What place could be better for experiencing a bit about Halloween? Black Creek Pioneer Village is represents a complete 1860s community, an era when superstitions and spooky traditions ran strong. It’s a great outing for the modern family! For younger children, I recommend Howling Hootenanny, which takes place during the daytime this Saturday and Sunday. For older kids, there is nothing like All Hallows’ Eve, where you can experience the Village at night, ghost stories and all.

Children can decorate their own pumpkins at the Howling Hootenanny at Black Creek

Halloween is a lot of fun for the young (and the not so young often!). So where did the tradition come from?

Traditional beliefs in early Ontario held that All Hallows’ Eve,” the night before All Saints Day, was a time when the spirit world and the world of the living intersected. Some viewed this time with hope, wishing to reconnect with lost loved ones. Seances and mediums who could speak to the dead where more common in that time than one might imagine! At the same time, it was frightening and and people hung a broom over their doorway to ward off malevolent spirits, or left treats out to appease them. Even today, Halloween mixes feeling of excitement with a delicious element of fear. No wonder kids love it!

Pumpkins, pumpkins everywhere this Halloween at Black Creek Pioneer Village

The Jack o’ Lantern tradition came from Ireland where people would hollow out a turnip and place a candle inside it to let wandering spirits know how to find their way home. Here in Canada, pumpkins were more readily available (and frankly make a better lantern, if you ask me!) and so our pumpkin carving tradition was born.

Just one more thing about Black Creek this Halloween: they have built a really cool giant slingshot – the height of a person! Visitors can shoot crab apples into the valley, or aim at targets that have been set up. Go check it out!

Have a happy and safe Halloween,

Eric