Did you know that parts of Halloween may have been around for more than a thousand years? What began as serious religious observances has morphed over centuries, becoming increasingly secular as the religious trappings all but disappeared. Today Halloween is a holiday of spooky fun characterized by jack-o’-lanterns on porches and kids racing from door to door for treats. 

Some of Halloween’s roots are thought to stretch back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, which was observed in Ireland on November 1. That day, it was believed the boundaries between the living and the dead, and humans and gods, grew thin and supernatural episodes abounded. Perhaps the occasion was considered fraught with danger, and people may have dressed in costumes and possibly lit bonfires to ward off wandering spirits and divine, malevolent acts. Those mystical rituals may have helped give modern Halloween its cast of classic characters—witches, ghosts, goblins, and other things that go bump in the night—and the now lighthearted practice of dressing up.  Read More