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Halloween has something for everyone. Children scarf candy. Teens smash pumpkins. And dogs go bonkers whenever the doorbell rings. But how did the wild and crazy celebration get its start? We checked in with the History Channel to find out. The holiday's origins date back to "the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain." Roughly 2,000 years ago, a people known as the Celts lived in the area now divided among three modern-day countries: the United Kingdom, Northern France, and Ireland. The Celts began their new year on November 1, meaning October 31 was their New Year's Eve. According the History
Channel, "the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred" that night. Bonfires and animal sacrifices were common, as were costumes "typically consisting of animal heads and skins." Eventually, the Romans conquered the Celts, and Samhain was combined with other holidays. Later, as Christianity became more powerful, Pope Boniface IV put a new tilt on the event. He designated November 1 "All Saints' Day" -- a day when followers could honor saints and martyrs. This celebration was also called "All-Hallows," and the night before (October 31) was known as "All-Hallows' Eve." Later, it became known as Halloween. These days, Halloween is mostly known as a day when kids throw dental hygiene out the window and
go hog-wild with candy. The origin of trick-or-treating is somewhat disputed, but we invite you to check out this essay by Isaac Bonewits. All the possibilities are covered with a minimum amount of trickery.
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