What is halloween without the sweets, costumes and games? Other countries just don't celebrate it like we do in the States. Let us know if you want to order some candy fo rthe children, some childrens costumes or anything you can think of that would make halloween fun this year. We will soon be making a care package with all kinds of goodies in it so keep checking back.

The word "Halloween" is derived from All Hallows Eve, which occurs on November 1. The "All Hollows Day" or "All Saints Day". It is an important date on the Catholic calendar, a time to observe and honor saints. The custom of Halloween was brought to America in the 1840's by Irish immigrants fleeing their country's potato famine. At that time, the favorite pranks in New England included tipping over outhouses and unhinging fence gates.

The custom of trick-or-treating is thought to have originated with a ninth-century European custom called souling. On November 2, All Souls Day, early Christians would walk from village to village begging for "soul cakes," made out of square pieces of bread with currants. The more soul cakes the beggars would receive, the more prayers they would promise to say on behalf of the dead relatives of the donors. At the time, it was believed that the dead remained in limbo for a time after death, and that prayer, even by strangers, could expedite a soul's passage to heaven.