Halloween, is a holiday with a deep history and is celebrated every year on October 31. Although Halloween is not seen as a religious holiday, the origins of the word Halloween comes from the Catholic Church- as in the Catholic religion, November 1 is known as All Hallows Day (a day to honor all saints). So All Hallows Eve was coined for October 31.
Most people agree that the history of Halloween dates back to the 5th century BC, in Celtic Ireland. In those days, October 31 marked the official end of summer, and the day was known as Samhain. Many stories try to explain why Halloween is known as a night for spirits and ghoulish costumes.
Although most are thought to be myths, many seem to carry a theme of spirits coming back from the dead to search for living bodies to possess. To combat their fears, the Celts would dress up in scary costumes in order to frighten away the spirits and discourage the dead from coming near them.
Throughout the years, Halloween celebrations were adapted to fit into the beliefs and practices of other societies.
In medieval times, a common practice on All Soul’s Day was to make “soul cakes” (a bread dessert). Children would go door-to-door begging for the cakes (a custom called “souling”). Everytime a child collected a cake, they would have to say a prayer for the dead relative of the person who gave the cake. It was said that these prayers would help the soul of the dead relation so that they could rest in peace.
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