View source for Halloween

{{Short description|Annual celebration held on 31 October}}
{{For-multi|the slasher multimedia franchise|Halloween (franchise){{!}}''Halloween'' (franchise)|other uses}}
{{Redirect|All Hallows' Eve}}
{{Pp|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2025}}
{{Infobox holiday
| holiday_name  = Halloween
| type          = Christian
| image         = Jack-o'-Lantern 2003-10-31.jpg
| caption       = A [[jack-o'-lantern]], the carving and displaying of which are a Halloween tradition
| official_name = 
| nickname      = {{plainlist|
* Hallowe'en
* Allhalloween
* All Hallows' Eve
* All Saints' Eve}}
| observedby    = [[Western Christianity|Western Christians]] and many non-Christians [[geography of Halloween|around the world]]<ref name=Fasting />
| significance  = First day of [[Allhallowtide]]<ref name="Worcester2020">{{cite web |title=Halloween |url=https://www.cofe-worcester.org.uk/halloween |publisher=[[Anglican Diocese of Worcester]]|access-date=2 November 2023 |language=en |date=20 October 2020 |quote=the word Halloween means ‘holy evening’ and comes from All Hallow’s Eve? Traditionally it is the fast day before the feast days of All Saints (1 Nov) and All Souls (2 Nov) which are opportunities to celebrate the saints and remember those who have departed this life.}}</ref><ref name="Surrey2014"/>
| date          = 31 October
| celebrations  = [[Trick-or-treating]], [[Halloween costume|costume]] [[Costume party|parties]], making [[jack-o'-lantern]]s, lighting [[bonfire]]s, [[divination]], [[apple bobbing]], visiting [[Haunted attraction (simulated)|haunted attractions]]
| duration      = 1 day
| observances   = [[Church service]]s,<ref name=Service>{{cite book|chapter=Service for All Hallows' Eve |title=The Book of Occasional Services 2003 |page=[{{google books|3FZGE2CAdfUC|page=108|plainurl=yes}} 108] | publisher=Church Publishing, Inc.|quote=This service may be used on the evening of October 31, known as All Hallows' Eve. Suitable festivities and entertainments may take place before or after this service, and a visit may be made to a cemetery or burial place.|year=2004|isbn=978-0-89869-409-3 }}</ref> [[Christian prayer|prayer]],<ref name=Prayer>{{cite book|title=The Anglican Family Prayer Book|author=Anne E. Kitch|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=idekF-9uIAIC&q=prayer+for+all+hallows+eve+Anglican&pg=PA148|publisher=Church Publishing, Inc.|quote=All Hallow's Eve, which later became known as Halloween, is celebrated on the night before All Saints' Day, November 1. Use this simple prayer service in conjunction with Halloween festivities to mark the Christian roots of this festival.|year=2004|access-date=31 October 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170125175435/https://books.google.com/books?id=idekF-9uIAIC&pg=PA148&dq=prayer+for+all+hallows+eve+Anglican|archive-date=25 January 2017|isbn=978-0-8192-2565-8}}</ref> [[fasting]],<ref name=Fasting/> [[vigil]]<ref name=Vigil>{{cite book|title=The Paulist Liturgy Planning Guide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=34_o1HJOrzoC&pg=PA251|publisher=[[Paulist Press]]|quote=Rather than compete, liturgy planners would do well to consider ways of including children in the celebration of these vigil Masses. For example, children might be encouraged to wear Halloween costumes representing their [[patron saint]] or their favorite saint, clearly adding a new level of meaning to the Halloween celebrations and the celebration of All Saints' Day.|year=2006|access-date=31 October 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171031175805/https://books.google.com/books?id=34_o1HJOrzoC&pg=PA251|archive-date=31 October 2017|isbn=978-0-8091-4414-3}}</ref>
| relatedto     = [[Samhain]], [[Hop-tu-Naa]], [[Calan Gaeaf]], [[Allantide]], [[Day of the Dead]], [[All Saints' Day]], [[St. Martin's Day]], [[Reformation Day]], [[Mischief Night]] (''[[cf.|cf]]''.&nbsp;[[vigil (liturgy)|vigil]])
| longtype      = [[Christian]], cultural
| frequency     = Annual
}}
'''Halloween''',{{Efn|Less commonly spelled '''Hallowe'en''';<ref>{{Cite Merriam-Webster|Halloween|access-date=21 September 2025}}</ref> also known as '''Allhalloween'''.<ref name="Palmer1882">{{cite book|last=Palmer|first=Abram Smythe|title=Folk-etymology|year=1882|publisher=Johnson Reprint|page=6}}</ref>}} also known as '''All Hallows' Eve''',<ref name="Elwell2001">{{cite book|last=Elwell|first=Walter A.|title=Evangelical Dictionary of Theology|year=2001|publisher=[[Baker Academic]]|language=en|isbn=978-0-8010-2075-9|page=533|quote=Halloween (All Hallows Eve). The name given to October 31, the eve of the Christian festival of [[All Saints Day]] (November 1).}}</ref> or '''All Saints' Eve''',<ref>{{cite book|year=1973|title=NEDCO Producers' Guide|publisher=Northeast Dairy Cooperative Federation|volume=31–33|quote=Originally celebrated as the night before All Saints' Day, Christians chose November first to honor their many saints. The night before was called All Saints' Eve or hallowed eve meaning holy evening.|language=en}}</ref> is a celebration [[geography of Halloween|observed in many countries]] <!--"worldwide"/"around the world" implies it's observed in most countries--> on 31 October, the eve of the [[Western Christianity|Western Christian]] feast of [[All Saints' Day|All Hallows' Day]]. It is at the beginning of the observance of [[Allhallowtide]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/little-moreton-hall/things-to-see-and-do/view-page/item994753/ |title=Tudor Hallowtide |year=2012 |publisher=[[National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty]] |quote=Hallowtide covers the three days – 31 October (All-Hallows Eve or Hallowe'en), 1 November (All Saints) and 2 November (All Souls). |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006071731/https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/little-moreton-hall/things-to-see-and-do/view-page/item994753/ |archive-date=6 October 2014 }}</ref> the time in the Christian [[liturgical year]] dedicated to remembering the dead, including [[saint]]s ([[hallows]]), [[Christian martyr|martyrs]], and all the faithful departed.<ref name="Surrey2014">{{cite news |last=Hughes |first=Rebekkah |date=29 October 2014 |title=Happy Hallowe'en Surrey! |work=The Stag |publisher=[[University of Surrey]] |page=1 |url=http://www.ussu.co.uk/stagmedia/Documents/Issues/The%20Stag%20-%20Issue%2076%20(Small%20File%20Size).pdf |access-date=31 October 2015 |quote=Halloween or Hallowe'en, is the yearly celebration on October 31st that signifies the first day of Allhallowtide, being the time to remember the dead, including martyrs, saints and all faithful departed Christians. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151119032631/http://www.ussu.co.uk/stagmedia/Documents/Issues/The%20Stag%20-%20Issue%2076%20(Small%20File%20Size).pdf |archive-date=19 November 2015 }}</ref><ref name="Mackinder2024">{{cite book |last1=Mackinder |first1=Adrian |title=Death and the Victorians: A Dark Fascination |date=4 April 2024 |publisher=[[Pen and Sword Books|Pen and Sword History]] |isbn=978-1-3990-8256-3 |language=en |quote=The word itself is a contraction of 'All Hallows' Eve', the day before All Saints Day, which in turn precedes All Souls' Day. Halloween's connection with the dead is simple. In the Christian tradition, this is the season of remembering all those who have passed away, including saints (hallows) and martyrs.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.episcopalchurch.org/glossary/all-faithful-departed-commemoration-of/|title=All Faithful Departed, Commemoration of|website=[[Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Episcopal Church in the USA|The Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society]]|access-date=1 November 2022|archive-date=1 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221101095459/https://www.episcopalchurch.org/glossary/all-faithful-departed-commemoration-of/|url-status=live}}</ref> In popular culture, Halloween has become a celebration of [[Horror fiction|horror]] and is associated with the [[macabre]] and the [[supernatural]].<ref name="Mackinder2024"/><ref name="rogers_m"/>

One theory holds that many Halloween traditions were influenced by [[Celts|Celtic]] [[harvest festival]]s, particularly the [[Gaels|Gaelic]] festival [[Samhain]], which are believed to have [[Paganism|pagan]] roots.<ref name="Smith2004">{{cite book|last=Smith|first=Bonnie G.|title=Women's History in Global Perspective|access-date=14 December 2015 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7Q8Ix-M8LWcC |year=2004|publisher=[[University of Illinois Press]]|isbn=978-0-252-02931-8|page=66|quote=The pre-Christian observance obviously influenced the Christian celebration of All Hallows' Eve, just as the Taoist festival affected the newer Buddhist Ullambana festival. Although the Christian version of All Saints' and All Souls' Days came to emphasize prayers for the dead, visits to graves, and the role of the living assuring the safe passage to heaven of their departed loved ones, older notions never disappeared.}}</ref><ref name=Christianity1>{{cite book|author=Nicholas Rogers|title=Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=stWZ_UDteMIC&pg=PA22|quote=Halloween and the Day of the Dead share a common origin in the Christian commemoration of the dead on All Saints' and All Souls' Day. But both are thought to embody strong pre-Christian beliefs. In the case of Halloween, the Celtic celebration of Samhain is critical to its pagan legacy, a claim that has been foregrounded in recent years by both new-age enthusiasts and the evangelical Right.|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|year=2002|access-date=31 October 2011|isbn=978-0-19-516896-9}}</ref><ref name=Christianity2>{{cite magazine|magazine=Austrian information|title=Allerheiligen - Allerseelen|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9FU7AQAAIAAJ&q=all+hallow's+eve+wear+masks+Christian+souls+vengeance|quote=The Anglo-Saxon custom dates back to the pre-Christisn Celts and has come to be a mixture of Druid and Christian custom and superstition that supernatural influence in the forms of spirits, ghosts and goblins must prevail on this day|publisher=[[Austrian Information Service]]|location=[[Upper_East_Side#Diplomatic_missions|31 East 69th Street New York]]|volume=XVII|number=19|date=1 November 1965|access-date=31 October 2011}}</ref><ref name=Christianity3>{{cite book|title=Merriam-Webster's Encyclopædia of World Religions|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780877790440|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780877790440/page/408 408]|publisher=[[Merriam-Webster]]|quote=Halloween, ''also called'' All Hallows' Eve, holy or hallowed evening observed on October 31, the eve of All Saints' Day. The Irish pre-Christian observances influenced the Christian festival of All Hallows' Eve, celebrated on the same date.|year=1999|access-date=31 October 2011|isbn=978-0-87779-044-0}}</ref> Some theories go further and suggest that Samhain may have been [[Christianization|Christianized]] as All Hallows' Day, along with its eve, by the [[Christian Church|Church]].<ref name="Roberts1987">{{cite book|last=Roberts|first=Brian K.|title=The Making of the English Village: A Study in Historical Geography|access-date=14 December 2015|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CjbYAAAAMAAJ|year=1987|publisher=[[Longman]] Scientific & Technical|isbn=978-0-582-30143-6|quote=Time out of time', when the barriers between this world and the next were down, the dead returned from the grave, and gods and strangers from the underworld walked abroad was a twice- yearly reality, on dates Christianised as All Hallows' Eve and All Hallows' Day.}}</ref><ref name=Fasting/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Hafdahl |first1=Meg |last2=Florence |first2=Kelly |title=The Science of Women in Horror: The Special Effects, Stunts, and True Stories Behind Your Favorite Fright Films |date=18 February 2020 |publisher=[[Simon and Schuster]] |isbn=978-1-5107-5176-7 |language=en |quote=...Samhain itself was Christianized as Halloween by the early church.}}</ref> Other academics say Halloween began independently as a [[Christianity|Christian]] holiday, being the [[vigil]]  of All Hallows' Day.<ref name="FoleyO’Donnell2008">{{cite book |last1=O’Donnell |first1=Hugh |last2=Foley |first2=Malcolm |title=Treat or Trick? Halloween in a Globalising World |date=18 December 2008 |publisher=[[Cambridge Scholars Publishing]] |isbn=978-1-4438-0265-9 |pages=91–92 |language=en |quote=Hutton (1996, 363) identifies Rhys as a key figure who, along with another Oxbridge academic, James Frazer, romanticised the notion of Samhain and exaggerated its influence on Halloween. Hutton argues that Rhys had no substantiated documentary evidence for claiming that Halloween was the Celtic new year, but inferred it from contemporary folklore in Wales and Ireland. Moreover, he argues that Rhys: "thought that [he] was vindicated when he paid a subsequent visit to the Isle of Man and found its people sometimes called 31 October New Year's Night (''Hog-unnaa'') and practised customs which were usually associated with 31 December. In fact the flimsy nature of all this evidence ought to have been apparent from the start. The divinatory and purificatory rituals on 31 October could be explained by a connection to the most eerie of Christian feasts (All Saints) or by the fact that they ushered in the most dreaded of seasons. The many "Hog-unnaa" customs were also widely practised on the conventional New Year's Eve, and Rhys was uncomfortably aware that they might simply have been transferred, in recent years, from then Hallowe'en, to increase merriment and fundraising on the latter. He got round this problem by asserting that in his opinion (based upon no evidence at all) the transfer had been the other way round." ... Hutton points out that Rhy's unsubstantiated notions were further popularised by Frazer who used them to support an idea of his own, that Samhain, as well as being the origin of Halloween, had also been a pagan Celtic feast of the dead—a notion used to account for the element of ghosts, witches and other unworldly spirits commonly featured within Halloween. ... Halloween's preoccupation with the netherworld and with the supernatural owes more to the Christian festival of All Saints or All Souls, rather than vice versa.}}</ref><ref name="Barr2016">{{cite news |last1=Barr |first1=Beth Allison |title=Guess what? Halloween is more Christian than Pagan |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2016/10/28/guess-what-halloween-is-more-christian-than-pagan/ |url-access=subscription |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=15 October 2020 |language=en |date=28 October 2016 |quote=It is the medieval Christian festivals of All Saints' and All Souls' that provide our firmest foundation for Halloween. From emphasizing dead souls (both good and evil), to decorating skeletons, lighting candles for processions, building [[bonfire]]s to ward off evil spirits, organizing community feasts, and even encouraging carnival practices like costumes, the medieval and early modern traditions of "Hallowtide" fit well with our modern holiday.  So what does this all mean? It means that when we celebrate Halloween, we are definitely participating in a tradition with deep historical roots. But, while those roots are firmly situated in the medieval Christian past, their historical connection to "paganism" is rather more tenuous. |archive-date=2 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102060351/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2016/10/28/guess-what-halloween-is-more-christian-than-pagan/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>
* {{cite web|url=http://search.salzburg.com/display/SNZ41-2922809130.10.2010|title=Kein 'Trick or Treat' bei Salzburgs Kelten|last=Moser|first=Stefan|date=29 October 2010|publisher=Salzburger Nachrichten|language=de|access-date=11 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140317122059/http://search.salzburg.com/display/SNZ41-2922809130.10.2010|archive-date=17 March 2014|quote=Die Kelten haben gar nichts mit Halloween zu tun", entkräftet Stefan Moser, Direktor des Keltenmuseums Hallein, einen weit verbreiteten Mythos. Moser sieht die Ursprünge von Halloween insgesamt in einem christlichen Brauch, nicht in einem keltischen.}}
* {{citation |title=Samhain – Halloween – Allerheiligen|last1=Döring|first1=Alois|last2=Bolinius|first2=Erich|date=31 October 2006|publisher=FDP Emden|language=de |quote=Die lückenhaften religionsgeschichtlichen Überlieferungen, die auf die Neuzeit begrenzte historische Dimension der Halloween-Kultausprägung, vor allem auch die Halloween-Metaphorik legen nahe, daß wir umdenken müssen: Halloween geht nicht auf das heidnische Samhain zurück, sondern steht in Bezug zum christlichen Totengedenkfest Allerheiligen/ Allerseelen.}}
* {{cite book|last=Hörandner|first=Editha|title=Halloween in der Steiermark und anderswo|year=2005|publisher=LIT Verlag Münster|language=de|isbn=978-3-8258-8889-3|pages=8, 12, 30|quote= Der Wunsch nach einer Tradition, deren Anfänge sich in grauer Vorzeit verlieren, ist bei Dachleuten wie laien gleichmäßig verbreitet. ... Abgesehen von Irrtümern wie die Herleitung des Fests in ungebrochener Tradition ("seit 2000 Jahren") ist eine mangelnde vertrautheit mit der heimischen Folklore festzustellen. Allerheiligen war lange vor der Halloween invasion ein wichtiger Brauchtermin und ist das ncoh heute. ... So wie viele heimische Bräuche generell als fruchtbarkeitsbringend und dämonenaustreibend interpretiert werden, was trottz aller Aufklärungsarbeit nicht auszurotten ist, begegnet uns Halloween als ...heidnisches Fest. Aber es wird nicht als solches inszeniert.}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.wdr.de/themen/freizeit/brauchtum/halloween_10/interview_doering.jhtml?rubrikenstyle=freizeit|title=Süßes, Saures – olle Kamellen? Ist Halloween schon wieder out?|last=Döring|first=Volkskundler Alois|year=2011|publisher=[[Westdeutscher Rundfunk]]|language=de|access-date=12 November 2015 |archive-date=14 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614110611/http://www.wdr.de/themen/freizeit/brauchtum/halloween_10/interview_doering.jhtml?rubrikenstyle=freizeit|quote=Dr. Alois Döring ist wissenschaftlicher Referent für Volkskunde beim LVR-Institut für Landeskunde und Regionalgeschichte Bonn. Er schrieb zahlreiche Bücher über Bräuche im Rheinland, darunter das Nachschlagewerk "Rheinische Bräuche durch das Jahr". Darin widerspricht Döring der These, Halloween sei ursprünglich ein keltisch-heidnisches Totenfest. Vielmehr stamme Halloween von den britischen Inseln, der Begriff leite sich ab von "All Hallows eve", Abend vor Allerheiligen. Irische Einwanderer hätten das Fest nach Amerika gebracht, so Döring, von wo aus es als "amerikanischer" Brauch nach Europa zurückkehrte.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=All Hallows' Eve |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/holydays/halloween_1.shtml |publisher=[[British Broadcasting Corporation]] |access-date=29 October 2020 |language=en |date=20 October 2011 |quote=However, there are supporters of the view that Hallowe'en, as the eve of All Saints' Day, originated entirely independently of Samhain and some question the existence of a specific pan-Celtic religious festival which took place on 31st October/1st November. |archive-date=28 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028184759/https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/holydays/halloween_1.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> Celebrated in [[Ireland]] and [[Scotland]] for centuries, [[Irish people|Irish]] and [[Scottish diaspora|Scottish]] immigrants brought many Halloween customs to North America in the 19th century,<ref name="rogers_nw"/><ref name="Brunvand, Jan 2006. p.749">Brunvand, Jan (editor). ''American Folklore: An Encyclopedia''. Routledge, 2006. p.749</ref> and then through American influence various Halloween customs spread to other countries by the late 20th and early 21st century.<ref name="rogers_m"/><ref name="Colavito, Jason 2007. pp.151">{{cite book|last=Colavito|first=Jason|title=Knowing Fear: Science, Knowledge and the Development of the Horror Genre|publisher=[[McFarland & Company|McFarland]]|date=2007|pages=151–152}}</ref>

