prompted over
700,000 to immigrate to the Americas. These immigrants brought with
them their traditions of Halloween and Jack o'Lanterns, but turnips
were not as readily available as back home. They found the American
pumpkin to be a more than adequate replacement. Today, the carved
pumpkin is perhaps the most famous icon of the holiday.
Witch's Broomsticks: The
witch is a central symbol of Halloween. The name comes from the
Saxon wica, meaning wise one.
When setting out for a Sabbath,
witches rubbed a sacred ointment onto their skin. This gave them a
feeling of flying, and if they had been fasting they felt even
giddier.
Some witches rode on horseback, but poor witches
went on foot and carried a broom or a pole to aid in vaulting over
streams.
In England when new witches was initiated they were
often blindfolded, smeared with flying ointment and placed on a
broomstick. The ointment would confuse the mind, speed up the pulse
and numb the feet. When they were told "You are flying over land and
sea," the witch took their word for it.
Masks: From earliest times
people wore masks when droughts or other disasters struck. They
believed that the demons who had brought their misfortune upon them
would become frightened off by the hideous masks.
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Halloween Pumpkin Carving
Instructions
Tip: Don't try to cut a
perfectly round top. Chances are, you won't be able to figure out
where it lines up, and it will probably just fall in!
- Draw a six-sided lid (hexagon) on top of your pumpkin or if
your pumpkin or melon won't stand straight up cut off the bottom
instead of the top.
- Place the pumpkin in a small pot or bowl, and adjust it so it
stands upright.
- Mark the pumpkin with a pencil or pen, all the way around the
top of the pot.
- Angle an All Purpose Saw towards the center of the pumpkin,
making a ledge to support the lid. If you're are cutting a bottom,
cut straight into the pumpkin, and discard it.
- Use the Scoop to clean out the seeds and strings. It is
important to scape the inner wall of the pumpkin, so that it is no
more than 1 inch thick. You can check the thickness with a pin or
poker. This process usually take 15-20 minutes.
- Select or make a paper pattern for the face. Trim away the
excess paper from the pattern with scissors. Attach the pattern to
the pumpkin with tape or straight pins.
- Poke holes about 1/16" to 1/8" apart along design lines. Do
not push poker all the way into the pumpkin. Use just the tip to
poke through the paper and outer pumpkin skin. Check to see that
all the lines have been transferred, then remove the pattern. The
more detailed the design, the closer together the dots should be.
This process can take up to 30 minutes.
- Drill holes before carving (if needed). Push the very tip of
the Drill through the pumpkin skin. Then hold the drill near the
end and, with gentle pressure, begin twisting the drill into the
pumpkin. Keeping the drill at a 90 degree angle, grasp the handle
and continue turning until the hole is complete.
- Cut the design with the All Purpose Saw or Detail Saw.
Remember to "saw" the design, connecting the dots. Don't "cut" or
slice it like a knive. Hold the tool like a pencil. Holding the
pumpkin in your lap, push th blade into pumpkin or, if necessary,
rock it gently forward and back to insert it. Saw steadily with a
continuous up-and-down motion. Only gentle forward pressure is
needed. Depending on the complexity of the design, this step may
take 30-45 minutes.
- Work from the center of the design outward to avoid putting
pressure on areas already carved. Don't bend or twist the tool,
try to make the cuts straight into the pumpkin. To make sharp
corners, always remove the tool and re-insert it at another
angle.
- Push cut pieces out from the inside, with your finger. To
remove large pieces more easily, cut them into smaller pieces
first.
- Before placing a candle inside, first cut a hole in the
bottom, the same diameter (size) of the candle. If you have cut
the bottom off, then all you need to do is place a candle on a
plate, and set your lantern over it.
- Drill vent hole in the top (or lid) of your pumpkin. This will
allow most of the heat to escape and make your Jack-O-Lantern last
much longer.
The key is to take your time. he whole process
usually take 60-90 minutes per pumpkin.
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Easy Halloween Costumes
Halloween is heading our way. Traditionally, halloween
started out with kids dressing in disguises from things they found
around their homes but the last few decades costumes have become
more elaborate and more costly. Find some neat ideas here.
Halloween Angel Costume for
Baby
Materials:
1 snowsuit
Gold chenille
stems (pipe cleaners to us old people)
1 Wire coat
hanger
White tissue paper
Masking tape
Make a gold halo with one of the chenille pieces, and
use another to hold up the halo. Use masking tape on the inside of
snowsuit collar to hold the halo in place. Bend a wire coathanger
into rough wing shapes and wrap the tissue arount the wire to cover.
