Halloween

Where does Halloween come from?

Halloween, on October 31, is the eve of All Saints' Day, also called All Hallows' Day: 'Hallowe'en' is short for All Hallows' Evening. Many of its customs are thought to go back to Samhain, the Celtic festival that marked the end of the harvest and the start of winter, when the boundary between the living and the dead was believed to be thin.

Irish and Scottish emigrants brought their traditions to North America, where Halloween grew into the festival of costumes, carved pumpkins and trick-or-treating that has since spread around the world.

Halloween in the United States

Halloween is not a federal holiday, but it is one of the most popular celebrations of the year. Children go trick-or-treating in costume from door to door, houses are decorated with jack-o'-lanterns, fake cobwebs and skeletons, and adults throw costume parties.

Haunted houses, corn mazes and pumpkin patches are part of the season throughout October. Many towns set official trick-or-treat hours, and some hold their celebrations on the nearest weekend.

Some families prefer 'trunk-or-treat' events, where children collect candy from decorated car trunks in a parking lot, often organized by schools or churches.