Popular activities during Halloween include [[trick-or-treating]] (or the related [[guising]] and [[souling]]), attending [[Halloween costume]] parties, carving pumpkins or turnips into [[jack-o'-lantern]]s, lighting [[bonfire]]s, [[apple bobbing]], [[Fortune-telling|divination]] games, playing [[Practical joke|pranks]], visiting [[Haunted attraction (simulated)|haunted attractions]], telling frightening stories, and watching [[List of films set around Halloween|horror or Halloween-themed films]].<ref name="Fieldhouse2017p256">{{cite book|author= Paul Fieldhouse|title=Food, Feasts, and Faith: An Encyclopedia of Food Culture in World Religions|date=17 April 2017|publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]]|page=256|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P-FqDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA256|isbn=978-1-61069-412-4}}</ref> Some Christians practice the observances of All Hallows' Eve, including attending [[church service]]s and lighting [[Votive candle|candles]] on the graves of the dead,<ref name="Skog2008">{{cite book|last=Skog|first=Jason|title=Teens in Finland|year=2008|publisher=Capstone|isbn=978-0-7565-3405-9|page=31|quote=Most funerals are Lutheran, and nearly 98 percent of all funerals take place in a church. It is customary to take pictures of funerals or even videotape them. To Finns, death is a part of the cycle of life, and a funeral is another special occasion worth remembering. In fact, during All Hallow's Eve and [[Christmas Eve]], cemeteries are known as ''valomeri'', or seas of light. Finns visit cemeteries and light candles in remembrance of the deceased.}}</ref><ref name="Duke2014">{{cite web|url=https://chapel.duke.edu/sites/default/files/AllHallows2012.pdf|title=All Hallows Eve Service|date=31 October 2012|publisher=[[Duke University]]|access-date=31 May 2014|quote=About All Hallows Eve: Tonight is the eve of All Saints Day, the festival in the Church that recalls the faith and witness of the men and women who have come before us. The service celebrates our continuing communion with them, and memorializes the recently deceased. The early church followed the Jewish custom that a new day began at sundown; thus, feasts and festivals in the church were observed beginning the night before.|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005183350/https://chapel.duke.edu/sites/default/files/AllHallows2012.pdf|archive-date=5 October 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|date=5 May 2009|title=The Christian Observances of Halloween|journal=National Republic|volume=15|page=33|quote=Among the European nations the beautiful custom of lighting candles for the dead was always a part of the "All Hallow's Eve" festival.}}</ref> although it is a secular celebration for others.<ref name="Hynes1993">{{cite book|last=Hynes|first=Mary Ellen|title=Companion to the Calendar|year=1993|publisher=Liturgy Training Publications|isbn=978-1-56854-011-5|page=[https://archive.org/details/companiontocalen0000hyne/page/160 160]|quote=In most of Europe, Halloween is strictly a religious event. Sometimes in North America the church's traditions are lost or confused.|url=https://archive.org/details/companiontocalen0000hyne/page/160}}</ref><ref name="Kernan2013">{{cite web |last=Kernan |first=Joe |date=30 October 2013 |title=Not so spooky after all: The roots of Halloween are tamer than you think |work=[[Beacon Communications (publisher)|Cranston Herald]] |url=http://cranstononline.com/stories/not-so-spooky-after-all-the-roots-of-halloween-are-tamer-than-you-think,86934?print=1 |access-date=31 October 2015 |quote=By the early 20th century, Halloween, like Christmas, was commercialized. Pre-made costumes, decorations and special candy all became available. The Christian origins of the holiday were downplayed. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151126163657/http://cranstononline.com/stories/not-so-spooky-after-all-the-roots-of-halloween-are-tamer-than-you-think,86934?print=1 |archive-date=26 November 2015 }}</ref><ref name="BradenVillage1988">{{cite book|last1=Braden|first1=Donna R.|last2=Village|first2=Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield|title=Leisure and entertainment in America|url=https://archive.org/details/leisureentertain0000brad|url-access=registration|access-date=2 June 2014|year=1988|publisher=Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village|isbn=978-0-933728-32-5|quote=Halloween, a holiday with religious origins but increasingly secularized as celebrated in America, came to assume major proportions as a children's festivity.}}</ref> Historically, some Christians [[Meat-free days|abstained from meat]] on All Hallows' Eve, a tradition reflected in the eating of certain [[Christian vegetarianism|vegetarian]] foods on this day, including apples, [[potato pancake]]s, and [[soul cake]]s.<ref>Santino, p. 85</ref><ref>All Hallows' Eve (Diana Swift), Anglican Journal</ref><ref name="Mahon1991">{{cite book|last=Mahon|first=Bríd|title=Land of Milk and Honey: The Story of Traditional Irish Food & Drink|year=1991|publisher=Poolbeg Press|language=en|isbn=978-1-85371-142-8|page=138|quote=The vigil of the feast is Halloween, the night when charms and incantations were powerful, when people looked into the future, and when feasting and merriment were ordained. Up to recent time this was a day of abstinence, when according to church ruling no flesh meat was allowed. Colcannon, apple cake and barm brack, as well as apples and nuts were part of the festive fare.}}</ref><ref name="Fieldhouse2017">{{cite book|last=Fieldhouse|first=Paul|title=Food, Feasts, and Faith: An Encyclopedia of Food Culture in World Religions|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P-FqDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA254|access-date=13 August 2017|date=17 April 2017|publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]]|language=en|isbn=978-1-61069-412-4|page=254|quote=In Ireland, dishes based on potatoes and other vegetables were associated with Halloween, as meat was forbidden during the Catholic vigil and fast leading up to All Saint's Day.|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171031175805/https://books.google.com/books?id=P-FqDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA254|archive-date=31 October 2017}}</ref>

==Etymology==
{{Wiktionary|Halloween|position=right}}
''Hallow'' derives from [[Middle English]] ''halowen'', from [[Old English]] hālig meaning ''[[holy]]'' and has been used synonymously with the word ''[[saint]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=hallow|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hallow|publisher=[[Merriam-Webster]] |language=en}}</ref><ref name="WilsonFischer2005">{{cite book|last1=Wilson|first1=Douglas|last2=Fischer|first2=Ty|title=Omnibus II: Church Fathers Through the Reformation|year= 2005|publisher=Veritas Press|isbn=978-1932168440|page=101|quote=The word "hallow" means "saint," in that "hallow" is just an alternative form of the word "holy" ("hallowed be Thy name").}}</ref><ref name="DiehlDonnelly2001">{{cite book|last1=Diehl|first1=Daniel|last2=Donnelly|first2=Mark|title=Medieval Celebrations: How to Plan Holidays, Weddings, and Feasts with Recipes, Customs, Costumes, Decorations, Songs, Dances, and Games|date=2001|publisher=Stackpole Books|isbn=978-0811728669|page=13|quote=The word hallow was simply another word for saint.}}</ref> The word ''Halloween'' or ''Hallowe'en'' comes from the [[Scots language|Lowland Scots]] form of ''All Hallows' Eve'' (the evening before [[All Saints' Day|All Hallows' Day]]):<ref>{{Cite OED|Halloween}}</ref> {{lang|sco|even}} is the Scots term for 'eve' or 'evening',<ref name=Contraction>{{cite book|title=A History of the Scottish People from the Earliest Times: From the Union of the kingdoms, 1706, to the present time|url=https://archive.org/details/ahistoryscottis00annagoog|publisher=[[Blackie and Son]]|first1=Thomas | last1=Thomson | first2=Charles | last2=Annandale|quote=Of the stated rustic festivals peculiar to Scotland the most important was Hallowe'en, a contraction for All-hallow Evening, or the evening of All-Saints Day, the annual return of which was a season for joy and festivity.|year=1896|access-date=31 October 2011}}</ref> and is contracted to {{lang|sco|e'en}} or {{lang|sco|een}};<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |dictionary=[[Scottish National Dictionary]] (1700–) |id=snd8629 |volume=III = |title=E'EN, Een |year=1952 |url= https://dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/snd8629 }}</ref> so ''(All) Hallow(s) E(v)en'' became ''Halloween''. A term equivalent to 'All Hallows Eve' as attested in Old English.<ref name="oed">{{Cite OED|All Hallows' Eve|quote={{Em|ealra halgena mæsseæfen}}}}</ref> Thus, the name has an origin in [[Christianity]],<ref name=DSL/><ref>''The A to Z of Anglicanism'' (Colin Buchanan), [[Scarecrow Press]], p. 8</ref> and means '[[Saint]]s' eve(ning)'.<ref name="Luck1998">{{cite encyclopedia|last=Luck|first=Steve|title=All Saints' Day|encyclopedia=The American Desk Encyclopedia|page=22|year=1998|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|language=en|isbn=978-0-19-521465-9|url=https://archive.org/details/americandeskency00oxfo/page/22/mode/2up?q=halloween}}</ref>