Attach "wings" to snowsuite using tape, large clip, whatever you are
comfy with.
Halloween Backwards Babe
Costume
Materials
Child's own clothes
Some
of Mommy's or Daddy's clothed, all very colourful
Use the adult clothes for the backwards part of the
costume. Put child's hat backwards, coat, etc... You can even use a
pair of your own shoes, with a heavy pair of her dad's socks, on
backwards, and sunglasses on the back of the head.
Halloween Dino Dinosaur
Costume
Materials
Lge adults green, hooded
sweat shirt
2 yards of purple felt (cheap at the craft
store)
Gold Christmas tree garland (length 1 1/2 times child's
height)
Purple pants (child's size)
Purple Mittons
White
Ghost shaped bell (craft store) optional
Cut the felt into triangles, about 1 1/2 inches per
side. Staple the triangles down an old piece of rope garland from
the Christmas tree until there is enough length to go from the top
of child's head to the floor and be able to drag a bit as the child
walks. Then staple this from the top of the hood down the center of
the back of the sweatshirt, creating the body.
Staple any
left over felt pieces in spots around the front of the shirt. The
shirt should come down over childs knees and be big enough to allow
for a warm coat underneath.
Finish the look with purple
pants and purple mittens. Add a white ghost shaped bell to the end
of the tail.
Great Halloween Ghost Costume
Materials
Old, tattered clothes -- the more
tattered, the better
Light colored makeup foundation, DO NOT USE colorstay kind OR Baby oil or
light face creme
Baby powder or talcum powder
Eyebrow pencil -
navy or dark grey
Hair Spray
Spanish Moss (optional)
The face is important here: While your makeup or creme
base is wet, put on the powder with a puff or facial sponge or even
just a tissue. PRESS on the powder in
small areas at a time. Don't rub the powder on, as it will rub off
your foundation and won't stick as well. You will get a very pale
effect.
Next, get an eyebrown pencil or some very dark
eyeshadow (charcoal grey or dark navy) and brush on around and under
your eyes, in the hollows of your cheeks (just below your
cheekbones), on the sides of your temples, under your chin all along
the jaw line, and along the lines that run from your nose to the
corners of your mouth.
Finally, sprinkle some of the powder
in your hair and rub through with your hands. Fluff out with your
fingertips and spray with hair spray. For an even wilder effect,
lightly tease your hair with a fine-tooth comb and then spray with
hairspray. If you have some old chains around the house, drape them
over your shoulders and around your body. Or, for an even creepior
accent, attach wisps of spanish moss to your clothes and hair.
Robot Halloween Costume
1 large box you can fit over you
Old dryer vent
hose
Aluminum foil
Old knobs, misc small household
gadgets
Metal sieve (big enough to fit your head)
Black and
White face paint (makeup)
Cut dryer vent hose to make 2 arms and attach to sides
of box. Cover box with aluminum foil, and use odds and ends from
around the house to add "gadgets" for knobs buttons and screens,
wear the old metal sieve on your head, with a black or gray stocking
cap, and paint your face white with big black circles around the
eyes, and a straight black line for the mouth.
Mickey & Minnie Mouse Halloween Costume
2 Hard plastic saucers or 2 old 45 rpm records
or 2
cardboard cirles cut to the size of saucers
Black panty
hose
Black tape (electrician type)
Black leotard
White
gloves
Red vest (sew on big white buttons)
or Cut down red tee
shirt with white buttons painted on
White tennis shoes
Face
Paint
The hardest part is making ears. Put your plates,
records, or cardboard pieces inside a pair of black panyhose, and
tape the excess legs down with black tape. Then put on the black
leotard with white gloves, and a red vest with big white buttons,
(or a cut down T-shirt with white buttons painted on) your favorite
big white tennis shoes and face paint complete the costume, really
adorable!!
Halloween Clown Costume
Materials
Pillowcase
Colorful felt scraps
Thick yarn
Paper plate
Colored markers
Hole
punch
Place the hemmed opening of the pillowcase at the top
of the costume. Slit the hem and gather with yarn.
Cut
armholes in the sides of the costume. Cut scalloped leg holes at the
bottom. Cut colorful circles of felt and staple them all over the
costume. Cut eyes in the paper plate for eyes, nose, and mouth.
