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HALLOWEEN originates back to the ancient Celtics, over 2,000 years ago. They celebrate their new year on November first, since it marked the beginning of the harvesting. So, it was believed that on the eve of the new year (October 31) that the boundary separating the living from the dead became blurred. They would have a celebration they called the Samhain, for when the ghosts returned to earth. The celebration would include fortune telling, a sacred bonfire, and costumes. The costumes where usually animals heads and skins. At the end of the celebration, the people would re-light their hearth fires from the sacred bonfire, to protect them through the winter. Other celebration rituals were combined with these after the Romans conquered the Celtics in 43 A.D. The main tradition of Halloween, trick or treating, was started in England. On the All Souls' Day parades, the poor citizens would beg for food and people would give them "soul cakes." This was referred to as "going- a-souling" and was eventually taken up by children. The tradition of wearing costumes while trick or treating was from the Celtics, as well as the Europeans. The people would wear masks when they went out at night, on the eve of the new year, so that the ghosts from the dead would not recognize them and they would believe that they were another spirit. Also, to keep the ghosts away, people would put bowls of food outside their home, to prevent them from wanting to enter. As the Europeans immigrated to America, more traditions and rituals of Halloween were brought over, and by the early-mid 1900's Halloween slowly developed into a well-celebrated holiday. Today, Americans spend approximately 6.9 billion dollars annually on Halloween, and it is the countries second largest holiday.
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History
of Halloween
