| One night, in neighborhoods across America, you | | | | English word Alholowmesse, another way to say |
| will find monsters, ghosts, witches and other | | | | All Saints' Day). The night before this holiday, |
| characters haunting houses up and down the | | | | October 31, began to be known as All-Hallows |
| street. October 31, Halloween, is one of the more | | | | Eve and soon, just Halloween. Some time later, |
| popular holidays for children. What child wouldn't | | | | the church decreed that November 2 would be |
| want to dress up as a monster or fairy and | | | | known as All Souls Day, a day to honor the dead. |
| score a bag of candy in the process?The origins | | | | It was celebrated much like Samhain, with |
| of Halloween are ancient. 2,000 years ago in the | | | | bonfires, dancing, parades and dressing up in |
| part of the United Kingdom which is now Ireland, | | | | costumes. Together, the three celebrations, the |
| the Celts celebrated the beginning of their new | | | | eve of All Saints', All Saints' and All Souls', were |
| year on November 1. As a result, October 31, or | | | | collectively called Hallowmas.The way we |
| Samhain as the Celts called it, was a night to | | | | celebrate Halloween in America, trick-or-treating, is |
| celebrate. The Celts believed that on that one | | | | probably related to the All Souls' Day parades in |
| night each year, the wall between the worlds of | | | | early England. At this time, the poor would beg |
| the living and the dead were easier to cross over | | | | for food. They would be given "soul cakes" in |
| and the barrier was thinner. Because of this, they | | | | return for praying for the family's dead relatives. |
| believed that the spirits of the dead returned to | | | | Eventually, this turned into children visiting |
| the world of the living and caused all sorts of | | | | neighborhood houses and being given treats such |
| trouble and damage. Since the spirits were | | | | as beer, food and money.With the new flood of |
| present on earth, the Celts believed that their | | | | immigrants in the late 1800s, the millions of Irish |
| priests, the Druids, were able to make predictions | | | | entering the US helped shape the celebration of |
| about the future more easily.Since this celebration | | | | Halloween. From Irish and English traditions, |
| was an end to the summer and a beginning to | | | | Americans began dressing up in costumes and |
| the long, dark, cold, winter the people were | | | | going house to house asking for food or money. |
| hopeful if the Druids were able to make positive | | | | By the end of the 19th century, many people |
| predictions for the hard time ahead. After the | | | | began to try to mold Halloween into a holiday that |
| Romans conquered the British Isles, the Celtic | | | | was more about the community and community |
| celebration of Samhain was combined with a | | | | celebrations than about spirits, pranks or |
| couple of Roman holidays. Feralia was a day that | | | | witchcraft. Parents were encouraged to make the |
| the Romans honored their dead in late October. | | | | parties for their children and families less |
| The other holiday was in honor of Pomona, the | | | | frightening and attempt to take out the fearful |
| Roman goddess of fruit and trees. Pomona was | | | | aspects of Halloween.Today Halloween is the |
| associated especially with the apple and because | | | | second biggest commercial holiday in America. |
| of this, the tradition of bobbing for apples may be | | | | Americans spend billions of dollars on candy, |
| associated with Pomona after her holiday was | | | | costumes and parties. Children look forward to |
| lumped in with Samhain and Feralia.With the | | | | Halloween every year, partly because they are |
| spread of Christianity, Halloween was incorporated | | | | able to dress up and be a different person or |
| into a new holiday, All Saints' Day, which was a | | | | being for a night, but mostly because of the loot |
| day to honor saints and martyrs on November 1. | | | | they receive from going door to door in their |
| This holiday was also called All-hallows or | | | | neighborhood. |
| All-hallowmas (which is derived from the Middle | | | | |