Outline the mouth and nose with red marker, the eyes with black. Add
red cheeks and black tears under the eyes.
Punch a row of
holes along the top of the mask. Tie short lengths of yarn through
the holes, fraying the yarn to create the hair. Punch a hole in each
side of the mask and add yarn ties.
Halloween Witch Costume
1. Create your headgear from cardboard and paper, or
get a pointy witch hat from a costume shop or toy store. Good
witches can wear tiaras or birthday princess hats made of paper. You
can make one from cardboard and silver glitter and glue.
2.
Streak your hair with gray temporary color, or use powder. Good
witches can use pink or glitter.
3. Make a witch nose (see
Related eHows). Good witches may choose long false eyelashes, blush
spots, pink lipstick and face glitter.
4. Black out a tooth
or two using special cosmetics from the costume shop. Good witches
need all their teeth.
5. Use a black eyeliner pencil and make
big black moles for a scary, wicked face.
6. Wear layers of
musty, black clothes. Skirts over skirts over petticoats look
witchy; recycle old stuff, or ravage the thrift shops.
7.
Choose holey sweaters, rusty silks and weird garments. Good witches
will choose pretty, sparkly dresses and flouncy skirts over net
petticoats.
8. Create a witchy cape with fabric pinned at
the neck. A skirt cut up the middle makes a great cape. Perhaps add
a cardboard collar. Good witches have capes too, just not black
ones.
9. Wear black shoes and striped or red tights.
10. Carry a broom of course, or leave it home and carry a
decorated pillowcase for candy. Draw bats, rats and newts on it.
Good witches can carry fairy wands and shopping bags or pillowcases
decorated with birds, flowers and rainbows.
Tips: Stuff a pillow in the back of your shirt
for a humped, truly witchy appearance. Wear long, press-on nails
painted black or blood red for added effect. Gluing plastic insects,
bats and cat stickers to your hat would be creepy cool. Get your
costume from used clothing shops; reasonably priced capes and hats
are available at toy shops. Learn to cackle. Warnings: Black clothing is hard to see at night, so
make sure you have a flashlight or reflective tape on your costume.
You may scare cats, dogs and little children. And like it.
Really Easy Halloween Costumes
Black Cat Halloween Costume
- Wear black spandex pant a black leotard OR long-sleeved
shirt.
- Get an old belt cut it up so that it fits around you neck as a
collar
- Add a bell or tag if desired.
- Create ears by stuffing black socks in a triangular fashion
then attach them to a head band creating ears.
- Paint face black add whiskers.
Scare Crow
- Add patches to jeans and flannel shirts, add straw to cuffs of
pants and shirt (duct tape will allow you to attach straw to under
side of pants and shirt).
Ladybug Halloween Costume
- Put black spots onto the back of a red sweat suit top.
- The bottom should be black sweatsuit pants or leggings. Make a
couple of extra legs from black felt and attach to the tummy.
- Add black antenna to a hairband for a "buggy" look.
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Halloween Safety Tips
courtesy of
the American Red Cross
With witches, goblins, and super-heroes descending on
neighborhoods across America, the American Red Cross offers parents
some safety tips to help prepare their children for a safe and
enjoyable trick-or-treat holiday.
Halloween should be filled with surprise and
enjoyment, and following some common sense practices can keep events
safer and more fun.
- Walk, slither, and sneak on sidewalks, not in the
street.
- Look both ways before crossing the street to check for cars,
trucks, and low-flying brooms.
- Cross the street only at corners. Don't hide or cross the
street between parked cars.
- Wear light-colored or reflective-type clothing so you are more
visible. (And remember to put reflective tape on bikes,
skateboards, and brooms, too!)
- Plan your route and share it with your family. If possible,
have an adult go with you.
- Carry a flashlight to light your way.
- Keep away from open fires and candles. (Costumes can be
extremely flamable.)
- Visit homes that have the porch light on.
- Accept your treats at the door and never go into a stranger's
house.
- Use face paint rather than masks or things that will cover
your eyes.
- Be cautious of animals and strangers.
- Have a grown-up inspect your treats before eating. And don't
eat candy if the package is already opened.
- Small, hard pieces of candy are a choking hazard for young
children.
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Halloween Party Ideas and Decorations
Set the Stage
- Give your room an eerie glow with dim lights, soft green light
bulbs
- Spread some dried bread and pretzels under a rug. When your
guests walk across the rug it will sound like crunching bones
underfoot!
