According to the History Channel, Halloween began during a festival called Samhain. It was located in the ancient Celtic region as what we call today, Ireland. The Samhain festival was celebrated on October 31. On this day people believed that the spirits of the deceased would come back to life.
The celebration of Halloween started to spread in the 19th century and by the 20th century Halloween was a very popular holiday in the United States and had undergone many changes of traditions since the very beginning. Today’s traditions consist of carving pumpkins and trick-or-treating.
Halloween has been a great excitement for many kids for decades. A time to dress up as your favorite superhero or someone you aspire to be and not to mention the added benefit of getting mounds of candy from your neighbors and friends.
For some, you can walk out of your front door and visit your neighbors, but others may not have such easy access for a number of reasons. But that is no excuse to not enjoy the fun of Halloween. Many schools and local malls have started Safe Trick-or-Treat events for kids to enjoy a fun and safe Trick-or-Treating experience.
There are a handful of local spots hosting a Safe Trick-or-Treat event in and around Berks County, including Tuesday October 30 at Alvernia University, 5:30 P.M. – 8:00 P.M.
Alvernia University’s own Ms. Sharon Blair became involved in Alvernia’s Community Trick-or-Treat Night about five years ago when they wanted to include Francis Hall in the event. She says, “I took [past] props and added to them, putting in my [own] spin. When the day gets closer, I will add more to the hallway. The families are told that it is the ‘spooky hall’ and they can decide to come in or not. I advise the students that are helping me to use good judgment if a child gets really scared and to adjust the ‘spook’ accordingly. Parents can have a wonderful experience bringing their children here because they trust that we won’t do anything to harm their child and they can have a fun evening with activities and tour the decorated hallways of [the] dorms and get some treats along the way.”
While having access to spots for Trick-or-Treating may be the issue for some, other kids face food allergies getting in their way. Allergies should not get in the way of kids having fun on Halloween night.
The Teal Pumpkin Project created by the Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) started a campaign for kids who have food allergies to have a safe night of trick-or-treating. All that is needed, is to have a teal pumpkin on display. A teal pumpkin signifies there are non-food treats available, safe for kids with food allergies.
And with the help of Safe Trick-or-Treating events and The Teal Pumpkin Project, a safe and Happy Halloween can be enjoyed by all!
