Halloween was a pagan holiday that can be traced back to the Druids, a Celtic culture in Ireland, Britain and Northern Europe. Roots lay in the feast of Samhain, which was held annually on October 31st to honor the dead. Samhain signifies "summer’s end" or November. It was a harvest festival with huge sacred bonfires, marking the end of the Celtic year and beginning of a new one. The Celts believed the souls of the dead roamed the streets and villages at night. Since not all spirits were thought to be friendly, gifts and treats were left out to pacify the evil and ensure next year’s crops would be plentiful. This custom evolved into trick-or-treating.
Do you dare to venture out into the scary Needham woods? We’ll treat you to holiday refreshments if you can locate us, but there will be no tricks. We will be waiting for you from 7:00 PM to 9:15 PM. Please feel free to wear your Halloween garb. We have moved the location of the event this year to make it handicap accessible.
While in the forest you may want to also get credit for Needham At Night (GC15KD5), our night cache. It begins and ends just a few feet from the event.
At about 9:00PM we will give away some "forest prizes." They are like "door prizes" when there is no door. LOL!