==History==
===Christian origins and historical customs===
Halloween is influenced by Christian beliefs and practices surrounding  [[All Saints' Day|All Hallows' Day]] (All Saints' Day).<ref name="Hopwood2019"/><ref name="Barr2016"/><ref name="Douris2024"/> The English word 'Halloween' comes from "All Hallows' Eve", being the evening before the Christian holy days of All Hallows' Day (All Saints' Day) on 1 November and [[All Souls' Day]] on 2 November.<ref name="rogers_religion">Rogers, Nicholas. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=stWZ_UDteMIC&pg=PA22 Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night]''. [[Oxford University Press]], 2002. pp. 22, 27. {{ISBN|0-19-516896-8}}.</ref> Since the time of the [[Early Christianity|early Church]],<ref>New Proclamation Commentary on Feasts, Holy Days, and Other Celebrations (Bill Doggett, Gordon W. Lathrop), [[1517 Media|Fortress Press]], p. 92</ref> [[Calendar of saints#Ranking of feast days|major feasts]] in Christianity (such as [[Christmas]], [[Easter]] and [[Pentecost]]) had [[Vigil#Eves of religious celebrations|vigils]] that began the night before, as did the feast of All Hallows.<ref name="Benham1887">{{cite book |last1=Benham |first1=William |title=The Dictionary of Religion: An Encyclopedia of Christian and Other Religious Doctrines, Denominations, Sects, Heresies, Ecclesiastical Terms, History, Biography, Etc.|date=1887 |publisher=Cassell |page=1085 |language=English |quote=Vigils were kept at least till midnight before the feasts of martyrs, and those of Easter Eve and Christmas Eve were prolonged till cock-crow.}}</ref><ref name="Hopwood2019">{{cite book |last1=Hopwood |first1=James A. |title=Keeping Christmas: Finding Joy in a Season of Excess and Strife |year=2019 |publisher=[[Wipf and Stock Publishers]] |isbn=978-1-5326-9537-7 |page=47 |language=English |quote=The name "Halloween," of course, is a contraction of "All Hallow's Eve." That's the eve of All Saints Day, or All Hallows Day, as it was popularly known in Britain. As with Christmas Eve and the Easter vigil, the celebration of All Saints Day began with a service the night before, on All Hallow's Eve. With All Souls Day on November 2, it formed the feast of Allhallowtide. All Saints Day began in fourth-century Rome as a festival honoring Christian martyrs. By the eighth century, it was expanded to all those remembered as saints, and the date of its observance was moved from May 13 to November 1. That move, of course, put it smack dab on top of Samhain in Britain. But the decision to move the date was not made in Britain; it was made in Rome, where there was no Samhain or anything like it. There is no evidence that any Samhain customs rubbed off on Halloween anywhere because there is no evidence of any Samhain customs at all.}}</ref> These three days are included in the liturgical period of [[Allhallowtide]], a time when [[Western Christianity|Western Christians]] honour all [[Christian martyrs]] and [[saint]]s, as well as [[Christian prayer|pray]] for departed [[Soul in the Bible|souls]].<ref name="Douris2024">{{cite book |last1=Douris |first1=Steele Alexandra |title=Spirits, Seers & Séances: Victorian Spiritualism, Magic & the Supernatural |date=6 November 2024 |publisher=[[Llewellyn Worldwide]] |isbn=978-0-7387-7484-8 |language=en |quote=As for the origin of Hallowe'en, what we know for sure is that our modern celebration is a direct descendant of the early Christian holy day All Hallows' Day, which was also known as All Saints' Day. All Hallows' Day, which was celebrated on November 1, was a religious holiday devoted to praying for the souls of Christian saints and martyrs. The day after All Hallows' Day, November 2, was known as All Souls' Day and was intended for prayers for the souls of all departed Christians. The night before All Hallows' Day was All Hallows' Eve, which fell on October 31.}}</ref>

After the [[persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire]], "there were more [[Christian martyr|martyrs]] than there were days in the year, and so one day was set apart in honor of them all, and called All Saints' Day."<ref name=Mossier>{{cite book|author1=Frances Stewart Mossier|title=Hallowe'en: The Myrtle, Volume 56 |year=1901|publisher=A.L. Freeman|page=175}}</ref> Commemorations of all saints and [[Christian martyr|martyrs]] were held by several churches on various dates, mostly in springtime.<ref name="CP">{{cite book|title=Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints|publisher=[[Episcopal Church (United States)|Church Publishing, Inc.]]|isbn=978-0-89869-678-3|page=662|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CZqabeZvNaMC&pg=PA662|date=2010}}</ref> In 4th-century Roman [[Edessa]] it was held on 13 May, and on that date in 609, [[Pope Boniface IV]] [[Christianized sites|re-dedicated]] the [[Pantheon, Rome|Pantheon]] in Rome to "St Mary and all martyrs".<ref name="Saunders">{{cite web|last1=Saunders|first1=William|title=All Saints and All Souls|url=http://www.catholiceducation.org/en/culture/catholic-contributions/all-saints-and-all-souls.html|publisher=Catholic Education Resource Center|access-date=19 September 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160918155355/http://www.catholiceducation.org/en/culture/catholic-contributions/all-saints-and-all-souls.html|archive-date=18 September 2016}}</ref> This was the date of [[Lemuria (festival)|Lemuria]], an [[Religion in ancient Rome|ancient Roman]] festival of the dead, when it was believed that restless and vengeful souls wandered.<ref>Melton, J Gordon (editor). ''Religious Celebrations: An Encyclopedia of Holidays, Festivals, Solemn Observances, and Spiritual Commemorations, Volume 1''. ABC-CLIO, 2011. p.22</ref> Some folklorists also suggest the ancient Roman festival of [[Parentalia]] (including [[Feralia]]) influenced All Saints' and All Souls' days.<ref>Rogers, Nicholas. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=stWZ_UDteMIC&pg=PA22 Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night]''. [[Oxford University Press]], 2002. p.11. {{ISBN|0-19-516896-8}}.</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Chryssides |first1=George |title=Christians in the Twenty-First Century |date=2014 |publisher=Routledge |pages=386}}</ref> Parentalia involved a [[refrigerium|commemorative meal]] at the graves of relatives, during which food and drink were offered to the dead, and Christian Romans continued this custom, extending it to the saints and martyrs.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kilde |first1=Jeanne Halgren |title=The Oxford Handbook of Religious Space |date=2022 |publisher=Oxford University Press |pages=337}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Effros |first1=Bonnie |title=Creating Community with Food and Drink in Merovingian Gaul |date=2002 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |pages=74–77}}</ref> 

There is evidence that by 800, churches in Ireland<ref name="farmer">Farmer, David. ''The Oxford Dictionary of Saints'' (Fifth Edition, Revised). Oxford University Press, 2011. p. 14</ref> and [[Northumbria]] were holding a feast commemorating all saints on 1 November.<ref name="hutton364">Hutton, p. 364</ref> In 835, the [[Frankish Empire]] officially adopted 1 November as the date of All Saints' Day.<ref name=hutton364/> This may have been promoted by [[Alcuin]] of Northumbria, who was a member of [[Charlemagne]]'s court,<ref>{{cite book |title=New Catholic Encyclopedia |date=2003 |isbn=0-7876-4004-2 |pages=242–243 |publisher=Thomson/Gale |edition=Second}}</ref> or by the Irish clerics and scholars who were also members of the Frankish court.<ref name="Dales">Dales, Douglas (2013). ''Alcuin II: Theology and Thought''. James Clarke and Co. pp. 34, 39–40 {{ISBN|9780227900871}}</ref> Some suggest the date was due to Celtic influence; others, that it was a Germanic idea,<ref name=hutton364/> although it is said that both Germanic- and Celtic-speaking peoples commemorated the dead at the beginning of winter.<ref name=macculloch10>MacCulloch, John Arnott (1911). ''The Religion of the Ancient Celts''. [http://sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/rac/rac13.htm Chapter 10: The Cult of the Dead] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151029074223/http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/rac/rac13.htm |date=29 October 2015 }}.</ref> They may have seen it as the most fitting time to do so, as it is a time of "dying" in nature.<ref name=hutton364/><ref name=macculloch10/> It is also suggested the change was made on the "practical grounds that Rome in summer could not accommodate the great number of pilgrims who flocked to it", and perhaps because of [[public health]] concerns over [[Roman Fever (disease)|Roman Fever]], which claimed a number of lives during Rome's sultry summers.<ref>Burns, Paul (editor). ''Butler's Saint for the Day''. Liturgical Press, 2007. p. 516</ref><ref name="Hopwood2019"/>

{{multiple image
| direction = vertical
| width     = 250
| image1    = Halloween Bangladesh.jpg
| image2    = Halloween Sweden.png
| footer    = On All Hallows' Eve, Christians in some parts of the world visit cemeteries to pray and place flowers and candles on the graves of their loved ones.<ref>Ramdin, Ron. ''Arising from Bondage: A History of the Indo-Caribbean People''. New York University Press, p. 241</ref> Top: [[Christianity in Bangladesh|Christians in Bangladesh]] lighting candles on the headstone of a relative. Bottom: [[Lutheran|Lutheran Christians]] praying and lighting candles in front of the central crucifix of a graveyard.
}}
All Souls' Day, a feast commemorating all deceased Christians, became widespread in the 12th century.<ref>{{cite book |last1=McLaughlin |first1=Megan |title=Consorting with Saints: Prayer for the Dead in Early Medieval France |date=1994 |publisher=Cornell University Press |pages=75–77}}</ref> Its date was fixed on 2 November, the day after All Saints' Day. By the end of the 12th century, they had become [[Holy day of obligation|holy days of obligation]] requiring church attendance in Western Christianity and involved such traditions as ringing [[church bell]]s for souls in [[Purgatory]]. It was also "customary for [[Town crier|criers]] dressed in black to parade the streets, ringing a bell of mournful sound and calling on all good Christians to remember the poor souls".<ref>The World Review – Volume 4, University of Minnesota, p. 255</ref> 

The Allhallowtide custom of baking and sharing [[soul cake]]s for all [[Baptism|christened]] souls<ref name="AFP">{{cite book | first = Nicholas | last = Rogers | title = Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night | url = https://archive.org/details/halloweenfrompag00roge | url-access = limited | publisher = Oxford University Press | year = 2001 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/halloweenfrompag00roge/page/n37 28]–30 | isbn = 978-0-19-514691-2 }}</ref> has been suggested as the origin of trick-or-treating.<ref name="Britannica" /> The custom dates back at least as far as the 15th century<ref name="hutton374-375">Hutton, pp. 374–375</ref> and was found in parts of England, Wales, Flanders, [[Allerheiligenstriezel|Bavaria and Austria]].<ref name="miles" /> Groups of poor people, often children, would go door to door during Allhallowtide, collecting [[Soul cake|soul cakes]] in exchange for [[Prayer for the dead|praying for the dead]], especially the souls of the givers' friends and relatives. This was called "souling".<ref name="hutton374-375" /><ref name="Dodge" /><ref name="DeMello2012">{{cite book|last=DeMello|first=Margo|title=A Cultural Encyclopedia of the Human Face|quote=Trick-or-treating began as souling an English and Irish tradition in which the poor, wearing masks, would go door to door and beg for soul cakes in exchange for people's dead relatives.|year=2012|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-59884-617-1|page=167}}</ref> Soul cakes were also offered for the souls themselves to eat,<ref name="miles" /> being laid on graves, or the "soulers" would act as their representatives.<ref>Cleene, Marcel. ''Compendium of Symbolic and Ritual Plants in Europe''. Man & Culture, 2002. p. 108. Quote: "Soul cakes were small cakes baked as food for the deceased or offered for the salvation of their souls. They were therefore offered at funerals and feasts of the dead, laid on graves, or given to the poor as representatives of the dead. The baking of these soul cakes is a universal practice".</ref> As with the [[Lent]]en tradition of [[hot cross bun]]s, soul cakes were often marked with a [[Christian cross|cross]], indicating that they were baked as [[Alms#Christianity|alms]].<ref name="Levene2016">{{cite book|last=Levene|first=Alysa|title=Cake: A Slice of History|year=2016|publisher=Pegasus Books|language=en|isbn=978-1-68177-108-3|page=44|quote=Like the perennial favourites, hot cross buns; they were often marked with a cross to indicate that they were baked as alms.}}</ref> [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]] mentions souling in his comedy ''[[The Two Gentlemen of Verona]]'' (1593).<ref>''The Two Gentlemen of Verona'' Act 2, Scene 1.</ref> While souling, Christians would carry "lanterns made of hollowed-out turnips", which could have originally represented souls of the dead;<ref name="PulliamFonseca2016">{{cite book |last1=Pulliam |first1=June |last2=Fonseca |first2=Anthony J. |title=Ghosts in Popular Culture and Legend |year=2016 |publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]] |language=en |isbn=978-1-4408-3491-2 |page=145 |quote=Since the 16th century, costumes have become a central part of Halloween traditions. Perhaps the most common traditional Halloween costume is that of the ghost. This is likely because ... when Halloween customs began to be influenced by Catholicism, the incorporation of the themes of All Hallows' and All Souls' Day would have emphasized visitations from the spirit world over the motifs of spirits and fairies. ... The baking and sharing of souls cakes was introduced around the 15th century: in some cultures, the poor would go door to door to collect them in exchange for praying for the dead (a practice called souling), often carrying lanterns made of hollowed-out turnips. Around the 16th century, the practice of going house to house in disguise (a practice called guising) to ask for food began and was often accompanied by recitation of traditional verses (a practice called mumming). Wearing costumes, another tradition, has many possible explanations, such as it was done to confuse the spirits or souls who visited the earth or who rose from local graveyards to engage in what was called a Danse Macabre, basically a large party among the dead.}}</ref><ref name="rogers57">Rogers, p. 57</ref> later [[jack-o'-lanterns]] were used to ward off evil spirits.<ref name="CarterPetro1998" /><ref name="Guiley2008">{{cite book |last1=Guiley |first1=Rosemary |title=The Encyclopedia of Witches, Witchcraft and Wicca |date=2008 |publisher=[[Infobase Publishing]] |isbn=978-1-4381-2684-5 |page=183 |language=English|quote=According to most legends, the jack-o'-lantern is a wandering soul who has been denied entry into both heaven and hell. ... In Ireland, children who are caught outdoors after dark are told to wear their jackets inside-out in order not to be lured astray by a jack-o'-lantern. In Sweden, the spirit is believed to be the soul of an unbaptized child, who tries to lead travelers to water in hopes of receiving baptism. ... In American lore, the jack-o'-lantern is associated with withces and the Halloween custom of trick-or-treating. It is customary for trick-or-treaters to carry pumpkin jack-o'-lanterns to frighten away evil spirits.}}</ref>

