The Old Witch by The Brothers Grimm

(Classic Halloween Story For Kids)

There was once a little girl who was very wilful and who never obeyed
when her elders spoke to her - so how could she be
happy?

One day she said to her parents, 'I have heard so much of the old witch
that I will go and see her. People say she is a wonderful old woman, and
has many marvellous things in her house, and I am very curious to see
them.'
But her parents forbade her going, saying, 'The witch is a wicked old
woman, who performs many godless deeds - and if you go near her, you
are no longer a child of ours.'
The girl, however, would not turn back at her parents' command, but went
to the witch's house. When she arrived there the old woman asked her:
'Why are you so pale?'
'Ah,' she replied, trembling all over, 'I have frightened myself so with what
I have just seen.'
'And what did you see?' inquired the old witch.
'I saw a black man on your steps.'
'That was a collier,' replied she.
'Then I saw a gray man.'
'That was a sportsman,' said the old woman.
'After him I saw a blood-red man.'
'That was a butcher,' replied the old woman.
'But, oh, I was most terrified,' continued the girl, 'when I peeped through
your window, and saw not you, but a creature with a fiery head.'
'Then you have seen the witch in her proper dress,' said the old woman.
'For you I have long waited, and now you shall give me light.'
So saying the witch changed the little girl into a block of wood, and then
threw it on the fire. When it was fully alight, she sat down on the hearth
and warmed herself, saying:
'How good I feel! The fire has not burned like this for a long time!'

HALLOWEEN

Evolving from the ancient Celtic holiday of Samhain,

modern Halloween has become less about literal ghosts
and ghouls and more about costumes and candy. The
Celts used the day to mark the end of the harvest season
and the beginning of winter, and also believed that this
transition between the seasons was a bridge to the world
of the dead. Over the millennia the holiday transitioned
from a somber pagan ritual to a day of merriment,
costumes, parades and sweet treats for children and
adults.
ANCIENT ORIGINS OF HALLOWEEN

Halloweens origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain

(pronounced sow-in). The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is
now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France, celebrated their new
year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and
the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated
with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the
boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On
the night of October 31 they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the
ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and
damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits
made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the
future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these
prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long,
dark winter.

Halloween Skeleton for the Doctor

An intern was sent to collect a new skeleton from the central store. When
he arrived at the consultant surgeon's office there was already a queue of
patients waiting. As the intern wrestled the skeleton through the outside
door he became aware of people gazing at him enquiringly.
He gave them a smile and said, 'I am bringing him to the doctor.'
An old lady said sympathetically, 'My dear! Isn't he a bit late for the
doctor?'