- You can record several scary sounds and play it back during
the festivities.
- A very large sheet of poster board or sheet metal makes great
thunder.
- Uncooked rice poured onto a cookie sheet sounds like rain.
- Crinkle a handful of cellophane for a roaring fire.
- Snap carrots in half for the sound of breaking bones.
- Flap a plastic bag in front of the microphone for the sound of
bats.
- Slowly blow bubbles with a straw into a bowl for that bog
sound.
- Lighting When you have everything so dimly lit it's a good
idea to have some reflective tape over the Exits.
- A black light bulb is always a good effect, especially if you
are dressed as a skeleton!
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How To Throw Halloween School
Parties
"How-to" manual for putting on
safe and fun Halloween parties for children of all ages. eight
themes, sixty games, fifty-five crafts/favors; forty-nine
treats, eight drinks, eight parent costumes, twenty-two
educational facts, more than fifty helpful hints.
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Halloween Ghosties & Witches Decoration
Materials
Black & white tissue
paper
White twist ties
Black felt pen
Yarn (yellow,
brown)for witch hair
Glue
Crumple up a piece of tissue paper into a ball. Place
it into the center of a flat piece of tissue paper. Pick up the
corners of the flat tissue and twist it around the ball.
Tie
a twist tie or a piece of string around the ghosts's neck. Draw a
face with a felt pen. Use black tissue paper for hat and cape for
witches, glue on yarn for hair.
Hang them up all over the
house!
Wicked Witch Halloween Decoration
Materials
Empty, clean cardboard milk
carton
Black and white construction paper
Smaller piece of
yellow paper
Glue
Yarn, for hair
Popsicle stick
Cut the top off of a cardboard milk carton and
discard. Cover the carton with black construction paper and tape at
the back.
Cut a strip of white paper 3 inches wide and tape
around the top over the black paper. Draw a scary witch's face on
the white paper. Glue on some yarn for the hair.
Make a
cone-shaped witch's hat with black paper and glue to the top. Cut
out arms and hands from white paper. Cut out feet from black paper.
Tape them to the witch.
Glue a popsickle stick to one of the
witch's hands. Cut out two small pieces of yellow paper and cut a
fringe on the bottom. Glue one on each side of the end of the
popsicle stick for the broom.
Bobbing Ghosts Halloween Decoration
Materials
2 yds cheesecloth (2yds x 1
yd)
White helium filled balloon
Black felt
pen
String
Start with a piece of cheesecloth 2 yards long and 1
yard wide. Place a helium filled balloon (white is best) in the
middle of the fabric and gather loosely around balloon.
Draw
a horrid mask on the cloth with a felt pen.
You can put some
ghosts in a box and when people open the box the ghosts will float
up and scare everyone! Or, you can place them on string in front of
an open window or a fan and watch them gently move in the breeze.
Icky Cobwebs Halloween Decorations
Materials
Ball of
string
Tape
Water
Cut some string into 4 foot lengths and tape them to
the ceiling. You should have a very dim room for this. Just before
the victim arrives you can hold a bowl of water up to the string and
get it wet. When people walk in the wet, slimy string will brush
across their foreheads and scare them!
Body Parts Halloween Party Props
Have several bowls of body parts displayed to horrify your
friends.
- Set the mood eerie, dim lights, pale green light bulbs
- Cut up a bunch of hot dogs lenghwise for severed
fingers.
- Cook some spaghetti noodles and add some red and blue food
coloring for veins.
- A bunch of cocktail onions rolling around in a bowl looks like
eyeballs.
- Fill a red balloon with warm water and spread it with
strawberry jam. Invite your guests to touch your brain!
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Halloween Party Treats &
Snacks Recipes
"Eye of newt, and toe of frog, Wool of bat, and
tongue of dog" "Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting, Lizard's leg,
and owlet's wing" "For a charm of powerful trouble, Like a
hell-broth boil and babble" "Double, double, toil and trouble, Fire
burn, and caldron bubble"
William Shakespeare
Ghosts Pops
Take a small round lollipop. Lay it in the center of a
kleenex and wrap around the head of the lollipop. Tie with a piece
of yarn, string, or ribbon. Add 2 black dots for eyes and there you
have your ghost. Great to use for party favors.
Popcorn Hands
Pop some popcorn. Get the clear latex disposable
gloves and fill the whole glove, including the fingers with popcorn.