Christian minister Prince Sorie Conteh linked the wearing of costumes to the belief in [[vengeful ghost]]s: "It was traditionally believed that the souls of the departed wandered the earth until All Saints' Day, and All Hallows' Eve provided one last chance for the dead to gain vengeance on their enemies before moving to the [[Christian eschatology|next world]]. In order to avoid being recognized by any soul that might be seeking such vengeance, people would don masks or costumes".<ref name="Christian">{{cite book|author=Prince Sorie Conteh|title=Traditionalists, Muslims, and Christians in Africa: Interreligious Encounters and Dialogue|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HpAuyiMRTDcC&pg=PA132|publisher=[[Cambria Press]]|year=2009|access-date=31 October 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171031175805/https://books.google.com/books?id=HpAuyiMRTDcC&pg=PA132|archive-date=31 October 2017|isbn=978-1-60497-596-3}}</ref> In the Middle Ages, churches in Europe that were too poor to display [[relic]]s of [[Christian martyr|martyred saints]] at Allhallowtide let parishioners dress up as saints instead.<ref name="Bannatyne1998">{{cite book|last=Bannatyne|first=Lesley|title=Halloween: An American Holiday, an American History|year=1998|publisher=Pelican Publishing Company|language=en |isbn=978-1-4556-0553-8|page=19|quote=Villagers were also encouraged to masquerade on this day, not to frighten unwelcome spirits, but to honor Christian saints. On All Saints' Day, churches throughout Europe and the British Isles displayed relics of their patron saints. Poor churches could not afford genuine relics and instead had processions in which parishioners dressed as saints, angels and devils. It served the new church by giving an acceptable Christian basis to the custom of dressing up on Halloween.}}</ref><ref name="Morrow2001">{{cite book|last=Morrow|first=Ed|title=The Halloween Handbook|year=2001|publisher=Kensington Publishing Corporation|language=en|isbn=978-0-8065-2227-2|page=[https://archive.org/details/halloweenhandboo00morr/page/19 19]|quote=Another contributor to the custom of dressing up at Halloween was the old Irish practice of marking All Hallows' Day with religious pageants that recounted biblical events. These were common during the Middle Ages all across Europe. The featured players dressed as saints and angels, but there were also plenty of roles for demons who had more fun, capering, acting devilish, and playing to the crows. The pageant began inside the church, then moved by procession to the churchyard, where it continued long into the night.|url=https://archive.org/details/halloweenhandboo00morr/page/19}}</ref> Some Christians observe this custom at Halloween today.<ref>"Eve of All Saints", ''Using Common Worship: Times and Seasons – All Saints to Candlemas'' (David Kennedy), Church House Publishing, p. 42</ref> [[Lesley Bannatyne]] believes this could have been a Christianization of an earlier pagan custom.<ref name="bannatyne9">[[Lesley Bannatyne|Bannatyne, Lesley]]. ''Halloween: An American Holiday, an American History''. Pelican Publishing, 1998. p. 9</ref> Many Christians in mainland Europe, especially in France, believed "that once a year, on Hallowe'en, the dead of the churchyards rose for one wild, hideous carnival" known as the ''[[danse macabre]]'', which was often depicted in [[Christian art|church decoration]].<ref>Perry, Edward Baxter. ''Descriptive Analyses of Piano Works; For the Use of Teachers, Players, and Music Clubs''. Theodore Presser Company, 1902. p. 276</ref> [[Christopher Allmand]] and [[Rosamond McKitterick]] write in ''The New Cambridge Medieval History'' that the ''[[Danse Macabre|danse macabre]]'' urged Christians "not to forget the end of all earthly things".<ref name="Allmand1998">{{cite book|last=Allmand|first=Christopher|title=The New Cambridge Medieval History: Volume 7, c. 1415–c. 1500|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qzc8OeuSXFMC&pg=PA210|access-date=19 October 2015|year=1998|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-38296-0|page=210|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160423072407/https://books.google.com/books?id=Qzc8OeuSXFMC&pg=PA210|archive-date=23 April 2016}}</ref> The ''danse macabre'' was sometimes enacted in European village pageants and [[Masque|court masques]] with people "dressing up as corpses from various strata of society", and this may be the origin of Halloween costume parties.<ref name="Reimer2018">{{cite book |last1=Reimer |first1=Margaret Loewen |title=Approaching the Divine: Signs and Symbols of the Christian Faith |year=2018 |publisher=[[Wipf and Stock Publishers]] |isbn=978-1-5326-5675-0 |page=85 |language=English |quote=Christians in Europe envisioned a ''danse macabre'', a hideous dance by the spirits of the dead who arose from the churchyards for a wild carnival each year. This dance, commonly depicted on the walls of cathedrals, monasteries and cemeteries, may well be the origin of the macabre costumes we don on Halloween.}}</ref><ref name="DeSpelderStrickland2009">{{cite book |last1=DeSpelder |first1=Lynne Ann |last2=Strickland |first2=Albert Lee |title=The Last Dance: Encountering Death and Dying |date=2009 |publisher=McGraw-Hill Education |isbn=978-0-07-340546-9 |page=107 |language=English |quote=More subtly, images associated with the danse macabre persist in the form of skeletons and other scary regalia found on children's Halloween costumes.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Books & Culture: A Christian Review|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZOVEAQAAIAAJ|year=1999|publisher=[[Christianity Today]]|page=12|quote=Sometimes enacted as at village pageants, the danse macabre was also performed as court masques, the courtiers dressing up as corpses from various strata of society...both the name and the observance began liturgically as All Hallows' Eve.|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160423113526/https://books.google.com/books?id=ZOVEAQAAIAAJ|archive-date=23 April 2016}}</ref><ref name="PulliamFonseca2016" />

In Britain, these customs came under attack during the [[English Reformation|Reformation]], as [[Protestant]]s berated Purgatory as a "[[popish]]" doctrine incompatible with the Calvinist doctrine of [[predestination]]. State-sanctioned ceremonies associated with the [[intercession of saints]] and [[prayer for the dead|prayer for souls in Purgatory]] were abolished during the [[Elizabethan Religious Settlement|Elizabethan reform]], though All Hallows' Day remained in the English [[liturgical calendar]] to "commemorate saints as godly human beings".<ref>Hutton, p. 372</ref> For some [[Nonconformist (Protestantism)|Nonconformist Protestants]], the [[Christian theology|theology]] of All Hallows' Eve was redefined: "souls cannot be journeying from Purgatory on their way to Heaven, as Catholics frequently believe and assert. Instead, the so-called ghosts are thought to be in actuality evil spirits".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Santino |first1=Jack |title=The Hallowed Eve: Dimensions of Culture in a Calendar Festival in Northern Ireland |date=21 October 2021 |publisher=[[University Press of Kentucky]] |isbn=978-0-8131-8458-6 |language=English}}</ref> Other Protestants believed in an [[Intermediate state (Christianity)|intermediate state]] known as [[Christian views on Hades|Hades]] ([[Bosom of Abraham]]).<ref>''The Episcopal Church, its teaching and worship'' (Latta Griswold), E.S. Gorham, p. 110</ref> In some localities, Catholics and Protestants continued souling, [[Votive candle|candlelit]] [[procession]]s, or ringing church bells for the dead;<ref name="rogers_religion" /><ref name="Mosteller" /> but the Anglican Church eventually suppressed this bell-ringing.<ref>[[Margaret Aston|Aston, Margaret]]. ''Broken Idols of the English Reformation''. Cambridge University Press, 2015. pp.475–477</ref> Professor of [[medieval archaeology]] Mark Donnelly and historian Daniel Diehl write that "barns and [[House blessing|homes were blessed]] to protect people and livestock from the [[Christian views on magic|effect of witches]], who were believed to accompany the [[Unclean spirit|malignant spirits]] as they traveled the earth".<ref name="Medieval Celebrations page 17">''Medieval Celebrations: Your Guide to Planning and Hosting Spectacular Feasts, Parties, Weddings, and Renaissance Fairs'' (Daniel Diehl, Mark Donnelly), [[Stackpole Books]], p. 17</ref> 

After 1605, Allhallowtide was eclipsed in England by [[Guy Fawkes Night]] (5 November), which appropriated some of its customs.<ref name="rogers_kirk">Rogers, Nicholas. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=stWZ_UDteMIC&pg=PA37 Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night]''. [[Oxford University Press]], 2002. pp. 37–38. {{ISBN|0-19-516896-8}}.</ref> In England, the ending of official ceremonies related to the intercession of saints led to the development of new, unofficial Allhallowtide customs. In 18th- and 19th-century rural [[Lancashire]], Catholic families gathered on hills on the night of All Hallows' Eve and one person held a bunch of burning straw on a [[pitchfork]] while the rest knelt around him, praying for the souls of relatives and friends until the flames went out. This was known as ''teen'lay''.<ref name="Hutton2001">{{cite book|last=Hutton|first=Ronald|title=Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain|year=2001|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|language=en |isbn=978-0-19-157842-7|quote=Fires were indeed lit in England on All Saints' Day, notably in Lancashire, and may well ultimately have descended from the same rites, but were essentially party of a Christian ceremony ... families still assembled at the midnight before All Saints' Day in the early nineteenth century. Each did so on a hill near its homestead, one person holding a large bunch of burning straw on the end of a fork. The rest in a circle around and prayed for the souls of relatives and friends until the flames burned out. The author who recorded this custom added that it gradually died out in the latter part of the century, but that before it had been very common and at nearby Whittingham such fires could be seen all around the horizon at Hallowe'en. He went on to say that the name 'Purgatory Field', found across northern Lancashire, testified to an even wider distribution and that the rite itself was called 'Teen'lay'.|pages=369, 373}}</ref> There was a similar custom in [[Hertfordshire]], and the lighting of "tindle" fires in [[Derbyshire]].<ref>O'Donnell, Hugh and Foley, Malcolm. [https://books.google.com/books?id=oKsLBwAAQBAJ&dq=halloween+tindle+derbyshire&pg=PA35 "Treat or Trick? Halloween in a Globalising World"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221031212924/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=oKsLBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA35&dq=halloween+tindle+derbyshire#v=onepage&q=halloween%20tindle%20derbyshire |date=31 October 2022 }}. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2008. p.35</ref> Some suggested that these fires were originally lit to "guide the poor souls back to earth".<ref>{{cite book |title=The Catholic World, Vol. 138: A Monthly Magazine of General Literature and Science |volume=138 |year=1934 |publisher=[[Paulist Press]] |language=en |quote=There is proof that this shifting of customs from one day to another really took place. For until the end of the eighteenth century, children in some Derbyshire parishes, instead of lighting bonfires with the rest of England on November 5th, lit their furze fires called 'tindles' on All Souls night. And even then, the educated folk of the districts concerned, declared that these fires were a relic of papistical days when they were lit at night to guide the poor souls back to earth.}}</ref> In Scotland and Ireland, old Allhallowtide customs that were at odds with Reformed teaching were not suppressed because they "were important to the life cycle and rites of passage of local communities" and so curbing them would have been difficult.<ref name="rogers_nw" />

On All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day during the 19th century, candles were lit in homes in Ireland,<ref name="Santino, p.95">Santino, ''The Hallowed Eve'', p. 95</ref> Flanders, Bavaria, and in [[Tyrol]], where they were called "soul lights",<ref name="Frazer All Souls">[[James George Frazer|Frazer, James George]] (1922). ''[[The Golden Bough]]: A new abridgement''. Oxford University Press, 1998. pp.380–383</ref> that served "to guide the souls back to visit their earthly homes".<ref>Ruth Hutchison and Ruth Constance Adams (1951). ''Every Day's a Holiday''. [[Harper (publisher)|Harper]], 1951. pp.236</ref> Across Christendom, in preparation for Allhallowtide, Christians flocked to cemeteries "decorating the graves of their dear ones with flowers, tending the lawn, and spreading fresh white gravel around the tombs" with "candles, protected by little glass lanterns" being "placed around the graves or at the foot of the tombstones, to be lighted on All Saints' eve and left burning prior through the night."<ref name="Weiser1956">{{cite book |last1=Weiser |first1=Francis X. |title=The Holyday Book |date=1956 |publisher=Harcourt, Brace and Company |page=310-311}}</ref> The [[Ceremonial use of lights#Christianity|use of candles by Christians]] symbolized the [[light of Christ]] and the use of lamps at the tombs of [[Christian martyrs]] dates back to the early Christian period.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Halevi |first1=Leor |title=Muhammad's Grave: Death Rites and the Making of Islamic Society |date=5 July 2011 |publisher=[[Columbia University Press]] |isbn=978-0-231-51193-3 |page=150 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Beeton">{{cite book |last1=Beeton |first1=Samuel Orchart |title=Beeton's Dictionary of Universal Information |date=1870 |publisher=[[Ward, Lock & Co.]] |page=210 |language=en}}</ref>

