What Is Halloween

Halloween is celebrated every year on the 31st of October. Halloween comes from Europe and it has been celebrated in Europe for about two and half thousand years.

The first people who celebrate Halloween were Celts, who originally come from central Europe.

Halloween was the last day of their calendar year. On this day, the Celtic believed that the spirits of the dead would visit their homes and try to take over their bodies. The Celts tried many ways to confuse or scare the evil spirits of the dead away. They built huge bonfires, they wore fancy dress, they did practical jokes on each other and they made lots of noise.

How and when they Halloween come to America?

During the 1840s, Ireland had a potato famine and many people died, but those survived and emigrated to America took their culture whit them, including their Celtic tradition of Hollowed.

In the past there was a tradition called "souling". Poor people went around houses asking for food. In exchange, they promised to say prayers for the dead. People no longer go souling, but the habit has been transformed into a modern Halloween game for children in America, who dress up as ghost, witches and monsters and go around people's houses.

Pumpkins: The pumpkin has become a symbol of Halloween. People empty a pumpkin, cut a face in to the side, and put a candle inside to make a lamp. It's known as a Jack O'Lantern, from a story about a man Jack, who made a deal with the devil.

Witches: Halloween wouldn't be fun without witches. They have always been part of popular folklore. A witch was usually a woman who had special powers and had dealings with the devil. The American town, Salem, is famous for the "witchcraft trials", which took place there in 1692.

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