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Halloween is one of the most widely celebrated festivals in the world.
Halloween is a holiday of costumes, pumpkins, witches, ghosts, haunted houses and trick-or-treating.
What exactly is the history of Halloween?
Where did these strange traditions originate?
The history of Halloween can be traced back 2,000 years. It was during these ancient times in Europe that the Celts celebrated the beginning of winter on the evening of October 31st. November 1st was the first day of their new year and it also marked the first day of winter. They believed that death was strongly linked to the long and bitter winter. The Celts thought that during the winter the dead and the living existed simultaneously because it was on this day that the dead roamed the earth. Samhain was the name they gave to their celebration of the dead on the evening of October 31st.
One obvious question about Halloween is, "What does the word itself mean?" The name is actually a shortened version of "All Hallows' Even," the eve of All Hallows' Day. "Hallow" is an Old English word for "holy person," and All Hallows' Day is simply another name for All Saints' Day, the day Catholics commemorate all the saints. At some point, people began referring to All Hallows' Even as "Hallowe'en" and then simply "Halloween."
Today, dressing in costume is also a very popular way to celebrate the spooky holiday. Dressing up in costumes relates to the Celtic tradition of wearing masks on All-Hallows Eve. People would disguise themselves so that they would be unrecognizable to ghosts. Today dressing in costume is very popular and ranges from ghost and witch costumes to trendy costumes such as famous characters.