PHOENIX - It's that time of year -- when goblins, superheros and witches invade our neighborhoods.
It's almost time for Halloween and we want to make sure you're ready before celebrating one of the year's most popular holidays.
According to History.com, Halloween traditions began 2,000 years ago with the Celts.
They believed that on the night before their new year, November 1, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred.
On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and offer sacrifices to the Celtic deities. During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes made mostly from animal heads and skins. When it comes to modern-day costumes, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has tips for buying costumes that are safe to wear.
Ready to hit the streets? According to the Glendale Fire Department children are four times more likely to be struck by a car on Halloween than any other night of the year. - If trick-or-treating, remember to wear something reflective and flame resistant.
- Drivers should stay on alert and watch for children, especially in residential neighborhoods.
- Make sure costumes fit to increase the mobility and visibility of children wearing them.
- Children should be reminded not to run and to use crosswalks or street corners after looking both ways.
- USA Safe Kids suggests children under the age of 12 be accompanied by an adult.
- Parents should check all treats before they are eaten and report anything suspicious.
- For the purpose of lighting jack-o-lanterns, use a flashlight or a liquid light that glows after it bends; not candles.
Officials at Phoenix Children's Hospital have a few more Halloween tips for keeping kids safe:
- Small children should never carve pumpkins. Children can draw a face with markers. Then parents can do the cutting.
- Votive candles are safest for candle-lit pumpkins.
- Candlelit pumpkins should be placed on a sturdy table, away from curtains and other flammable objects, and should never be left unattended.
- A parent or responsible adult should always accompany young children on their neighborhood rounds.
- If your older children are going alone, plan and review the route that is acceptable to you. Agree on a specific time when they should return home.
- Only go to homes with a porch light on and never enter a home or car for a treat.
- A good meal prior to parties and trick-or-treating will discourage youngsters from filling up on Halloween treats.
- Consider purchasing non-food treats for those who visit your home, such as coloring books or pens and pencils.
- Wait until children are home to sort and check treats. Though tampering is rare, a responsible adult should closely examine all treats and throw away any spoiled, unwrapped or suspicious items.
- Try to ration treats for the days following Halloween.
Preparing the perfect pumpkin
What's Halloween without a traditional jack o'lantern?
According to
history.com, pumpkin carving is a popular part of modern America's Halloween celebration. We've been making jack o'lanterns at Halloween for centuries. The practice originated from an Irish myth about a man nicknamed "Stingy Jack." According to tradition, the Devil was upset by a trick Jack had played on him and would not allow Jack into hell. He sent Jack off into the night with only a burning coal to light his way. Jack put the coal into a carved-out turnip and has been roaming the Earth with ever since. The Irish began to refer to this ghostly figure as "Jack of the Lantern," and then, simply "Jack O'Lantern."
Check out our tips on carving your jack o'lanternNow...if you're ready to be scared silly, continue on. There are haunted houses all around Arizona and the Valley. Some have been around for decades, others spring up this time of year.
