Halloween<\/a> is actually a contraction of the words: All Hallows' Evening and the holiday is observed in a number of countries but primarily the US on the 31st of October every year.<\/p>\nThe origins of the holiday are not completely certain with some scholars believing Halloween originated\u00a0from Celtic harvest festivals with pagan roots, while others contend that Halloween began solely as a Christian holiday.\u00a0 As best I can tell, the holiday is an amalgam of Pagan, Celtic, Catholic and even Roman traditions.<\/p>\n
Coming at the end of the harvest and just before winter, Halloween was a day of celebration marking the end of summer.\u00a0 Winter often is considered a time of death so the festival was a way to honor (and get on the good side of) the dead including the saints and recently departed.\u00a0 This was all quite spooky for everyone involved, so traditions came to include various practices designed to ward off evil spirits.<\/p>\n
Among these practices was the tradition of trick-or-treating where gifts of small presents or candy would be given to placate “evil spirits” or even just the neighborhood kids dressed up like them..<\/p>\n