In 19th century [[Brittany]], [[libation]]s of milk were poured on the graves of kinfolk,<ref name="miles" /> or food would be left overnight on the dinner table for the returning souls;<ref name="Frazer All Souls" /> a custom also found in Tyrol and parts of Italy.<ref name="Morton2013" /><ref name="Frazer All Souls" /> In [[Salerno]], until the 15th century, families left a meal out for the [[Ghost#Judæo-Christian|ghosts]] of relatives before leaving for [[church service]]s.<ref name="Morton2013" /> In 19th century Bavaria, food was laid on graves to feed the souls of the dead.<ref name="Frazer All Souls" />

In 19th-century Italy, churches staged "theatrical re-enactments of scenes from the lives of the saints" on All Hallows' Day, with "participants represented by realistic wax figures".<ref name="Morton2013" /> In 1823, the graveyard of [[Ospedale di Santo Spirito in Sassia|Holy Spirit Hospital]] in Rome presented a scene in which bodies of those who recently died were arrayed around a wax statue of an [[Christian angelology|angel]] who pointed upward towards [[Heaven in Christianity|heaven]].<ref name="Morton2013" /> In the same country, "parish priests went house-to-house, asking for small gifts of food which they shared among themselves throughout that night".<ref name="Morton2013">{{cite book |last1=Morton |first1=Lisa |title=Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween |date=15 September 2013 |publisher=Reaktion Books |isbn=978-1-78023-055-9 |page=129 |language=English}}</ref> 

In 19th-century Spain at Allhallowtide, there was a procession in the city of [[San Sebastián]] to the city cemetery, an event that drew beggars who "appeal[ed] to the tender recollections of one's deceased relations and friends" for sympathy.<ref name="Ford1855">{{cite book |author1=[[Richard Ford (English writer)|Richard Ford]] |title=A Handbook for Travellers in Spain |date=1855 |publisher=[[John Murray (publishing house)|John Murray]] |page=208 |language=English}}</ref> People in Spain continue to bake special pastries called "bones of the holy" ({{langx|es|link=no|huesos de santo}}) and set them on graves;<ref name="The Halloween Encyclopedia page 9">Morton, Lisa. ''The Halloween Encyclopedia''. McFarland, 2003. p. 9</ref> and at cemeteries in both Spain and France, as well as in [[Latin America]], priests lead [[Christian procession]]s and services during Allhallowtide, after which people keep an all-night vigil.<ref name="2017Fieldhouse">{{cite book |last1=Fieldhouse |first1=Paul |title=Food, Feasts, and Faith: An Encyclopedia of Food Culture in World Religions [2 volumes] |date=17 April 2017 |publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]] |isbn=978-1-61069-412-4 |page=19 |language=English}}</ref>

===Celtic folk influence===
[[File:Traditional-irish-halloween-mask.jpg|thumbnail|An early 20th-century Irish Halloween mask displayed at the [[Museum of Country Life]] in [[County Mayo]], Ireland]]

Today's Halloween customs are thought to have been influenced by [[Folk culture|folk]] customs and beliefs from the [[Celtic nations|Celtic-speaking countries]], some of which are believed to have [[Celtic polytheism|pagan]] roots.<ref>Boenig, Robert. ''Anglo-Saxon Spirituality: Selected Writings''. Paulist Press, 2000. p. 7</ref> [[Jack Santino]], a [[Folkloristics|folklorist]], writes that "there was throughout Ireland an uneasy truce existing between customs and beliefs associated with Christianity and those associated with religions that were Irish before Christianity arrived".<ref>Santino, Jack. ''The Hallowed Eve: Dimensions of Culture in a Calendar Festival of Northern Ireland''. University Press of Kentucky, 1998. p. 95</ref> The origins of Halloween customs are typically linked to the [[Gaels|Gaelic]] festival [[Samhain]].<ref name="rogers_s">Rogers, Nicholas. "[https://books.google.com/books?id=stWZ_UDteMIC&pg=PA11 Samhain and the Celtic Origins of Halloween]". ''Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night''. [[Oxford University Press]], 2002. pp. 11–21. {{ISBN|0-19-516896-8}}.</ref>

Samhain is one of the "[[quarter days]]" in the medieval Gaelic calendar and has been celebrated on 31 October{{snd}}1 November<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://time.com/5434659/halloween-pagan-origins-in-samhain/ |title=How Halloween Traditions Are Rooted in the Ancient Pagan Festival of Samhain |magazine=Time |language=en |access-date=4 December 2019}}</ref> in Ireland, Scotland and the [[Isle of Man]].<ref name="Roud">''A Pocket Guide To Superstitions of the British Isles'' (Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd; Reprint edition: 4 November 2004) {{ISBN|0-14-051549-6}}</ref><ref name="bbc_halloween">[http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/holydays/halloween_1.shtml All Hallows' Eve] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111103105817/http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/holydays/halloween_1.shtml |date=3 November 2011 }} BBC. Retrieved 31 October 2011.</ref> A kindred festival has been held by the [[Brittonic languages|Brittonic]] Celts, called ''[[Calan Gaeaf]]'' in Wales, ''[[Allantide|Kalan Gwav]]'' in [[Cornwall]] and ''Kalan Goañv'' in [[Brittany]]: a name meaning "first day of winter". For the Celts, the day ended and began at sunset; thus the festival begins the evening before 1 November by modern reckoning.<ref>[[Dáithí Ó hÓgáin|Ó hÓgáin, Dáithí]]. ''Myth, Legend & Romance: An encyclopaedia of the Irish folk tradition''. Prentice Hall Press, 1991. p. 402</ref> Samhain is mentioned in some of the earliest Irish literature. The names have been used by historians to refer to Celtic Halloween customs up until the 19th century,<ref name=hutton365-369>[[Ronald Hutton|Hutton, Ronald]]. ''The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain''. Oxford University Press, 1996. pp. 365–369</ref> and are still the Gaelic and Welsh names for Halloween.

[[File:Snap-Apple Night globalphilosophy.PNG|thumb|''Snap-Apple Night, or All-Hallow Eve'', painted by [[Daniel Maclise]] in 1833, shows people feasting and playing divination games on Halloween in Ireland.<ref>{{cite news |title=Snap Apple Night, or All-Hallow Eve. January 1, 1845 |url=https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/644100 |access-date=19 October 2021 |agency=Metmuseum.org |quote=In October 1832 Daniel Maclise attended a Halloween party in Blarney, Ireland and, the next summer, exhibited a painting at London’s Royal Academy of Arts, titled "Snap Apple Night, or All Hallow Eve." |archive-date=25 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211025195305/https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/644100 |url-status=live }}</ref>]]

Samhain marked the end of the [[harvest]] season in autumn and beginning of winter or the 'darker half' of the year.<ref name=monaghan407>Monaghan, Patricia. ''The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore''. Infobase Publishing, 2004. p. 407</ref><ref>Hutton, p. 361</ref> It was seen as a [[wikt:liminal|liminal]] time, when the boundary between this world and the [[Celtic Otherworld|Otherworld]] thinned. This meant the ''[[Aos Sí]]'', the 'spirits' or '[[fairy|fairies]]', could more easily come into this world and were particularly active.<ref>Monaghan, p. 41</ref><ref>O'Halpin, Andy. ''Ireland: An Oxford Archaeological Guide''. Oxford University Press, 2006. p. 236</ref> Most scholars see them as "degraded versions of ancient gods [...] whose power remained active in the people's minds even after they had been officially replaced by later religious beliefs".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Monaghan |first1=Patricia |title=The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore |date=2014 |publisher=Infobase publishing |page=167}}</ref> They were both respected and feared, with individuals often invoking the protection of [[God in Christianity|God]] when approaching their dwellings.<ref name="Monaghan2009">{{cite book|last=Monaghan|first=Patricia|title=The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nd9R6GQBB_0C&pg=PA167|access-date=19 October 2015|date=1 January 2009|publisher=Infobase Publishing|isbn=978-1-4381-1037-0|page=167|quote=They were both respected and feared. "Their backs towards us, their faces away from us, and may God and Mary save us from harm," was a prayer spoken whenever one ventured near their dwellings.|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160423051036/https://books.google.com/books?id=nd9R6GQBB_0C&pg=PA167|archive-date=23 April 2016}}</ref><ref>Santino, p. 105</ref> At Samhain, the ''Aos Sí'' were [[propitiation|appeased]] to ensure the people and livestock survived the winter. Offerings of food and drink, or portions of the crops, were left outside for them.<ref>[[Kevin Danaher|Danaher, Kevin]]. ''The Year in Ireland: Irish Calendar Customs''. Mercier Press, 1972. p. 200</ref><ref>[[Walter Evans-Wentz|Evans-Wentz, Walter]] (1911). ''The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries''. p. 44.</ref><ref>[[F. Marian McNeill|McNeill, F. Marian]] (1961). ''The Silver Bough, Volume 3''. p. 34.</ref> The souls of the dead were also said to revisit their homes seeking [[hospitality]].<ref>"Halloween". ''Britannica Concise Encyclopedia''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2009. Credo Reference. Web. 21 September 2012.</ref> Places were set at the dinner table and by the fire to welcome them.<ref name=mcneill1>McNeill, ''The Silver Bough, Volume 3'', pp. 11–46</ref> The belief that the souls of the dead return home on one night of the year and must be appeased seems to have ancient origins and is found in many cultures.<ref name=miles>Miles, Clement A. (1912). ''Christmas in Ritual and Tradition''. [http://www.sacred-texts.com/time/crt/crt11.htm Chapter 7: All Hallow Tide to Martinmas] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104130353/http://www.sacred-texts.com/time/crt/crt11.htm |date=4 November 2013 }}.</ref> In 19th century Ireland, "candles would be lit and [[Christian prayer|prayers]] formally offered for the souls of the dead. After this the eating, drinking, and games would begin".<ref>Hutton, p. 379</ref>

Throughout Ireland and Britain, especially in the Celtic-speaking regions, the household festivities included [[divination]] rituals and games intended to foretell one's future, especially regarding death and marriage.<ref name="Hutton, p.380">Hutton, p. 380</ref> Apples and nuts were often used, and customs included [[apple bobbing]], nut roasting, [[scrying]] or mirror-gazing, [[Molybdomancy|pouring molten lead]] or [[Oomancy|egg whites]] into water, [[dream interpretation]], and others.<ref>[[Kevin Danaher|Danaher, Kevin]]. "Irish Folk Tradition and the Celtic Calendar", in  ''The Celtic Consciousness'', ed. Robert O'Driscoll. Braziller, 1981. pp.&nbsp;218–227</ref> Special [[bonfire]]s were lit and there were rituals involving them. Their flames, smoke, and ashes were deemed to have protective and cleansing powers.<ref name=monaghan407/> In some places, torches lit from the bonfire were carried [[sunwise]] around homes and fields to protect them.<ref name=hutton365-369/> It is suggested the fires were a kind of [[sympathetic magic|imitative or sympathetic magic]]{{snd}}they mimicked the Sun and held back the decay and darkness of winter.<ref name=mcneill1/><ref name=frazer63>[[James George Frazer|Frazer, James George]] (1922). ''[[The Golden Bough|The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion]]''. [http://www.sacred-texts.com/pag/frazer/gb06301.htm Chapter 63, Part 1: On the Fire-festivals in general] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012203326/http://www.sacred-texts.com/pag/frazer/gb06301.htm |date=12 October 2013 }}.</ref><ref name=macculloch>MacCulloch, John Arnott (1911). ''The Religion of the Ancient Celts''. [http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/rac/rac21.htm Chapter 18: Festivals] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012092340/http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/rac/rac21.htm |date=12 October 2013 }}.</ref> They were also used for divination and to ward off evil spirits.<ref name="CarterPetro1998">{{cite book|last1=Carter|first1=Albert Howard |last2=Petro|first2=Jane Arbuckle|title=Rising from the Flames: The Experience of the Severely Burned|year=1998|publisher=[[University of Pennsylvania Press]]|language=en|isbn=978-0-8122-1517-5|page=100|quote=Halloween, incorporated into the Christian year as the eve of All Saints Day, marked the return of the souls of the departed and the release of devils who could move freely on that night. Fires lit on that night served to prevent the influence of such spirits and to provide omens for the future. Modern children go from house to house at Halloween with flashlights powered by electric batteries, while jack o'lanterns (perhaps with an actual candle, but often with a lightbulb) glow from windows and porches.}}</ref> In Scotland, these bonfires and divination games were banned by the church elders in some parishes.<ref>Hutton, pp. 366, 380</ref> In Wales, bonfires were also lit to "prevent the souls of the dead from falling to earth".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cymraeg.gov.wales/news/index/calan-gaeaf?lang=en|title=Halloween traditions|year=2016|publisher=Welsh Government|access-date=2 October 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171002215831/http://cymraeg.gov.wales/news/index/calan-gaeaf?lang=en|archive-date=2 October 2017}}</ref> Later, these bonfires "kept away the [[Devil in Christianity|devil]]".<ref name="Rosinsky2002">{{cite book|last=Rosinsky|first=Natalie M.|title=Halloween|year=2002|publisher=[[Capstone Publishers]]|isbn=978-0-7565-0392-5|page=8|quote=Christian leaders made old Celtic and Roman customs into new Christian ones. Bonfires were once lighted against evil spirits. Now, they kept away the devil.}}</ref>

[[File:Traditional Irish halloween Jack-o'-lantern.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=A plaster cast of a traditional Irish Halloween turnip|A plaster cast of a traditional Irish Halloween turnip (swede, [[rutabaga]]) lantern on display in the [[Museum of Country Life]], Ireland<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://thedialog.org/uncategorized/from-turnips-to-potatoes-to-pumpkins-irish-folklife-expert-says-jack-o-lanterns-began-in-ireland/|title=From turnips to potatoes to pumpkins: Irish folklife expert says Jack-O-Lanterns began in Ireland|first1=Sarah|last1=MacDonald|first2=Catholic News|last2=Service|work=The Dialog |date=19 October 2017|access-date=7 December 2020|archive-date=28 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228153806/http://thedialog.org/uncategorized/from-turnips-to-potatoes-to-pumpkins-irish-folklife-expert-says-jack-o-lanterns-began-in-ireland/|url-status=live}}</ref>]]

