Halloween is a celebration that began in Europe many hundreds of years ago. At that time, the Celts lived in the area which is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France. They believed that October 31st was the end of the summer and the beginning of winter and that on that night, the ghosts of the dead visited living people on Earth. That is why they dressed up in costumes and masks, left food at their doors as an offering and lit big bonfires to keep the spirits away.
But the Catholic church did not like this tradition because it was a pagan celebration. That is why the Head of the Catholic church tried to replace the Celtic celebration with an important Christian Day, All Saints’ Day which he moved to November 1st. The All Saints’ Day was also called All-Hallows (Hallow = Saint) and the night before it began to be called All-Hallows Eve (Halloween).
Nowadays Halloween is a special day in several countries around the world, but it is most popular in Canada and the United States. It always falls on the same date every year: October 31.
The main tradition of Halloween is to dress up in a costume. That is why in the evening on October 31st, young and old people dress up in all sorts of costumes. Some people like scary costumes such as ghosts, witches, skeletons and other scary creatures, but a lot of people dress up in fun costumes like superheroes, movie stars, or cartoon characters. Children then go from house to house and ask for candy by saying, “Trick or treat?” They also go to Halloween parties and play games such as Apple Bobbing.
Halloween has some strange symbols. One of them is the Jack-o’ lantern which is very common during this time. The Jack-o’ lantern is a pumpkin with a face cut in one side and a candle put inside. A lot of people like putting them in their windows or just outside their doors to frighten the ghosts and witches away. 80% of American pumpkins are sold for Halloween.
Don’t think that Halloween is just for kids!! Both young and old have a lot of fun on Halloween and it is believed that around 40% of Americans dress up in a costume. Halloween is the second-biggest celebration in America after Christmas. Every year Americans spend more than $2.5 billion on costumes, sweets and decorations.