Tie the open end with yarn. You can also use a black or red marker
to color fingernails on the ends of the fingers.
**Please
note that some people have an allergy to latex.
Spider Pretzels Recipe
for each one:
2 round crackers
2 tsp. smooth peanut
butter
8 small pretzel sticks
2 raisins
With the peanut butter, make a cracker sandwich. Insert 8 pretzel
"legs" into the filling. With a dab of peanut butter, set 2 raisin
eyes on top.
Cobweb Cookies Recipe
Yield: 2 1/2 dozen 4- to 5-inch cookies
3/4 cup
all-purpose or unbleached flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4
cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
Powdered sugar
Beat all ingredients except powdered sugar in medium bowl with
electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Pour batter into
plastic squeeze bottle with narrow opening. If you don't have a
squeeze bottle at home to use, you can pick up a plastic,
picnic-style bottle for ketchup at your grocery or discount
store.
Heat 8-inch skillet over medium heat until hot; grease
lightly.
Working quickly, squeeze batter to form4 straight,
thin lines that intersect at a common center point to form a star
shape. To form cobweb, squeeze thin streams of batter to connect
lines.
Cook 30 to 60 seconds or until bottom is golden
brown; carefully turn. Cook until golden brown; remove from skillet.
Cool on wire rack.
Heat oven to 325°. Bake cookies on
ungreased cookie sheet 5 to 7 minutes or until almost crisp (cookies
will become crisp as they cool). Remove from cookie sheet; cool.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Store cookies in container with
loose-fitting cover.
Witches Fingers Cookie Recipe
1 c butter, softened
1 c icing sugar
1 egg
1 ts almond
extract
1 ts vanilla
2 3/4 c all purpose flour
1 ts baking
powder
1 ts salt
3/4 c whole blanched almonds
1 tube
decorator red gel
Preheat oven to 325F. In a bowl beat together butter, sugar, egg,
almond extract and vanilla. Beat in flour, baking powder and salt.
Cover and refrigerate for 30 mins.
Working with 1/4 of the
dough, keeping remaining in refrigerator, roll 1 heaping
teaspoonful, at a time, into finger shapes. For each "finger" piece,
use one almond piece as a fingernail; squeeze the center of the
finger to make a knuckle shape and make several slash marks also for
the knuckle.
Place on lightly greased baking sheet and bake
at 325F for 20 to 25 mins or until golden in colour.
Let
cool for 3 min and then lift almond gently and squeeze red gel into
space and press almond back in place.
Sweetie Spiders Recipe
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Few drops water
48
thin black 6-inch-long licorice strings
12 chocolate cream
sandwich cookies
24 small red cinnamon candies
In small bowl, stir together powdered sugar and 3 to 4
drops water to form thick paste. Reserve. Cut licorice strings in
half. Stick 4 halves into cream on each side of cookie to form legs.
Using powdered sugar paste as glue, adhere 2 cinnamon candies on top
of cookie to form eyes. Makes 12 cookies.
Scary Horror Movies For Halloween
Caramel Apples Recipe
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup
sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup
milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
extract
4 apples
1 cup chopped walnuts
In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine first six
ingredients. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture reaches 248F
on a candy thermometer (or until a bit of syrup dropped into cold
water forms a firm, pliable ball).
Stir in vanilla, then put
pan in a bowl of hot water to keep caramel soft. Insert ice-cream
sticks into stem ends of apples. Dip apples in caramel, coating
well. Allow excess to drip off, then roll in walnuts and let cool on
waxed paper for at least an hour. Makes 4 servings.
Baby Jacks Halloween Dessert Recipe
Draw jack-o’-lantern faces on small pumpkins or
oranges, then cut off top part and scoop out pulp. Pour in orange
Jell-O that’s not quite set. Add Red Hots, candy corn or gummy
worms. Chill till set.
Wicked Witch Shaped Cake Recipe
1 package (18-1/4 ounces) cake mix, any flavor, plus required
eggs, vegetable oil and water
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons
butter or margarine, softened
3 cups confectioner's sugar
2
tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons smooth
peanut butter
2 squares (1 ounce each) unsweetened chocolate,
melted
black and red licorice gumdrop
1. 2. 3.
Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Divide batter
into two greased and floured 9-inch square pans. Bake as directed on
package for 9-inch round pans, reducing suggested time 2-3 minutes.
