Short Cuts: Halloween at Hale

Ah, Halloween. The holiday that brings out the ghosts, witches, and inevitably, someone in a costume at Hale Library.

Wonder how it started? Well, thanks to my friend, the database Credo Reference, I learned from Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations of the World Dictionary the following information:

Halloween has its ultimate origins in the ancient Celtic harvest festival, Samhain, a time when people believed that the spirits of the dead roamed the earth. Irish settlers brought their Halloween customs—which included bobbing for apples and lighting jack-o’-lanterns—to America in the 1840s. (Citation: Halloween. (2005). In Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations of the World Dictionary. Retrieved from http://www.credoreference.com/entry/hfcwd/halloween)

And that's just for starters. Credo also explains Halloween traditions from around the world, the creepy rumors of apples spiked with razor blades, and whether The Day of the Dead has any connection to Halloween.

In honor of Halloween at Hale Library, one of our student employees, Matt Mchaney, created this “Spooky Hale” image for us:

 Happy Halloween!!

--m.e. fritch

Short Cuts is a series from K-State Libraries' Instruction Team providing library and research tips and tricks for undergraduates. Please feel free to share our articles and ideas with classes and colleagues - just give us credit!

Comments

[Jody]

Love Spooky Hale image. Good work.