From at least the 16th century,<ref name=mcneill2>[[F. Marian McNeill|McNeill, F. Marian]]. ''Hallowe'en: its origin, rites and ceremonies in the Scottish tradition''. Albyn Press, 1970. pp. 29–31</ref> the festival included [[Mummers Play|mumming]] and [[guising]] in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man and Wales.<ref name=hutton379-383>Hutton, pp. 379–383</ref> This involved people going house-to-house in costume (or in disguise), usually reciting verses or songs in exchange for food. It may have originally been a tradition whereby people impersonated the ''Aos Sí'', or the souls of the dead, and received offerings on their behalf, similar to '[[soul cake|souling]]'. Impersonating these beings, or wearing a disguise, was also believed to protect oneself from them.<ref>[[Christina Hole|Hole, Christina]]. ''British Folk Customs''. [[Hutchinson (publisher)|Hutchinson]], 1976. p. 91</ref> In parts of southern Ireland, the guisers included a [[hobby horse]]. A man dressed as a ''láir bhán'' ([[White horse (mythology)|white mare]]) led youths house-to-house reciting verses&nbsp;– some of which had pagan overtones&nbsp;– in exchange for food. If the household donated food it could expect good fortune from the 'Muck Olla'; not doing so would bring misfortune.<ref>''Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, Volume 2''. 1855. pp. 308–309</ref> In Scotland, youths went house-to-house with masked, painted or blackened faces, often threatening to do mischief if they were not welcomed.<ref name=hutton379-383/> [[F. Marian McNeill]] suggests the ancient festival included people in costume representing the spirits, and that faces were marked or blackened with ashes from the sacred bonfire.<ref name=mcneill2/> In parts of Wales, men went about dressed as fearsome beings called ''gwrachod''.<ref name=hutton379-383/> In the late 19th and early 20th century, young people in [[Glamorgan]] and [[Orkney]] [[cross-dressing|cross-dressed]].<ref name=hutton379-383/>

Elsewhere in Europe, mumming was part of other festivals, but in the Celtic-speaking regions, it was "particularly appropriate to a night upon which supernatural beings were said to be abroad and could be imitated or warded off by human wanderers".<ref name=hutton379-383/> From at least the 18th century, "imitating malignant spirits" led to playing pranks in Ireland and the [[Scottish Highlands]]. Wearing costumes and playing pranks at Halloween did not spread to England until the 20th century.<ref name=hutton379-383/> Pranksters used hollowed-out [[rutabaga|turnips]] or [[mangelwurzel|mangel wurzels]] as lanterns, often carved with grotesque faces.<ref name=hutton379-383/> By those who made them, the lanterns were variously said to represent the spirits,<ref name=hutton379-383/> or [[Apotropaic magic|used to ward off]] evil spirits.<ref name=palmer87>Palmer, Kingsley. ''Oral folk-tales of Wessex''. David & Charles, 1973. pp. 87–88</ref><ref>Wilson, David Scofield. ''Rooted in America: Foodlore of Popular Fruits and Vegetables''. Univ. of Tennessee Press, 1999. p. 154</ref> They were common in parts of Ireland and the Scottish Highlands in the 19th century,<ref name=hutton379-383/> as well as in [[Somerset]] (see [[Punkie Night]]). In the 20th century they spread to other parts of Britain and became generally known as [[jack-o'-lantern]]s.<ref name=hutton379-383/>

===Spread to North America===
[[Lesley Bannatyne]] and Cindy Ott write that [[Anglican]] colonists in the southern United States and [[Catholic]] colonists in [[Maryland]] "recognized All Hallows' Eve in their church calendars",<ref>Ott, Cindy. ''Pumpkin: The Curious History of an American Icon''. University of Washington Press, 2012. p. 42</ref><ref>Bannatyne, p. 45</ref> although the Puritans of [[New England]] strongly opposed the holiday, along with other traditional celebrations of the established Church, including Christmas.<ref>Encyclopaedia Londinensis, or, Universal dictionary of arts, sciences, and literature, Volume 21 (John Wilkes), R. G. Gunnell and Co., p. 544</ref> [[Almanac]]s of the late 18th and early 19th century give no indication that Halloween was widely celebrated in North America.<ref name="rogers_nw">Rogers, Nicholas. ''Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night''. [[Oxford University Press]], 2002. pp. 49–50. {{ISBN|0-19-516896-8}}.</ref>

It was not until after mass [[Irish diaspora|Irish]] and [[Scottish diaspora|Scottish immigration]] in the 19th century that Halloween became a major holiday in America.<ref name="rogers_nw"/> Most American Halloween traditions were inherited from the Irish and Scots,<ref name="Brunvand, Jan 2006. p.749"/><ref>Santino, Jack. ''All Around the Year: Holidays and Celebrations in American Life''. University of Illinois Press, 1995. p.153</ref> though "In [[Cajun]] areas, a nocturnal Mass was said in cemeteries on Halloween night. Candles that had been blessed were placed on graves, and families sometimes spent the entire night at the graveside".<ref name="Morton2003">{{cite book|last=Morton|first=Lisa|title=The Halloween Encyclopedia|year=2003|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-1524-3|url=https://archive.org/details/halloweenencyclo00mort_0}}</ref> Originally confined to these immigrant communities, it was gradually assimilated into mainstream society and was celebrated coast to coast by people of all social, racial, and religious backgrounds by the early 20th century.<ref name="rogers_nationwide">Rogers, Nicholas. ''Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night''. Oxford University Press, 2002, p. 74. {{ISBN|0-19-516896-8}}.</ref> Then, through [[Americanization|American influence]], these Halloween traditions spread to many other countries by the late 20th and early 21st century, including to [[Continental Europe|mainland]] Europe and some parts of the [[Far East]].<ref name="Colavito, Jason 2007. pp.151"/><ref name="rogers_m"/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Is Halloween celebrated in Asia? |url=https://www.asiamediacentre.org.nz/features/is-halloween-celebrated-in-asia/ |access-date=31 October 2022 |website=Asia Media Centre {{!}} New Zealand |date=29 October 2020 |archive-date=31 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221031123243/https://www.asiamediacentre.org.nz/features/is-halloween-celebrated-in-asia/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Symbols==
[[File:Halloween Witch 2011.JPG|thumb|At Halloween, yards, public spaces, and some houses may be decorated with traditionally macabre symbols including [[Skeleton (undead)|skeleton]]s, [[ghost]]s, [[Spider web|cobwebs]], [[headstone]]s, [[Witchcraft|witches]] and [[scarecrows]]]]

Development of [[Artefact (archaeology)|artifacts]] and [[symbol]]s associated with Halloween formed over time. [[Jack-o'-lantern]]s are traditionally carried by [[guising|guisers]] on All Hallows' Eve in order to frighten [[Unclean spirit|evil spirits]].<ref name="rogers57"/><ref>''The Encyclopedia of Witches, Witchcraft and Wicca'', Infobase Publishing, p. 183</ref> There is a popular [[Christianity in Ireland|Irish Christian]] folktale associated with the jack-o'-lantern,<ref>Dante's "Commedia" and the Poetics of Christian Catabasis (Lee Foust), ProQuest, p. 15</ref> which in [[folklore]] is said to represent a "[[soul in the Bible|soul]] who has been denied entry into both [[Heaven (Christianity)|heaven]] and [[Christian views on Hell|hell]]":<ref>''The Guinness Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits'' (Rosemary Guiley), Guinness World Records Limited, p. 178</ref>
{{Blockquote|On route home after a night's drinking, [[Stingy Jack|Jack]] encounters the [[Devil in Christianity|Devil]] and tricks him into climbing a tree. A quick-thinking Jack etches the [[sign of the cross]] into the bark, thus trapping the Devil. Jack strikes a bargain that [[Satan]] can never claim his soul. After a life of [[Christian views on sin|sin]], [[Christian views on alcohol|drink]], and mendacity, Jack is refused entry to heaven when he dies. Keeping his promise, the Devil refuses to let Jack into hell and throws a live coal straight from the fires of hell at him. It was a cold night, so Jack places the coal in a hollowed out turnip to stop it from going out, since which time Jack and his lantern have been roaming looking for a place to rest.<ref>''Encyclopedia of Death and Dying'' (Glennys Howarth (editor), Oliver Leaman(editor)), Taylor & Francis, 2001, p. 320</ref>}} In Ireland, Scotland, and Northern England the [[neep|turnip]] has traditionally been carved during Halloween,<ref name=lant>[https://web.archive.org/web/20200921184122/https://books.google.com/books?id=AN7WAAAAMAAJ&q=candlelit+lanterns+were+carved+from+large+turnips&dq=candlelit+lanterns+were+carved+from+large+turnips&ct=result&resnum=1 ''The Oxford companion to American food and drink'']  p. 269. Oxford University Press, 2007. Retrieved 17 February 2011</ref><ref name=frle/> but immigrants to North America used the native pumpkin, which is both much softer and much larger, making it easier to carve than a turnip.<ref name=lant/> The American tradition of carving pumpkins is recorded in 1837<ref>Nathaniel Hawthorne, "The Great Carbuncle", in ''Twice-Told Tales'', 1837: Hide it [the great carbuncle] under thy cloak, say'st thou? Why, it will gleam through the holes, and make thee look like a jack-o'-lantern!</ref> and was originally associated with harvest time in general, not becoming specifically associated with Halloween until the mid-to-late 19th century.<ref>As late as 1900, an article on Thanksgiving entertaining recommended a lit jack-o'-lantern as part of the festivities. [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9800EEDC1139E033A25757C2A9679D94649ED7CF "The Day We Celebrate: Thanksgiving Treated Gastronomically and Socially"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160805183319/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9800EEDC1139E033A25757C2A9679D94649ED7CF |date=5 August 2016 }}, ''The New York Times'', 24 November 1895, p. 27. [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9802E7D6173FE433A25752C2A9669D946197D6CF "Odd Ornaments for Table"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160805134817/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9802E7D6173FE433A25752C2A9669D946197D6CF |date=5 August 2016 }}, ''The New York Times'', 21 October 1900, p. 12.</ref>

[[File:J. M. Wright - Edward Scriven - Robert Burns - Halloween.JPG|thumb|left|"[[Halloween (poem)|Halloween]]" (1785) by Scottish poet [[Robert Burns]], recounts various legends of the holiday.]]
The modern imagery of Halloween comes from many sources, including [[Christian eschatology]], national customs, works of [[Gothic fiction|Gothic]] and [[horror fiction|horror]] literature (such as the novels ''[[Frankenstein|Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus]]'' and ''[[Dracula]]'') and classic horror films such as ''[[Frankenstein (1931 film)|Frankenstein]]'' (1931) and ''[[Night of the Living Dead (1968 film)|Night of the Living Dead]]'' (1968).<ref>''The Rhetoric of Vision: Essays on Charles Williams'' (Charles Adolph Huttar, Peter J. Schakel), Bucknell University Press, p. 155</ref><ref name="rogers_h">Rogers, Nicholas (2002). "Halloween Goes to Hollywood". ''Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night'', pp. 103–124. New York: Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|0-19-516896-8}}.</ref> Imagery of the [[Skull and crossbones (Spanish cemetery)|skull]], a reference to [[Golgotha]] in the Christian tradition, serves as "a reminder of death and the transitory quality of human life" and is consequently found in ''[[memento mori]]'' and ''[[vanitas]]'' compositions;<ref>''A Handbook of Symbols in Christian Art'' (Gertrude Grace Sill), Simon & Schuster, p. 64</ref> skulls have therefore been commonplace in Halloween, which touches on this theme.<ref>''In flagrante collecto'' (Marilynn Gelfman Karp), Abrams, p. 299</ref> Traditionally, the back walls of churches are "decorated with a depiction of the [[Last Judgment]], complete with graves opening and the dead rising, with a heaven filled with angels and a hell filled with devils", a motif that has permeated the observance of this [[Allhallowtide|triduum]].<ref>''School Year, Church Year'' (Peter Mazar), Liturgy Training Publications, p. 115</ref> One of the earliest works on the subject of Halloween is from Scottish poet [[John Mayne]], who, in 1780, made note of [[prank]]s at Halloween—''"What fearfu' pranks ensue!"'', as well as the supernatural associated with the night, ''"bogles"'' (ghosts)<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mayne |first1=John |title=Halloween |url=https://www.poetryexplorer.net/poem.php?id=10105857 |website=PoetryExplorer |access-date=24 November 2022 |archive-date=24 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221124003446/https://www.poetryexplorer.net/poem.php?id=10105857 |url-status=live }}</ref>—influencing [[Robert Burns]]' "[[Halloween (poem)|Halloween]]" (1785).<ref>Thomas Crawford [[iarchive:burnsstudyofpoem00craw/page/125|<!-- quote=scottish halloween traditions - burns poem. --> ''Burns: a study of the poems and songs'']] {{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BDCsAAAAIAAJ&q=scottish+halloween+traditions+-+burns+poem&pg=PA125 |title=Burns: A Study of the Poems and Songs |isbn=978-0-8047-0055-9 |access-date=27 November 2018 |archive-date=23 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160423113435/https://books.google.com/books?id=BDCsAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA125&dq=scottish+halloween+traditions+-+burns+poem&ct=result&resnum=8 |url-status=bot: unknown |last1=Crawford |first1=Thomas |year=1960 |publisher=Stanford University Press }} Stanford University Press, 1960</ref> Elements of the [[autumn|autumn season]], such as pumpkins, corn [[husk]]s, autumn [[leaves]], and [[scarecrow]]s, are also prevalent. Homes are often decorated with these types of symbols around Halloween. Halloween imagery includes themes of death, [[evil]], and mythical [[monster]]s.<ref>Simpson, Jacqueline "All Saints' Day" in ''Encyclopedia of Death and Dying'', Howarth, G. and Leeman, O. (2001) London Routledge {{ISBN|0-415-18825-3}}, p. 14 "Halloween is closely associated in folklore with death and the supernatural".</ref> [[Black cat]]s, which have been long associated with witches, are also a common symbol of Halloween. Black, orange, and sometimes purple are Halloween's traditional colors.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Herberholz |first1=Donald |last2=Herberholz |first2=Barbara |title=Artworks for Elementary Teachers: Developing Artistic and Perceptual Awareness |date=1990 |publisher=W.C. Brown |page=16}}</ref>
{{Clear}}

