Halloween Intro

​Halloween = All Hallows' Eve

It is the day before All Saint’s Day in the Christian calendar. Christians believe that the end of October and the beginning of November is a time to remember the dead. On Halloween, Christians in some parts of the world visit cemeteries to put candles and flowers on the graves of their loved ones.

Halloween has origins in the ancient Celtic festival, Samhain, which was celebrated in parts of Europe, Britain and Ireland. Samhain was the beginning of the darker part of the year (autumn and winter), and a time when spirits of the dead could easily enter the human world. Many people believed that during Halloween and Samhain, evil spirits came back to earth to seek revenge on their enemies, so they wore costumes to avoid being recognized by the spirits. Halloween was celebrated in Europe, Britain and Ireland for thousands of years before it spread to North America in the 19th century.

In the past, groups of poor people would go from door to door collecting cakes in exchange for praying for the dead. They carried jack-o' lanterns to scare away evil spirits.

Now, many people enjoy wearing costumes, watching scary movies and playing traditional Halloween games. Halloween has become a commercialized holiday, but its origins came from a respect for and fear of the dead.