It is a time of superstition and celebration. Halloween is often a child’s favorite time of year simply because of the magic of dressing up and being able to enjoy sugary treats without reprimand on this evening.  This one night of the year, it is encouraged to dress up in costume and be your favorite comic book hero or character.  But the origins of Halloween span hundreds of years in the making.
This holiday originates from the Celts who lived 2,000 years ago and celebrated a festival called Samhain which marked their New Year on November 1st, but the belief was that the evening before blurred the lines between the living and dead.  Since the end of October meant the beginning of harsh conditions and often difficult harvests for the Celts, this idea makes sense to the conditions they had to endure.  They believed that misfortune associated with crops could be be prevented by appeasing the spirits.  During the evening of October 31sts, they would build large bonfires and wear costumes to bring fortune to their crops.  Hundreds of years later after the Romans conquered the Celts, they incorporated their festival days with Samhain, one of them, Feralia was blended with the Celtic tradition and commemorates the passing of the dead.

When Christianity became the predominant religion in Europe, the church declared a day to honor all saints on November 1st.  It was said that Pope Gregory III wanted to convert the pagans to Christianity and to do so, he needed to change their traditions, especially how they commemorated their dead.  The evening before November 1st was to become known as All Hallows Eve or as in old English, Alholowmess which means All Saints Eve.

This tradition further changed in America with the dynamic inclusion of Native American traditions.  As settlers dealt with harsh conditions and the Native Americans interacted with settlers, exchanging customs, the inclusion of celebrations or “play parties” were explored so that the evening before All Hallow’s Eve would be marked with festivities and some level of costumes to commemorate the dead.  As new waves of immigrants came to the states, it was the influx of Irish immigrants that brought the tradition of “trick-or-treating” .  As time passed and we fast forward into the 1800s, the traditions surrounding the evening of October 31st with the dead and witchcraft subside and the church attempts to create more emphasis on community and festivity surrounding the family structure.  This continued into the 21st century until films and media began to capitalize the fear factor of Halloween.  Nowadays, the holiday is surrounded by the mystique of horror films and candy.  It is celebrated as a kid’s holiday and one where they can truly enjoy the magic of make-believe for one night.  There’s no wrong way to celebrate this wonderful night.  No matter how you celebrate this fun and treat filled evening, be safe and enjoy the sugar.