The Origin of HalloweenHalloween HistoryThe origin of Halloween can be traced back about 2,000 years to the ancient Celts in the area now known as Ireland and the United Kingdom. The Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sah-win) celebrated the New Year on November 1. This was the end of the summer, or the light time of year, and the beginning winter, or the dark half of the year.The evening of October 31 was the time when it was believed that the boundary between the Otherworld (the land of the dead) and the world of the living was at its thinnest and spirits of the dead could easily return to earth. These spirits could be either good or bad.
Bonfires were a big part of the celebrations with crops and animals being sacrificed in these fires. Before the bonfire celebrations, fires at home were extinguished. After the celebrations, fire from the bonfires was taken back to the home and the fires were restarted. The fire from the sacred bonfires was thought to provide protection through the winter. The Celts also thought that the presence of the spirits made it easier for the Celtic priests (Druids) to predict the future, leading to the emphasis of predicting the future during this time of year. During these celebrations they wore animal skins and heads as costumes and told each other’s fortunes. The Origin of Halloween - Trick-or-Treat The tradition of “trick-or-treat” probably developed from early All Soul’s Day parades in England where the poor would beg for food. They would receive “soul cakes” and in return they would promise to pray for the dead relatives of the family’s who provided them with the “cakes.”
The History of Halloween in AmericaOver the years European immigrants brought varied customs with them and the merging of these customs eventually led to Halloween as we know it today in America. Early celebrations were more public and involved telling ghost stories, playing games and telling fortunes along with singing and dancing. During Colonial times telling ghost stories and mischief making was common.During the mid 19th century, autumn festivals were celebrated but the holiday “Halloween” was not formalized yet. New immigrants in the second half of the 19th century, primarily Irish fleeing the potato famine of 1846, brought more traditions that helped to popularized Halloween even more. American picked up these traditions and helped to popularized Halloween. The Origin of Halloween - Costumes During this time the traditions of dressing in costumes and going from house to house asking for food and money evolved into the “trick-or-treat” tradition. But, at some point during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s the “trick-or-treat” tradition lost favor and the focus turned back to Halloween parties and more community based celebrations. There was less focus on the “scary” aspects of Halloween so that much of the superstitious aspects of the holiday were lost. Parties were more focused on costumes, games and foods of the season.
Halloween continues to be a popular holiday in America and is actually the second largest commercial holiday with spending estimated at $6.9 billion annually with Halloween costumes and Halloween decorations , along with the sale of candy, accounting for the huge market.
Halloween Food Among some of the fun foods often associated with Halloween are: candy apples, candy corn, caramel apples, toffee and candy shaped like skulls, pumpkins, bats, etc. Apples are plentiful furing the fall celebration of Halloween and play a big part such as caramel apples, bobbing for apples, and candy apples, etc.
Celebrate the origin of Halloween with our fun HALLOWEEN PARTY FOOD Halloween Party Food
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Some spirits, like ancestors, were welcomed with offerings of food, while bad spirits were warded off with the use of costumes and masks. Wearing a costume or mask was an attempt to disguise oneself as a bad spirit in order to avoid them. 
Between 1920 and 1950 the old practice of “trick-or-treat” revived as communities used this tradition to share the Halloween celebration. This tradition remained popular for many years, but once again in recent years the practice of door to door “trick-or-treating” has diminished somewhat with scares about poisoned candy being handed out, most of which were unfounded. Community and church based parties are popular ways to celebrate in today’s society.
