2016 Term 4 Weeks 3 and 4: History of Halloween and Guy Fawkes

Follow this link to a previous blog post about Guy Fawkes. 

In 1605, Guy Fawkes was one of a group of men who had plotted to blow up the houses of parliament in London to kill the king.  They were caught and executed. The king was so grateful that the plot was discovered that he ordered a celebration. 

Here's a Horrible Histories version of the Guy Fawkes story. 

Here's a very old poem about Guy Fawkes. Practise saying it aloud, and try to find a rhythm to it. Hint - try saying Guy Fawkes two times at the beginning of verse 2.

Time to practise our notes on the treble clef again:  I Knew You Were Treble

And time to bring out some of our Christmas dances: 
Crazy Santa Dance 
Jingle Bells 
 

 

The history of Halloween goes back a very long time. What it means to people, and how it is celebrated has changed several times over the course of its history. 

Celebrating Halloween originally started as a pagan ritual over two thousand years ago in the areas now known as Ireland, northern France and the United Kingdom.  It started as a Celtic festival Samhain (pronounced Sow-in) to celebrate the end of the harvest season on the 31st of October before the beginning of the long, dark, cold northern hemisphere winter and the new year beginning on November 1st.   It was also believed that a change of seasons was a bridge to the world of the dead.  Celts believed that on the eve of the new year, the ghosts of the dead returned to the earth.  There were bonfires and celebrations to mark these events. 

When the Romans conquered most of the Celtic lands, they included some of their own traditions in the festivals. 

In the 8th century, Pope Gregory III decided that all saints and martyrs would be honoured on November 1st. It would be called "All Saints' Day", and the night before  All Saints' Day was called "All Hallow's Eve". Over time it became shortened to "Hallowe'en" - e'en is an abbreviation for evening. 

In 1000 AD, the church made November 2nd a day to remember and honour all dead, and this became known as "All Souls' Day" and was also celebrated with festivities. 

 

Over time, the the festival changed from a religious festival to a community celebration and involved children dressing up and trick-or-treating.  Hallowe'en celebrations  continued to change even further as immigrants brought their traditions and festivals with them to America. It changed into a community event and lost any of its connections with religion. Further over time, and with commercialism and advertising, it has evolved into a huge industry with billions of dollars spent on decorations, costumes, parties and special foods. 

 Here's a Monster Dance (Just Disney Dance) Calling All Monsters . 

And our favourite - Banana Boat song. 

Here's an old recording of children reciting the witches' spell from MacBeth. 

 

Juniors 
 This is another dance called the Skeleton Dance . It helps you learn your left and right sides - and the names of your bones. 

Here's an easy dance called The Monster Shuffle.  Follow the words and mirror what the group are dancing.  

Here's a Halloween song and dance you can easily follow. 
And another one - Let's Get Spooky.