| It is also said that on this night dedicated to the dead, | | | | Many Christians prefer to celebrate the following day, |
| that there are more spiritual energies, making it a more | | | | All saints day on 1st November (also know as 'All |
| receptive night to contact the dead, and for the dead | | | | hallows' and 'All souls day') This is to avoid conflict with |
| to contact the living. | | | | their religious beliefs. The word hallow means sanctify |
| Halloween is often considered an American festivity, | | | | in old English, 'to free from sin'. All saints day is |
| so it might surprise you to know that it originated in | | | | therefore considered to be a day of goodness. |
| Ireland as the Pagan Celtic harvest festival Samhain. | | | | Halloween and its festivities have now been spread to |
| Halloween wasn't exported to America until the 19th | | | | most of the western world. However, the old |
| century, when many Irish folk emigrated. | | | | Halloween meaning has been lost and replaced. |
| The Celts celebrated as their harvest festival because | | | | Nowadays Halloween is seen as a festive holiday of |
| by the end of October all the hard work of harvesting | | | | fun and spookiness. A time to dress up and have a |
| the crops was over. They also saw Halloween as | | | | fun time, maybe to go 'trick or treating' or to go to a |
| marking the time when the days would shorten and | | | | spooky Halloween part. Halloween is a time to spook |
| there would be darkness and coldness of the winter | | | | yourself, or maybe someone else, BOO! |
| season. | | | | |