Cool and remove cakes from pans as directed on package.
Only
1 cake is needed for a "witch", so either wrap and freeze the
remaining cake, or make two "witches" (double frosting recipe if 2
are made).
To prepare frosting, cream butter or margarine
for 1 minute using hand mixer at medium-high speed. Gradually add 2
cups confectioner's sugar, blending well after each addition with
mixer at low speed. Add milk and vanilla; mix well at low speed. Add
remaining 1 cup sugar; blend at low speed until incorporated. Beat
at medium speed until light and fluffy.
Remove 2/3 cup
frosting; place in a small mixing bowl. Add peanut butter and mix
with hand mixer at medium speed until incorporated; clean beaters.
Remove another 2/3 cup frosting; set aside.
To remaining
frosting add unsweetened chocolate; mix with hand mixer at medium
speed until incorporated.
To cut cake, measure 4-1/2 inches
from one corner; cut diagonally from that point across to opposite
corner. This will be the "witch's" hat. From corner of shortest side
of remaining cake, cut a small triangle for the nose. (See first
photo insert showing how cake is cut).
Arrange cake pieces
as shown in second photo insert. Frost face and nose with peanut
butter frosting, hair with white frosting, and hat with chocolate
frosting.
Decorate as shown in third photo insert, black
licorice on hat rim, red licorice for mouth, and colored gumdrop for
eye. Makes: 1 witch cake. plus leftover 9" square cake
Create a creepy ghoully centerpiece with
this illuminated Halloween Lab.
Halloween Pumpkin Cake Recipe
2 packages Bundt cake mix, vanilla or lemon
flavor
4 tubs prepared vanilla frosting
1 package red food
coloring
1 package yellow food coloring
Several packages gum
drops, M&Ms, assorted candies
Flowers and more Halloween
candies for decoration
Prepare both cake mixes, according to directions on
box. Pour batter into two standard-sized Bundt cake pans and bake
according to package directions. Let cool completely. Set
aside.
In a large bowl, whip frosting until light and fluffy,
using an electric mixer. Use the two food colorings to dye frosting
deep orange color.
Assembly: Place one Bundt cake, round part
down, on a serving platter. Place the second Bundt cake, flat side
down, on top of the first cake to resemble a pumpkin shape. Using a
cake spatula, spread the orange frosting over the top and sides of
the cake.
Then, using your favorite candies, design the eyes,
nose and mouth of the pumpkin. Garnish with flowers and candies.
Witch's Brew Recipe
1 qt Apple juice
1 1/2 c Pineapple juice, unsweetened
2 tb
Honey
2 tb Lemon juice
3 x Cinnamon sticks
1/2 c light rum (for adults only!!)
Mix all ingredients together in a saucepan. Heat over low heat
until ready to serve. Remove cinnamon sticks before serving.
Mystery Halloween Punch Recipe
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp. ground ginger
2
quarts cider or apple juice
3 cups water
1 can (12 ounces)
frozen orange juice concentrate
1 frozen hand (see
below)
In a large pitcher or glass gallon jar; stir lemon
juice and ginger until blended. Add cider, water and orange juice
concentrate and stir until blended. Cover and chill at least 1 hour.
To serve, place punch in a large, chilled punch bowl. Add frozen
hand or ice ring. Ladle into punch cups.
Frozen Hand
Red, blue or green food
coloring
Water
1 new disposable plastic or rubber
glove
Add food coloring to water until you reach desired
color. Fill glove with colored water, fastening end with a twist tie
or rubber band. Hang glove from a shelf in the freezer and freeze
overnight. When frozen, remove glove from ice and place "hand" in
the punch.
Eerie Witches Punch Recipe
4 cups cranberry juice cocktail
1 cup chopped
candied ginger
3 medium-sized oranges
1 can (12 ounces) thawed
frozen apple juice concentrate
2 cups seedless grapes
4 cups
water
2 bottles (32 ozs each) ginger ale
1 to 2 lbs. dry ice,
in 1 chunk - Do not handle or break into small
pieces! Be careful with dry ice!
In a 1 to 2-quart pan, bring 1 cup of cranberry juice
and candied ginger to a boil over high heat. Boil, uncovered, about
2 minutes; set aside.
With a vegetable peeler, pare peel
(colored parts only) from orange; cut peel into thin 2-inch long
"worms". Add orange peel to cranberry mixture. Cover and chill at
least 4 hours or as long as overnight.
