Halloween is loved by children and adults alike, however most people only celebrate a highly commercialized version of this Autumn holiday.
What we today know as Halloween began as a Celtic festival known as Samhain. Samhain marked the beginning of the Celtic new year, as it occurred at the end of the summer and the beginning of the Autumn harvest, leading into the Winter season.
According to the History Channel, the origin of dressing in costumes on this night is actually one of the traditions stemming from this Celtic holiday. Celtic folklore states that on this night, the veil between the living world and the non-living world is at it's thinnest, therefore allowing the souls of the departed to freely cross into this realm. Because evil beings can supposedly cross over during this time as well, the Celtics wore costumes and had bonfires in order to convince the evil entities that they too were in fact inhuman.
There are many similar holidays around the world that celebrate departed loved ones. For instance, the Roman holiday of Feralia celebrated loved ones who had passed on. Similarly, the Japanese also have a festival that celebrates the departed called Obon. Unlike Samhain however, Obon takes place during summertime.
As Christianity spread throughout Europe, so-called Pagan holidays were covered up by new Christian holidays. Samhain however still persisted. The creepy folklore associated with the holiday and time of year remained, despite the attempt of Christianity to dust it under the rug. While the Catholic Church declared November 1 All Saints Day, November 2 was declared All Souls Day, in order to allow followers a way to honor their departed loved ones. All Saints Day was also known as All Hallows Day, therefore allowing the night before it to become All Hallows Eve. This night became what we know today as Halloween.
Trick or Treating actually finds it roots from English traditions.On All Hallows Eve, people used to make "soul cakes" especially for the holiday.These cakes were distributed to the poor and needy, so long as those who received the goods promised to say prayers for the providers' deceased loved ones.
In the United States however, the tradition of Halloween remained a quiet, barely celebrated event until around 1846. The Great Potato Famine of Ireland brought a great deal of Irish immigrants to America, and with them came their holidays, festivities and traditions. This influx of new culture gave America the traditions of wearing costumes, and wandering through your neighborhood, knocking on doors and asking for candy.
The Halloween that Americans know and celebrate today may stray a tad bit for the original traditions, however the root of these traditions have found their way to be embedded in our modern celebrations.
