Halloween originated from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. As Christianity spread across Europe, the Catholic Church attempted to convert pagans by incorporating aspects of their festivals into Christian holidays. All Saints Day was established on November 1st, with All Hallows Eve preceding it on October 31st. Over time, traditions like costume wearing, trick-or-treating, and carving jack-o-lanterns developed and Halloween became a secular holiday celebrated in both America and parts of Europe.

1. Trick or Treat?

2. What is your favorite Halloween memory?

3. Halloween’s Origin

4. During the Middle Ages (about 600 years ago), the Roman Catholic Church at that time, decided to make the change-over from pagan religion to Christianity a bit easier, and therefore allowed the new converts to maintain some of their pagan feasts. It was agreed, however, that from now on they would be celebrated as "Christian" feats.

5. So instead of praying to their heathen gods, they would now pray to, and remember the deaths of saints. For this reason the church decided to call November 1 the "Day of All Saints," and the mass to be celebrated on that day "Alhallowmass."

6. In consequence of this, the evening prior to this day was named, "All Hallowed Evening" which subsequently was abbreviated as "Halloween." In spite of this effort to make October 31 a "holy evening," all the old customs continued to be practiced, and made this evening anything BUT a holy evening!

7. In Mexico, they celebrate El Dia de los Muertos or the Day of the Dead starting the evening of October 31st.

8. The Celtic festival of Samhain (sow-in) is the basis for Halloween. Samhain, All Hallowtide, the feast of the dead in Pagan and Christian times, signalizing the close of harvest and the initiation of the winter season.

9. The Celts believed the souls of the dead visited the earth every October 31st.

10. The Celts believed all laws of space and time were suspended during this time, allowing the spirit world to intermingle with the living.

11. The day itself did not grow out of evil practices. It grew out of the rituals of the Celts celebrating a new year, and out of Medieval prayer rituals of Europeans.

12. In the 1800’s, people started to have Halloween parties called play parties. Part of the celebrations included costumes, fortune telling, and games such as bobbing for apples.

13. In 1846, the potato famine in Ireland caused a flood of immigrants to America. Merging the American celebration with the Irish celebration allowed for Halloween to become a national holiday.

14. It was during this time in which going door-to-door and asking for money or food and dressing up in costumes became popular.

15. At the turn of the century, cities were overcrowded and Halloween marked the time to let off steam by playing practical jokes. By the 1930’s, things had gotten out of hand and serious damage was being done on Halloween. Trick or treating was promoted as an alternative to vandalism.

16. OtherNames

17. All Hallows EveSamhainAll HallowtideThe Feast of the Dead

18. The Legend of the Jack-O-LanternA man named Jack, who was notorious as a drunkard and a trickster, tricked Satan into climbing a tree. Jack then carved an image of the cross into the tree’s trunk, trapping the devil up the tree. Jack made a deal with the devil that, if he would never tempt him again, he would promise to let him down the tree.

19. According to the folk tale, after Jack died, he was denied entrance to heaven because of his evil ways, but he was also denied access to hell because he had tricked the devil. Instead, the devil gave him a single ember to light his way through the frigid darkness. The ember was placed inside a hollowed out turnip to keep it glowing longer.

20. The Irish used turnips as their “Jack’s lanterns” originally. But when the immigrants came to America, they found pumpkins were far more plentiful than turnips.

21. Halloween TraditionsWitches – wicca; druid worshipGhosts & Fairies – Day of the DeadCats – believed to be sacred in Druid worshipBonfires – Bone firesTrick or Treat – Druid Worship

22. Fun Facts

23. A Candy corn has 3.57 calories per kernel.Halloween accounts for 75% of the annual candy corn production cup of candy corn has fewer calories than a cup of raisins.

24. “Hasmophobia" is the fear of ghosts. "Samhainophobia" is the morbid fear of Halloween.

25. Eighty-two percent of children take part in Halloweenfestivities, as do 67 percent of adults.

26. Should a Christian celebrate Halloween?Exodus 22:18; Deut. 18:10-12Lev. 19:26, 31; 20:27; Is. 8:19Gal. 5:19-21; Rev. 21:8; 22:151 Cor. 10:23-33