The Book of Hallowe’en by Ruth Edna Kelley (PDF ebook) – Today’s resource is this well done history of Halloween, compiled by librarian Ruth Kelley back in 1919. Whatever your opinion of Halloween is, good or bad, it is still quite fascinating to trace the history of where it came from and what the origins of all the symbols, stories, beliefs and customs associated with Halloween are (or at least were up to the early 1900s). Lots of interesting stories, poems and world history in this.
from the preface:
This book is intended to give the reader an account of the origin and history of Hallowe’en, how it absorbed some customs belonging to other days in the year, — such as May Day, Midsummer, and Christmas. The context is illustrated by selections from ancient and modern poetry and prose, related to Hallowe’en ideas.
Click here for today’s resource
Note: We know some of our readers love Halloween and some hate it… so if this resource is objectionable to you, please do not download it. For what it’s worth, our offering this resource does not imply our endorsement of any current Halloween customs or celebrations. Halloween simply is what it is — and whatever you think of it, knowing something about its history is not such a bad idea.
[...] Homeschool Freebie of the Day is offering a book from 1919 entitled The Book of Halloween. It traces the history of the holiday and makes for interesting [...]
Thank you for this interesting resource. We do not celebrate/participate in Halloween and we get a lot of strange looks because of that. Now, my kids can learn more about the origins of the holiday and understand why Dad and Mom have such strong convictions. Thanks.