Happy Halloween from Wilson Omnifile

Whether your library patrons are looking for learning or light reading around Halloween, Wilson Omnifile can provide it.

An article from the International Journal of Regional and Local Studies examines a festival similar to Halloween, that of Hop tu naa, which takes place on October 31 on the Isle of Man, a dependency of the British crown that lies off the coast of Great Britain. The festival sees children going around the neighborhood with a turnip and candle lantern, singing a song and soliciting donations to buy fireworks for Guy Fawkes Night. The article also discusses the similarities and differences between Hop tu naa, modern Halloween, the Celtic festival of Samhain, and the Christian festival of All Saints or All Souls Day, so it makes an interesting starting point for class discussion, a writing assignment, or an imaginative art project.

Parents looking for tips on feeding trick or treaters more healthy alternatives to candy bars might find something to help them in an article from Supermarket News, Fall 2009, which talks about the efforts that parents and some retailers are making to move kids away from unhealthy choices on the spookiest night of the year.

The popular topic of a healthier Halloween is continued in an article from Men's Health, 2009, which contains several recipes for satisfying your sweet tooth without sabotaging your diet.

Remember that you can download these articles for later listening, like when you're putting together your shopping list for this weekend, or when you're actually in the supermarket picking up those all-important Halloween treats.

Remember also that many of the articles are available as PDF page images, so if you are using Omnifile for craft, recipe, or art project ideas, you should look for the PDF icon to find pictures where they are available in the original article.

(Our image is a Library of Congress poster from Art Museum Image Gallery, another essential source of Halloween inspiration.)