==Trick-or-treating and guising==
{{Main|Trick-or-treating}}

[[File:Trick or treat in sweden.jpeg|thumb|upright|Trick-or-treaters in Sweden]]

Trick-or-treating is a customary celebration for children on Halloween. Children go in costume from house to house, asking for treats such as [[confectionery|candy]] and other confections, or sometimes money, with the question, "Trick or treat?" The word "treat" is asking for a sweet treat while the word "trick" implies a "threat" to perform mischief on the homeowners or their property if no treat is given.<ref name=Britannica>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Halloween|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/252875/Halloween|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=25 October 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121030150155/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/252875/Halloween|archive-date=30 October 2012}}</ref> The practice is said to have roots in the medieval practice of [[mumming]], which is closely related to [[souling]].<ref>''Faces Around the World: A Cultural Encyclopedia of the Human Face'' (Margo DeMello), ABC-CLIO, p. 225</ref> John Pymm wrote that "many of the feast days associated with the presentation of mumming plays were celebrated by the Christian Church."<ref>''A Student's Guide to A2 Performance Studies for the OCR Specification'' (John Pymm), Rhinegold Publishing Ltd, p. 28</ref> These [[feast day]]s included All Hallows' Eve, Christmas, [[Twelfth Night (holiday)|Twelfth Night]] and [[Shrove Tuesday]].<ref>''Folklore: An Encyclopedia of Beliefs, Customs, Tales, Music, and Art, Volume 1'' (Thomas Green), ABC-CLIO p. 566</ref><ref>''Interacting communities: studies on some aspects of migration and urban ethnology'' (Zsuzsa Szarvas), Hungarian Ethnographic Society, p. 314</ref> Mumming practiced in Germany, Scandinavia and other parts of Europe,<ref>''The Oxford Encyclopedia of British Literature'' (David Scott Kastan), Oxford University Press, p. 47</ref> involved masked persons in [[Costume party|fancy dress]] who "paraded the streets and entered houses to dance or play dice in silence".<ref>"Mumming Play", ''Encyclopædia Britannica''</ref>

In England, from the medieval period,<ref name="Carmichael2012">{{cite book|last=Carmichael|first=Sherman|title=Legends and Lore of South Carolina|year=2012|publisher=[[The History Press]]|isbn=978-1-60949-748-4|page=70|quote=The practice of dressing up and going door to door for treats dates back to the middle ages and the practice of souling.}}</ref> up until the 1930s,<ref name="Hood2014">{{cite book|last=Hood|first=Karen Jean Matsko|title=Halloween Delights|date=1 January 2014|publisher=Whispering Pine Press International|isbn=978-1-59434-181-6|page=33|quote=The tradition continued in some areas of northern England as late as the 1930s, with children going from door to door "souling" for cakes or money by singing a song.}}</ref> people practiced the Christian custom of souling on Halloween, which involved groups of soulers, both Protestant and Catholic,<ref name=Mosteller>{{cite book|last=Mosteller|first=Angie |title=Christian Origins of Halloween |date=2 July 2014|publisher=Rose Publishing |isbn=978-1-59636-535-3|quote=In Protestant regions souling remained an important occasion for soliciting food and money from rich neighbors in preparation for the coming cold and dark months.}}</ref> going from [[Parish (Church of England)|parish]] to parish, begging the rich for soul cakes, in exchange for [[Christian prayer|praying]] for the souls of the givers and their friends.<ref name=Dodge>{{cite book|title=St. Nicholas Magazine|editor=Mary Mapes Dodge|editor-link=Mary Mapes Dodge|year=1883|publisher=Scribner & Company|page=93|quote='Soul-cakes,' which the rich gave to the poor at the Halloween season, in return for which the recipients prayed for the souls of the givers and their friends. And this custom became so favored in popular esteem that, for a long time, it was a regular observance in the country towns of England for small companies to go from parish to parish, begging soul-cakes by singing under the windows some such verse as this: 'Soul, souls, for a soul-cake; Pray you good mistress, a soul-cake!'|title-link=St. Nicholas Magazine}}</ref> In the Philippines, the practice of souling is called [[Pangangaluluwa]] and is practiced on All Hallows' Eve among children in rural areas.<ref name="Fieldhouse2017p256"/> People drape themselves in white cloths to represent souls and then visit houses, where they sing in return for prayers and sweets.<ref name="Fieldhouse2017p256"/>

[[File:Waterdown Public School, Ontario, 1928 halloween costume.jpg|upright=0.8|thumb|left|Girl in a Halloween costume in 1928, [[Ontario]], Canada, the same province where the Scottish Halloween custom of [[guising]] was first recorded in North America]]
In Scotland and Ireland, [[guising]]—children disguised in costume going from door to door for food or coins—is a secular Halloween custom.<ref name="Irish Times"/> It is recorded in Scotland at Halloween in 1895 where masqueraders in disguise carrying lanterns made out of scooped out turnips, visit homes to be rewarded with cakes, fruit, and money.<ref name=frle>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x7_QAAAAMAAJ&q=Frank%20Leslie%27s%20popular%20monthly%201895%20Halloween&pg=PA540 |title=Frank Leslie's popular monthly, Volume 40, November 1895, pp. 540–543 |date=5 February 2009 |access-date=23 October 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511203141/http://books.google.com/books?id=x7_QAAAAMAAJ&dq=Frank%20Leslie%27s%20popular%20monthly%201895%20Halloween&pg=PA540 |archive-date=11 May 2011 |last1=Leslie |first1=Frank }}</ref><ref name="Definition">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Definition of "guising" |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/guising |dictionary=Collins English Dictionary|quote=(in Scotland and N England) the practice or custom of disguising oneself in fancy dress, often with a mask, and visiting people's houses, esp at Halloween}}</ref> In Ireland, the most popular phrase for kids to shout (until the 2000s) was "[[wikt:help the Halloween party|Help the Halloween Party]]".<ref name="Irish Times">{{cite news |title=Ten trick-or-treating facts for impressive bonfire chats |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/ten-trick-or-treating-facts-for-impressive-bonfire-chats-1.1983165 |date=31 October 2014 |newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] |quote=Scotland and Ireland started tricking: A few decades later a practice called ‘guising’ was in full swing in Scotland and Ireland. Short for ‘disguising’, children would go out from door to door dressed in costume and rather than pledging to pray, they would tell a joke, sing a song or perform another sort of "trick" in exchange for food or money. The expression trick or treat has only been used at front doors for the last 10 to 15 years. Before that "Help the Halloween Party" seems to have been the most popular phrase to holler. |access-date=28 October 2020 |archive-date=27 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127175333/https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/ten-trick-or-treating-facts-for-impressive-bonfire-chats-1.1983165 |url-status=live }}</ref> Author Nicholas Rogers cites an early example of guising in North America in 1911, where a newspaper in [[Kingston, Ontario]], Canada, reported children going "guising" around the neighborhood.<ref>Rogers, Nicholas. (2002) "Coming Over:Halloween in North America". ''Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night''. p. 76. Oxford University Press, 2002, {{ISBN|0-19-514691-3}}</ref>

American historian and author [[Ruth Edna Kelley]] of [[Massachusetts]] wrote the first book-length history of Halloween in the US: ''[[:s:The Book of Hallowe'en|The Book of Hallowe'en]]'' (1919), and references souling in the chapter "Hallowe'en in America".<ref>Kelley, Ruth Edna. ''The Book of Hallowe'en'', Boston: Lothrop, Lee and Shepard Co., 1919, chapter 15, p. 127. [https://books.google.com/books?id=pDraHi4-PpgC&dq=Ruth+Edna+Kelley+The+Book+of+Hallowe%27en+a-souling&pg=PA127 "Hallowe'en in America"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160423094354/https://books.google.com/books?id=pDraHi4-PpgC&pg=PA127&dq=Ruth+Edna+Kelley+The+Book+of+Hallowe%27en+a-souling |date=23 April 2016 }}.</ref> In her book, Kelley touches on customs that arrived from across the Atlantic; "Americans have fostered them, and are making this an occasion something like what it must have been in its best days overseas. All Halloween customs in the United States are borrowed directly or adapted from those of other countries".<ref>{{cite web |last=Kelley |first=Ruth Edna |url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/pag/boh/boh17.htm |title=Hallowe'en in America |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014132714/http://www.sacred-texts.com/pag/boh/boh17.htm |archive-date=14 October 2013 }}</ref>

While the first reference to "guising" in North America occurs in 1911, another reference to ritual begging on Halloween appears, place unknown, in 1915, with a third reference in Chicago in 1920.<ref>Theo. E. Wright, "A Halloween Story", ''St. Nicholas'', October 1915, p. 1144. Mae McGuire Telford, "What Shall We Do Halloween?" ''[[Ladies Home Journal]]'', October 1920, p. 135.</ref> The earliest known use in print of the term "trick or treat" appears in 1917, in ''[[The Sault Star|The Sault Daily Star]]'', of [[Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario]], Canada.<ref name="Sault">{{cite web |author=<!--not stated--> |date=November 1, 1917 |title=Hallowe'en and Snow Is Unusual Combination Here |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/94305951/halloween-tricks-or-treats-1917/ |work=[[The Sault Star|The Sault Daily Star]] |location=Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario |page=2 |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=20 October 2025}}.</ref>

The thousands of [[Halloween card|Halloween postcards]] produced between the turn of the 20th century and the 1920s commonly show children but not trick-or-treating.<ref>For examples, see the websites [http://www.emotionscards.com/museum/hallow1.html Postcard & Greeting Card Museum: Halloween Gallery] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101124072129/http://www.emotionscards.com/museum/hallow1.html |date=24 November 2010 }}, [http://www.shaktiweb.com/postcards/ Antique Hallowe'en Postcards] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060719220550/http://www.shaktiweb.com/postcards/ |date=19 July 2006 }}, [http://antiques.about.com/od/collectingbookspaper/ig/Halloween-Postcard-Gallery/index.htm Vintage Halloween Postcards] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080723183011/http://antiques.about.com/od/collectingbookspaper/ig/Halloween-Postcard-Gallery/index.htm |date=23 July 2008 }}.</ref> Trick-or-treating does not seem to have become a widespread practice in North America until the 1930s, with the first US appearances of the term in 1934,<ref>"Halloween Pranks Keep Police on Hop", ''[[Oregon Journal]]'' ([[Portland, Oregon]]), 1 November 1934; and "The Gangsters of Tomorrow", ''The Helena Independent'' ([[Helena, Montana]]), 2 November 1934, p. 4. The ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' also mentioned door-to-door begging in [[Aurora, Illinois]], on Halloween in 1934, although not by the term 'trick-or-treating'. "Front Views and Profiles" (column), ''Chicago Tribune'', 3 November 1934, p. 17.</ref> and the first use in a national publication occurring in 1939.<ref>Moss, Doris Hudson. "A Victim of the Window-Soaping Brigade?" ''The American Home'', November 1939, p. 48.</ref>

A popular variant of trick-or-treating, known as [[trunk-or-treating]] (or Halloween tailgating), occurs when "children are offered treats from the trunks of cars parked in a church parking lot", or sometimes, a school parking lot.<ref name="The Halloween Encyclopedia page 9"/><ref>''Bluff Park'' (Heather Jones Skaggs), Arcadia Publishing, p. 117</ref> In a trunk-or-treat event, the [[trunk (automobile)|trunk]] (boot) of each automobile is decorated with a certain theme,<ref>"Trunk-or-Treat", ''The Chicago Tribune''</ref> such as those of children's literature, movies, [[Bible|scripture]], and [[Job (role)|job roles]].<ref>''Suggested Themes for "Trunks" for Trunk or Treat'' (Dail R. Faircloth), First Baptist Church of Royal Palm Beach</ref> Trunk-or-treating has grown in popularity due to its perception as being more safe than going door to door, a point that resonates well with parents, as well as the fact that it "solves the rural conundrum in which homes [are] built a half-mile apart".<ref>"Trunk or Treat focuses on fun, children's safety", ''Desert Valley Times''</ref><ref>"Trunk or Treat! Halloween Tailgating Grows" (Fernanda Santos), ''The New York Times''</ref>

==Costumes==
{{Main|Halloween costume}}
Halloween costumes were traditionally modeled after figures such as [[vampires]], [[ghosts]], [[Skeleton (undead)|skeletons]], scary looking [[witches]], and [[Scarecrow|scarecrows]].<ref name=Britannica /> Over time, the costume selection extended to include popular characters from fiction, celebrities, and generic [[archetypes]] such as [[ninja]]s and [[princess]]es.

