Chantilly Halloween Fun Coming Up at Sully Historic Site

Treat yourself to Halloween fun and facts by heading to Sully Historic Site for the annual Historic All Hallows’ Eve celebration which is ongoing from 4 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18. It’s a family-friendly event designed to shed light on centuries-old customs that evolved into the holiday traditions of today. Read more about this fun-filled event from Fairfax County:

Get a glimpse of things that would have been done on All Hallows’ Eve over the past millennium. Halloween, a shortened version of All Hallows’ Eve, is typically linked to the Celtic festival of Samhain, ancient Roman festivals and All Saints Day that were a time for harvesting crops, a time of remembrance, and a time when people took steps to protect themselves from harmful or evil spirits. Family gatherings, special foods, and entertainment were highlights of these fall events.

Storytelling was an important aspect of All Hallows Eve. In some cultures oral history was the primary way to pass traditions from one generation to the next. Sit in the flickering firelight to hear African American storytelling at the slave quarter.

Visit with the fortune teller to get a glimpse of the future. Crystal balls, playing cards, and palm reading were used in fun-filled games at fall gatherings to try to predict what was in store for family and friends.

Evergreen Shade will be performing songs that highlight fall and Halloween. Find your way through our maze, decorate a fruit or vegetable, and hear the story of Jack o’ Lantern. Visit the outbuildings while butter is being churned and stew is cooked in a pumpkin shell. In the laundry hear about medicinal herbs that did more harm than good! Take a ride on our tractor-drawn wagon for $2.

Tour the first floor of the 1794 house by lantern light. Hear about funeral rituals of the 18th and 19th centuries, untimely deaths at Sully, and stories from Sully’s Civil War history.

Children in costume, bring a bag or other container to collect your sweet treats as you trick or treat at different locations around the site!

Admission to this program is $10. For more information call 703-437-1794 or Register Online.

Sully Historic Site is located at 3650 Historic Sully Way in Chantilly, Va.