Celebrate this Halloween!

Halloween is a celebration and tradition which stems from a multitude of celebrations—thought to have been an adapted Celtic festival of harvest (dubbed Samhain in Gaelic) adopted into the Christian celebration of All Hallows’ Eve. In the modern tradition, we dress up in costumes and masks and “Trick or Treat” around our local neighbourhoods, occasionally throwing parties and playing games. This is not too dissimilar to the original celebrations, where folks would disguise themselves as spirits as they believed it would help them avoid being harmed by the spirits who travelled from the otherworld to this one when the veil between them is thinnest.

If you want to celebrate Halloween in the most traditional sense, you might want to celebrate it in a city with close Irish routes. One English city which perhaps has a closer connection to its Celtic origin is Liverpool!

The maritime city was a popular place for trade and migration from the 18th to the early 20th centuries. The high Irish heritage of Liverpool has a big influence on its population, with popular Irish celebrations such as St Patrick’s Day and the festival of Samhain, also known as Halloween, being celebrated city-wide.

With less than a week until the spookiest day of the year is upon us, perhaps you are looking for some last-minute Liverpool Halloween Events. One for your frightening fours and above you can play ghostly games and create a spooktacular craft in your best fancy dress at the Halloween event at The Storybarn. If you’re looking for a party that can include your littlest ones: the Halloween Spectacular Fundraiser at Factory Project in Liverpool on Friday the 27^th will host fancy dress, games, entertainment, stand-up bingo food and a bar open for adults. For those a little older, you might consider Blackstone Street Warehouse’s Circus Halloween.

With an abundance of events available on the approach to Halloween you might find it hard to settle on just one, so why not try out a number of this year’s Halloween festivities?

For an even more Celtic-influenced celebration for you and your children, you might consider visiting the Liverpool Irish Centre, where you can join in the fun at their Samhain (Hallowe’en) Céilí event.

If you want to spend the Spooky season in the comfort of your own home, here are some activity ideas for you to try out.

 

Glue Ghosts!

What you need:

• 1 PVC Glue of Choice, e.g. Clear/Bue/Green/Glitter.
• A pack of Googly eyes
• Wax Paper

Nice to add:

•             Glitter
•             String

Step one:

Sketch out the outline of a ghost. Repeat as many times as you want.

Step Two:

Using the Glue, follow the outline of the ghost sketch. Once you’ve covered all the lines, fill in the glue outline with the glue, covering all the space inside of the sketch.

Step Three:

Carefully place two eyes where you think your Ghost’s eyes should be.

At this stage, sprinkle some glitter over your ghost if you would like.

Step Four:

Leave your ghost in a warm, dry space for twenty-four hours.

If the ghost is still sticky/wet, wait until it is dry.

Peel your ghosts off of the wax paper.

Step Five:

Display your ghost however you want.

If you want, thread the string through the top of your ghost and hang it as you desire.

 

Lolly stick Spiderwebs

What you need:

• 3 Lolly Sticks (You can use real sticks for a more rustic effect)
• PVC Glue (You can also use a Pritt Stick or with an adult use a hot glue gun)
•  White Paint
• A ball of String Or wool yarn

Nice to add:

•             Glitter
•             Toy Spiders

Step One:

Cross the three sticks from the centre, making a snowflake shape. Glue these in place.

Step Two:

Paint the snowflake shape white using the paint. Leave to dry.

Step Three:

Using the string/yarn, wrap and knot the string/yarn in the centre of the stick shape; ensure you did this through the gap of all the spokes.

Step Four:

Begin to wrap the yarn around each of the spokes and then move and wrap the tread around the next spoke, moving up the sticks in a spiral-like pattern. (If you get lost, check out this video for a demonstration).

Continue this until the Spiderweb shape is formed and complete.

Once you come to the end of the final spoke, cut and glue down the end of the string/yarn. Save any excess/spare string or yarn for another craft.

For more security, glue the string/yarn down at different points on the spokes. If you would like to add more detail, you can sprinkle glitter over your web.

Leave to dry.

Step Five:

If you would like to add more spooky details, you can attach your toy spiders, either threading them into the web itself or gluing them down for more security.

 

Whatever you get up to this Halloween Guys and Ghouls, remember to be polite and enjoy yourself!