大象传媒

Primary assemblies: Halloween

In short...

Themes: celebrating special days; the Celtic festival of Samhain; the customs and traditions of Halloween.

Summary: This assembly celebrates Halloween, which falls on 31 October each year. The video begins by tracing the origins of Halloween to the ancient festival of Samhain - a day when Celtic tribes believed that spirits wandered the earth. When Christianity spread across Europe Samhain became All Hallows' Day, but the traditions of Samhain remained popular on All Hallows' Eve. The video then goes on to explore some of the fun activities associated with Halloween in the present day.

Resources: The , and .

The video

The origins of Halloween are truly ancient. Celtic tribes that settled in Britain celebrated Samhain, a festival marking the end of summer and the start of the long, dark winter. They believed that at Samhain a door between the real world and a spirit world was thrown open and spirits could wander the earth.

When Christianity spread across Europe Samhain was replaced by All Hallows' Day (or All Saints' Day) and the evening before became known as All Hallows' Eve. Many of the traditions of Samhain continued on All Hallows' Eve - which eventually became known as 'Halloween'.

So Halloween has its origins in religious celebrations dating back thousands of years; but today, for most people, it is an opportunity to dress up, have some spooky fun and play games.

Duration: 4' 02"

Final words: 'Happy Halloween!'

Video questions

  1. What is the name of the Celtic festival that predates Halloween? (Samhain - pronounced 'SOH-in')
  2. What did the Celts believe could happen at Samhain? (That spirits and ghosts could pass from their world into our world)
  3. What Christian holy day replaced Samhain? (All Saints' Day / All Hallows' Day)
  4. What was the name given to the evening before All Hallows' Day (All Hallows' Eve - from which we get 'Halloween')
  5. What traditions of Halloween date back to earlier times? (Dressing up in disguised / 'trick or treating' / preparing special food / carving pumpkins and other vegetables)

Key links

Download / print the assembly framework ready for use

Assembly framework (pdf)

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Image: a spooky Halloween title

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Image: a stylised illustration of ancient Samhain celebrations

Suggested framework

1. Entry
There are several songs that are popular at Halloween!

2. Introduction
Tell the assembly that today they will be finding out about the origins of Halloween. Explain to the group that this is a celebration that has been happening for thousands of years, but which has evolved over time. While they watch the video, ask pupils to think about how some of Halloween鈥檚 traditions have changed over the years.

3. The video
Play the video. The duration is 4' 02" and the final words are: 'Happy Halloween!'

4. Time to talk
Ask the assembly: Please turn to the person next to you and tell them your favourite thing to do to celebrate Halloween.
Then lead a discussion about the video to consolidate pupils' understanding of Halloween and the significance of its origins.

  • Can you remember who the first people were to celebrate on Halloween? (The Celts)
  • Why did the Celts celebrate Samhain ('SOH-in') at that particular time? (It was their new year, marking the end of harvest time and the beginning of a long cold winter). Wait for responses. Follow up with: What did they believe happened over the new year? (The boundaries between worlds became blurred and spirits could come into our world)
  • Can you remember some of the things that the Celts did to celebrate Samhain ('SOH-in')? (Lit bonfires / left offering of food and drink / wore masks as disguises)
  • Who can remember the names of the days that came to replace Samhain ('SOH-in') when Christianity spread across Europe? (All Saint鈥檚 Day / All Hallows鈥 Day / All Hallows鈥 Eve)
  • How were 'trick or treating' and carving pumpkins different in the past? (Trick or treating involved reading poems or jokes for gifts or treats; other vegetables were also carved, including turnips and beetroots)

5. Time to sing
Suggestions from 大象传媒 collections below.

6. Opportunity for reflection
Focus your reflection on the long history of Halloween traditions. For example:
Sit quietly now and in the stillness think about how the fun things we do today have been done in different ways for thousands of years鈥
For the ancient Celts, the New Year Samhain ('SOH-in') celebrations were very important, marking the change of the year and a time to consider the hidden dangers just out of sight鈥
Christian people celebrated in a similar way, but for a different reason. Instead of warding off evil spirits, they took the opportunity to honour the saints of the Christian church鈥
Today, many of us have fun on Halloween without needing a reason. But the things we do are based on ancient traditions鈥

7. Opportunity for prayer
Begin with your usual form of address ('Dear God', 'Dear Lord'. 'Let us pray', etc) and:
Thank you for the opportunity to celebrate on Halloween.
Today we can enjoy a night of spooky fun, thanks to the traditions that have been passed down over many generations.
Help us to remember the significance of Samhain ('SOH-in') and All Hallows鈥 Eve, and to stay safe and have fun this Halloween.
Amen.

Suggested songs

'God is watching over you' (All about our school, no 7)

Song: 'We will grow' (All about our school, no 10)

Song: 'While we live we learn' (All about our school, no 3. Vocal version)

Other films from this collection

KS1/KS2. Celebrating Bonfire Night; Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot of 1605; fire safety.

Bonfire Night

KS1/KS2. Remembrance Day (11 November) and Remembrance Sunday; showing respect; the sacrifice of others.

Remembrance Day

KS2: Celebrating International Women's Day (8 March); equality; education; courage; respect.

International Women's Day