Halloween crafts for a night of fright

The most frightening day of the year arrives, and surely you have already planned how you will spend it. You might choose a scary movie marathon, celebrate a home party, or go out on the street dressed up. Also, you can have fun making Halloween crafts to decorate your home. Let your imagination fly and get ready to have a frightfully good time.

How is Halloween celebrated around the world?

The best-known way to celebrate this festival is the American one, which has been brought to the whole world through movies and television series. The classic trick-or-treat sneaks into homes worldwide every year. So much so that in Spain you can already see groups of children asking for sweets at doors in some places.

But this is not the only way to celebrate it. It is a tradition thousands of years old and celebrated in many countries, so the ways it is observed vary in each part of the world.

Within the United States, there is a town where the Halloween celebration is different from the rest of the country, Salem, Massachusetts. The town has a tradition of occultism and witchcraft dating back to the 17th century, when collective hysteria caused several innocent women to die accused of witchcraft. Due to the fame of that witch hunt, tourists seek to visit Salem for tours, spooky visits, or to enjoy the many family activities offered. Besides all this, if you dare to go to Salem, you can enjoy visits to haunted houses or go to the very Corwin House, where the famous Salem Trials were held and where the “witches” were condemned.

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Ireland is one of the countries where this tradition is most deeply rooted; in fact, they were the ones who brought it to the United States. Although some scholars say the origin of this festival was in the Celtic peoples of Spain, the most widespread version links the night of October 31 with Samhaim, which was already celebrated 2,000 years ago. This pagan ritual celebrated that on that night the line separating the world of the living from that of the dead became more blurred, and the dead could pass into our realm. Thus, through this protection ritual, they sought to drive away these spirits from the other side. The element that remains in the Halloween celebration in Ireland is the use of fire. The bonfires spread throughout the towns aim to scare away these evil spirits, a tradition thousands of years old.

Halloween Crafts

If you have decided to celebrate a party at home, here are some ideas you can make in very little time that will help you decorate your home. If you are one of those who leave everything to the last minute, these paper decorations can help you create a scary setting for you and your friends. Also, they are so simple to make that the little ones at home can join in. Get scissors, paper, and glue ready and go for it!

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• Ghosts: for this, you only need a few white sheets of paper; you can also use continuous paper or roll tablecloth. You just have to cut the paper making a spiral, like a snail shell, leaving a large circle in the center. This circle will be your ghost’s face. Draw ghostly eyes and a mouth on this part with a black marker, attach a wool thread to hang it, and unroll it.
• Spider web: in this case, you will need black paper or cardboard, glue stick, black thread, and scissors. To make them, fold the paper or cardboard as much as possible and cut squares. When you unfold it, the cuts will show the pattern of a spider web. To hang them, glue the thread and they are ready to hang!
• Glowing eyes: you will need some materials, but the result is very good. First, you need ping pong balls and Christmas lights (you surely have some), plus a punch and some colored markers to add details. Let your creativity flow and draw scary eyes on the ping pong balls. Then, make an opening in the lower part of the ball with the punch and place one of the bulbs from the light string inside the ball. You will amaze everyone when you turn them on.
• Candle holders: nothing better to give a sinister touch to your home than decorating it with candles. To make them very scary, you only need empty glass jars, orange or white tissue paper, black cellophane paper, and glue. Clean the jars well and cut strips of tissue paper. Then, glue the strips on the outside of the glass jar. If you chose orange paper, you can make spooky pumpkins by placing the cellophane paper in the shape of eyes and mouth; if you chose white paper, they can be ghosts. Finally, place a small candle inside the jar.
• Bats: for this craft, you need several egg cartons that you should cut into rows of three. For the bat’s head, use the central cup, and cut the other two to shape wings. When ready, paint the entire surface black and add details with white paint to create eyes, then hang them with a ribbon. To make the ribbon stronger and prevent them from falling, you can use hot glue. Another option is to make a small hole at the top, insert the ribbon, and tie a knot on the other side.