Juice oranges: put
juice in a 6 to 8-quart pan or heavy bowl. Stir in cranberry-ginger
mixture, the 3 cups of cranberry juice, apple juice concentate,
limemade, grapes and water. If made ahead of time, cover and chill
up to 2 hours. Add ginger ale and about a one pound piece of dry
ice. Ice should smolder at least 30 minutes. Ladle into cups. Add
remaining ice when bubbling ceases. Makes 5 quarts.
Easy Cinnamon Cider Recipe
4 cups cider or apple juice
1/4 cup cinnamon
"Red-Hot" candies
Combine juice and candies in a large pan and bring to
a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 4 minutes until candies are
dissolved. Serve hot or cool. Serves 8.
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Halloween Party
Games
Bobbing for Apples Halloween Party Game
- Float apples in a large wash tub filled with water.
- The object of this game is to grab one of the apples and
remove it from the water without using your hands.
- You must use only your mouth. This is a very messy, very wet,
and very fun game.
- It is even more challenging if the stems are removed from the
apples.
Reverse Apple Bobbing Halloween Party Game
- Tie strings around apples, enough for each child or person
participating in the game, and suspend from the ceiling or a tree
branch. You may need to adjust the length of these so they are at
least mouth high or lower.
- Then, instruct everyone they must eat the entire apple and the
first to do this wins the game.
- Player can not touch the apple with their hands.
- The first to get a bite out of the apple, wins. This is really
hard to do, but is great fun to watch and capture on film!
- Another version of this idea, is to string donuts up instead
of apples.
Halloween Clothes Grab Bag Halloween Party
Game
- Gather up all kinds of clothing articles (i.e. hats, baggy
shirts and pants, ties, dresses, shoes, etc) and stuff it in a
duffle bag or large pillow case.
- Pass the bag around. Each person must take out one article
without looking.
- Play some music and have everyone walk down modeling their
item!
Push the Peanut Halloween Party Game
- Give each racer a toothpick and a peanut (in the shell). Their
job is to use the toothpick to push and roll the peanut from the
starting line to the finish line.
- This can be played on the floor or on a table. On the floor or
carpet, you can mark the starting and finish lines with masking
tape. On a table just go from one end to the other.
- Note: With younger children, you may want to use a cocktail
straw instead of the toothpick to avoid any possible injuries
during all the excitement.
Halloween Ice Toes Halloween Party Game
- Use two aluminum cake or pie pans. Place 5 or more marbles in
each pan.
- Cover with equal amounts of ice cubes in each pan.
- Two players then remove their shoes and socks and race to try
and get the marbles out of each pan using only their toes!
- No spilling ice or knocking over pan. The first to get all the
marbles out of the pan wins.
- You can also make this a relay by having an adult put the
marbles back each time.
- This is funny and the kids are screaming when its cold!
Spider Web Halloween Party Game
- In an enclosed area, take numerous, separate and very long
pieces of yarn to create a giant spider web.
- Put a piece of tape on the beginning of each piece and tie a
number to the end.
- Criss cross the pieces of yarn throughout the room to create a
"web."
- Each child grabs a taped end of yarn and rolls it up until the
end is found.
- Each number corresponds to a special prize or treat.
- The kids will have fun working there way through the web and
trying to stay untangled.
Candy Corn Drop Halloween Party Game
- Each child is given 15 pieces of candy corn.
- Kids kneel on a chair and drop pieces of candy corn, one at a
time, into a glass on the floor.
- The person who gets the most corn in the glass wins!
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Halloween Party
Pak
Pak for eight includes invitations,
plates, cups, forks, spoons, napkins, purple tablecover,
centerpiece, mylar balloon, balloons in three colors, rolls of
crepe paper streamers, curling ribbon, and Halloween confetti.
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Touch Yukky Stuff Halloween Party Game
- Blind fold guest and have them touch each item to guess what
it is.
- Peeled Grapes (eyes); Cold cooked Spaghetti (guts); Corn Hair
(hair); Carrot (finger); Liver (insides).
Candy Toss Halloween Party Game
- Use pieces of Halloween candy.
- On the floor, fraw a circle of 10 inches diameter, using
chalk.
- Put another circle of 5 inch diameter inside the first
one.
- Each child gets to throw a given number of candy pieces (like
horseshoes)
- 1 point for the outer circle, 2 points for the inner. Winner
gets all the candy!
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