Halloween is an annual celebration, but just what is it actually a celebration of? And how did this peculiar custom originate? Is it, as some claim, a time when the spirit world joins the living world?  Or is it just a harmless  ancient custom?  Read the stories below to find the answers.

So where does the word Halloween come from?  The word actually has its origins in the Catholic Church. It comes from the words  "All Hallows Eve."   The day after, November 1, "All Hollows Day" (or All Saints Day), is a special day to honor all the saints. 

In the 5th century BC, in Celtic Ireland, summer officially ended on October 31st. And their holiday was called Samhain (sow-en), the Celtic New Year. One story says that, on that day (October 31st), the spirits of all those who had died would come back and walk through the villages. The Celts believed that only on this day the spirit world and living world would join.  Naturally, the people did not want the spirits walking around because they were afraid something bad might happen. So, on the night of October 31, to keep themselves safe, villagers would put out the fires in their homes to make the houses cold.  Spirits didn't like the cold, so they just might stay away. Other people would dress up in  scary costumes, make lots of noise, and parade around the neighborhood trying to scare away any spirits.  Some people would leave food (a treat) on the porch of their house so the hungry spirits would take the food and leave.  That may have had something to do with the start of the present day tradition of "Trick-or-Treating" (dressing up in scary costumes and taking food), but candy still wasn't part of Halloween yet. They missed out on a lot of chocolate, didn't they?

Another custom of trick-or-treating is thought to have originated with a ninth-century European custom called souling. On November 2, (All Souls Day) early Christians would walk from village to village begging for "soul cakes," made out of square pieces of bread with currants. (Can you imagine getting bread instead of candy?  Currants made it sweet, but it's still not candy.)  In return for the soul cakes, the beggars would promise to say prayers for the dead relatives of the people who gave them cake.  This would help the dead souls get to heaven quicker.  In other words, they traded bread for prayers.  (I'd still rather have candy.)

The custom of Halloween was brought to America in the 1840's by Irish immigrants. At that time, the favorite pranks in New England included tipping over outhouses and unhinging fence gates.  That might have been the start of the "Trick" in the words Trick-or Treat.  (There's no mention of candy yet - not even a Jolly Rancher.)

The Jack-o-lantern custom probably comes from Irish folklore. As the tale is told, a man named Jack, who always played nasty jokes on people, tricked the devil into climbing a tree. The devil got stuck, and Jack wouldn't help him down. Jack made a deal with the devil that, if he would never bother him again, he would help him get unstuck.  According to the folk tale, after Jack died, he was not allowed to go to Heaven, and the devil didn't want him either. Instead, the devil gave him a single candle to light his way through the darkness. The candle was placed inside a hollowed-out turnip to keep it glowing longer.  This was called "Jack's Lantern."

The Irish used turnips as their "Jack's lanterns" originally. But when the immigrants came to America, they found that pumpkins were far more plentiful than turnips. So the Jack-O-Lantern in America was a hollowed-out pumpkin lit with a candle. (But what about the candy?)

So, to make a long story short, Halloween isn't a holiday when the spirit world joins the living world.  This special day for children comes from harmless traditions of long ago.  The traditions have been changed throughout the years and are now enjoyed by children of many countries, with each country celebrating it in their own special way.  Hopefully, you can now see the reasons why children dress up in costumes on Halloween, why treats are given, why pranks are done, and why we have the Jack-o-lantern. The purpose is not like it was hundreds of years ago, it's simply for childhood fun and enjoyment.  I still like the idea of candy as a treat the best of all.  Do you know any stories about how that started?  I wonder what people thought of that?  I'd like to thank them!.  Happy Halloween!

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Answer the following questions in complete sentences.  Don't forget to use the edit/find button to help search for the keywords in the question.

1.  The word "Halloween" comes from the combination of what words?

2.  What strange thing happened on October 31st, according to the ancient Celts?

3.  Tell about three things people would do on the night of October 31st to keep themselves safe.

4.  What people brought the custom of Halloween to America?

5.  What favorite pranks did New Englanders in the 1840's play on October 31st?

6.  What vegetable was used as the first "Jack-O-Lantern?"

7.  Why were pumpkins later used as Jack-O-Lanterns in the United States?