[[File:Halloween Shop, Derry, September 2010 (02).JPG|thumb|upright|Halloween shop in [[Derry]], Northern Ireland, selling masks]]
Dressing up in costumes and going "[[guising]]" was prevalent in Scotland and Ireland at Halloween by the late 19th century.<ref name=frle/> A Scottish term, the tradition is called "guising" because of the disguises or costumes worn by the children.<ref name="Definition"/> In Ireland and Scotland, the masks are known as 'false faces',<ref name=DSL/><ref>{{cite news|first=Michael|last=Bradley|title=A very Derry Halloween: a carnival of frights, fireworks and parade|url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2018/oct/24/derry-halloween-europe-largest-carnival-of-frights-fireworks-parades|access-date=25 October 2018|date=24 October 2018|work=The Guardian|archive-date=24 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181024230342/https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2018/oct/24/derry-halloween-europe-largest-carnival-of-frights-fireworks-parades|url-status=live}}</ref> a term recorded in Ayr, Scotland in 1890 by a Scot describing guisers: "I had mind it was Halloween&nbsp;... the wee callans (boys) were at it already, rinning aboot wi' their fause-faces (false faces) on and their bits o' turnip lanthrons (lanterns) in their haun (hand)".<ref name=DSL>{{cite web|url=http://www.dsl.ac.uk/getent4.php?plen=1266&startset=21732206&query=Hallow_evin&fhit=hallow&dregion=form&dtext=dost#fhit |title=DOST: Hallow Evin |publisher=[[Dictionary of the Scots Language|DSL]]|access-date=13 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140429162756/http://www.dsl.ac.uk/getent4.php?plen=12718&startset=16840203&query=HALLOW&fhit=hallow&dregion=form&dtext=snd|archive-date=29 April 2014}}</ref> Costuming became popular for Halloween parties in the US in the early 20th century, as often for adults as for children, and when trick-or-treating was becoming popular in Canada and the US in the 1920s and 1930s.<ref name="Sault"/><ref>{{Cite news|title=Halloween Jollity Within Reason Need|last=Miller|first=Marian|date=31 October 1932|work=[[The Morning Oregonian]]|page=8}} Quote: "Trick or treat?" the youthful mischief-maker will say this evening, probably, as he rings the doorbell of a neighbor."</ref>

Eddie J. Smith, in his book ''Halloween, Hallowed is Thy Name'', offers a religious perspective to the wearing of costumes on All Hallows' Eve, suggesting that by dressing up as creatures "who at one time caused us to fear and tremble", people are able to poke fun at [[Satan]] "whose kingdom has been plundered by our Saviour". Images of skeletons and the dead are traditional decorations used as ''[[memento mori]]''.<ref>''School Year, Church Year'' (Peter Mazar), Liturgy Training Publications, p. 114</ref><ref>''Memento Mori'', Museum of Art and Archaeology, University of Missouri</ref>

"[[Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF]]" is a fundraising program to support [[UNICEF]],<ref name=Britannica /> a United Nations Programme that provides humanitarian aid to children in developing countries. Started as a local event in a [[Northeast Philadelphia]] neighborhood in 1950 and expanded nationally in 1952, the program involves the distribution of small boxes by schools (or in modern times, corporate sponsors like [[Hallmark Cards|Hallmark]], at their licensed stores) to trick-or-treaters, in which they can solicit small-change donations from the houses they visit. It is estimated that children have collected more than $118&nbsp;million for UNICEF since its inception. In Canada, in 2006, UNICEF decided to discontinue their Halloween collection boxes, citing safety and administrative concerns; after consultation with schools, they instead redesigned the program.<ref name="ctv">{{cite news |first=Genevieve |last=Beauchemin |author2=CTV.ca News Staff |title=UNICEF to end Halloween 'orange box' program |url=http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060530/unicef_orange_060530?s_name=&no_ads= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016235444/http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060530/unicef_orange_060530?s_name=&no_ads= |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 October 2007 |publisher=CTV |date=31 May 2006 |access-date=29 October 2006 }}</ref><ref name="ca_un">{{cite web |title=History of the Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF Campaign |url =http://www.trickortreatforunicef.ca/tot_history.html |archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20090604032837/http://www.trickortreatforunicef.ca/tot_history.html |archive-date =4 June 2009 |publisher=UNICEF Canada |year=2008 |access-date=25 October 2009}}</ref>

[[File:Greenwich Village Halloween Parade (6451249051).jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|The annual [[New York City|New York]] [[New York's Village Halloween Parade|Halloween Parade]] in [[Greenwich Village]], [[Manhattan]], is the world's largest Halloween parade, with millions of spectators annually.]]
The yearly [[New York's Village Halloween Parade]] was begun in 1974; it is the world's largest Halloween parade and America's only major nighttime parade, attracting more than 60,000 costumed participants, two million spectators, and a worldwide television audience.<ref name="NYCHalloweenParade">{{cite web|url=http://www.halloween-nyc.com/about.php|title=History of the Parade|author=Village Halloween Parade|access-date=19 September 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140727200017/http://halloween-nyc.com/about.php|archive-date=27 July 2014}}</ref>

Since the late 2010s, [[ethnic stereotype]]s as costumes have increasingly come under scrutiny in the United States.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Fadel |first1=Leila |title=Cultural Appropriation, A Perennial Issue On Halloween |url=https://www.npr.org/2019/10/29/773615928/cultural-appropriation-a-perennial-issue-on-halloween |access-date=14 November 2020 |publisher=NPR |date=29 October 2019 |archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20191029234515/https://www.npr.org/2019/10/29/773615928/cultural-appropriation-a-perennial-issue-on-halloween |archive-date =29 October 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Escobar |first1=Sam |last2=Robin |first2=Marci |title=15 Offensive Halloween Costumes That Shouldn't Exist |url=https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/halloween-ideas/a40778/most-offensive-halloween-costumes/ |access-date=16 October 2020 |publisher=Good Housekeeping |date=5 October 2020 |archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20201013215149/https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/halloween-ideas/a40778/most-offensive-halloween-costumes/ |archive-date=13 October 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Park |first1=Sumner |title=Pinterest is prohibiting culturally inappropriate Halloween costumes |url=https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/pinterest-halloween-social-media-costume-cultural-appropriation-education |access-date=16 October 2020 |publisher=Fox News |date=2 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022163239/https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/pinterest-halloween-social-media-costume-cultural-appropriation-education |archive-date=22 October 2020 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Pet costumes===
According to a 2018 report from the [[National Retail Federation]], 30 million Americans will spend an estimated $480 million on Halloween costumes for their pets in 2018. This is up from an estimated $200 million in 2010. The most popular costumes for pets are the pumpkin, followed by the [[hot dog]], and the [[bumblebee]] in third place.<ref>{{cite news |last=Keshner |first=Andrew |url=https://www.marketwatch.com/story/instagram-loving-pets-owners-will-spend-nearly-500m-on-animal-costumes-this-halloween-2018-10-16 |title=Instagram-loving pets owners will spend nearly $500M on animal costumes this Halloween |work=[[MarketWatch]] |date=17 October 2018 |access-date=17 October 2018 |archive-date=16 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181016224309/https://www.marketwatch.com/story/instagram-loving-pets-owners-will-spend-nearly-500m-on-animal-costumes-this-halloween-2018-10-16 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Games and other activities==

There are several games traditionally associated with Halloween. Some of these games originated as [[divination]] rituals or ways of foretelling one's future, especially regarding death, marriage and children. During the [[Middle Ages]], these rituals were done by a "rare few" in rural communities as they were considered to be "deadly serious" practices.<ref name="DiehlDonnelly2011">{{cite book|last1=Diehl|first1=Daniel|last2=Donnelly|first2=Mark P.|title=Medieval Celebrations: Your Guide to Planning and Hosting Spectacular Feasts, Parties, Weddings, and Renaissance Fairs|date=13 April 2011|publisher=Stackpole Books|language=en|isbn=978-0-8117-4430-0|page=17|quote=All Hallows' Eve. A time of spiritual unrest, when the souls of the dead, along with ghosts and evil spirits, were believed to walk the land. Church bells were run and fires lit to guide these souls on their way and deflect them from haunting honest Christian folk. Barns and homes were blessed to protect people and livestock from the effects of witches, who were believed to accompany the malignant spirits as they traveld the earth. Although a rare few continued to divine the future, cast spells, and tell ghost stories in rural communities, woe to anyone who was denounced to the church for engaging in such activities. These may seem like innocent fun today, but it was deadly serious stuff during the Middle Ages.}}</ref> In recent centuries, these divination games have been "a common feature of the household festivities" in Ireland and Britain.<ref name="Hutton, p.380"/> They often involve apples and hazelnuts. In [[Celtic mythology]], [[Apple (symbolism)|apples]] were strongly associated with the [[Celtic Otherworld|Otherworld]] and [[immortality]], while [[Hazel#Mythology and folklore|hazelnuts]] were associated with divine wisdom.<ref>MacLeod, Sharon. ''Celtic Myth and Religion''. McFarland, 2011. pp. 61, 107</ref> Some also suggest that they derive from Roman practices in celebration of [[Pomona (mythology)|Pomona]].<ref name=Britannica />
[[File:Hallowe'en at Merryvale 3.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Children [[Apple bobbing|bobbing]] for apples at Hallowe'en]]

The following activities were a common feature of Halloween in Ireland and Britain during the 17th–20th centuries. Some have become more widespread and continue to be popular today.
One common game is [[apple bobbing]] or dunking (which may be called "dooking" in Scotland)<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/south_of_scotland/7648188.stm "Apple dookers make record attempt"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120528225717/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/south_of_scotland/7648188.stm |date=28 May 2012 }}, BBC News, 2 October 2008</ref> in which apples float in a tub or a large basin of water and the participants must use only their teeth to remove an apple from the basin. Variants of dunking involve kneeling on a chair, holding a fork between the teeth and trying to drive the fork into an apple, or embedding a coin in the apple which participants had to remove with their teeth. Another common game involves hanging up treacle or syrup-coated [[scone]]s by strings; these must be eaten without using hands while they remain attached to the string, an activity that inevitably leads to a sticky face. A similar game involved hanging an apple from a string with a coin embedded; the coin had to be removed without using hands. Another once-popular game involves hanging a small wooden rod from the ceiling at head height, with a lit candle on one end and an apple hanging from the other. The rod is spun round, and everyone takes turns to try to catch the apple with their teeth.<ref>Danaher, Kevin. ''The Year in Ireland: Irish Calendar Customs''. Mercier Press, 1972. pp. 202–205</ref>

Several of the traditional activities from Ireland and Britain involve foretelling one's future partner or spouse. An apple would be peeled in one long strip, then the peel tossed over the shoulder. The peel is believed to land in the shape of the first letter of the future spouse's name.<ref>Danaher (1972), p. 223</ref><ref name="McNeill">McNeill, F. Marian (1961, 1990) ''The Silver Bough'', Volume III. William MacLellan, Glasgow {{ISBN|0-948474-04-1}} pp. 11–46</ref> Two hazelnuts would be roasted near a fire; one named for the person roasting them and the other for the person they desire. If the nuts jump away from the heat, it is a bad sign, but if the nuts roast quietly it foretells a good match.<ref>Danaher (1972), p. 219</ref><ref>McNeill (1961), ''The Silver Bough'', Volume III, pp. 33–34</ref> A salty oatmeal [[Bannock (British food)|bannock]] would be baked; the person would eat it in three bites and then go to bed in silence without anything to drink. This is said to result in a dream in which their future spouse offers them a drink to quench their thirst.<ref>McNeill (1961), ''The Silver Bough'', Volume III, p. 34</ref> Unmarried women were told that if they sat in a darkened room and [[Scrying|gazed into a mirror]] on Halloween night, the face of their future husband would appear in the mirror.<ref name="hollister">{{cite book
 |last         = Hollister
 |first        = Helen
 |date         = 1917
 |title        = Parlor Games for the Wise and Otherwise
 |chapter      = Halloween Frolics
 |chapter-url  = http://www.weirdhalloween.com/weird_halloween_games.html
 |location     = Philadelphia
 |publisher    = Penn Publishing Company
 |page         = 98
 |url-status   = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20151208055759/http://www.weirdhalloween.com/weird_halloween_games.html
 |archive-date = 8 December 2015
 |df           = dmy-all
}}</ref> The custom was widespread enough to be commemorated on greeting cards<ref>{{cite web |url=http://vintageholidaycrafts.com/vintage-halloween-women/ |title=Vintage Halloween Cards |publisher=Vintage Holiday Crafts |access-date=28 October 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090929051847/http://vintageholidaycrafts.com/vintage-halloween-women/ |archive-date=29 September 2009 |date=21 January 2008 }}</ref> from the late 19th century and early 20th century.
[[File:Halloween-card-mirror-2.jpg|upright|thumb|In this 1904 Halloween greeting card, [[divination]] is depicted: the young woman, looking into a mirror in a darkened room, hopes to catch a glimpse of her future husband.]]
Another popular Irish game was known as ''púicíní'' ("[[blindfold]]s"); a person would be blindfolded and then would choose between several [[saucer]]s. The item in the saucer would provide a hint as to their future: a [[Ring (jewellery)|ring]] would mean that they would marry soon; [[clay]], that they would die soon, perhaps within the year; water, that they would [[Irish diaspora|emigrate]]; [[rosary beads]], that they would take [[Holy Orders]] (become a nun, priest, monk, etc.); a [[coin]], that they would become rich; a [[bean]], that they would be poor.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.everythingpreschool.com/themes/halloween/encyclopedia.php|title=Preschool Halloween Fast Facts|website=Everything Preschool |access-date=31 October 2020|archive-date=8 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108192016/http://www.everythingpreschool.com/themes/halloween/encyclopedia.php|url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.irishcentral.com/culture/craic/Traditional-Irish-Halloween-games-try-to-marry-off-young-girls.html|title=Traditional Irish Halloween games try to marry off young girls|date=15 October 2018|website=IrishCentral.com|access-date=31 October 2020|archive-date=27 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160427004117/http://www.irishcentral.com/culture/craic/Traditional-Irish-Halloween-games-try-to-marry-off-young-girls.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://irisharchaeology.ie/2015/10/halloween-in-irish-folklore/|title=Halloween in Irish Folklore &#124; Irish Archaeology|date=30 October 2015|website=irisharchaeology.ie|access-date=31 October 2020|archive-date=8 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108091930/http://irisharchaeology.ie/2015/10/halloween-in-irish-folklore/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/arid-20134899.html|title=Tricks and treats|date=30 October 2010|website=Irish Examiner|access-date=31 October 2020|archive-date=18 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418044338/https://www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/arid-20134899.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The game features prominently in the [[James Joyce]] short story "[[Clay (short story)|Clay]]" (1914).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/d/dubliners/summary-and-analysis/clay|title=Clay|website=www.cliffsnotes.com|access-date=31 October 2020|archive-date=1 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101175354/https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/d/dubliners/summary-and-analysis/clay|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/365156|title=Teaching Joyce|first=Ed|last=Madden|date=31 October 2008|journal=James Joyce Quarterly|volume=46|issue=1|pages=133|via=Project MUSE|doi=10.1353/jjq.0.0133|s2cid=201751292|access-date=31 October 2020|archive-date=3 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180603102733/http://muse.jhu.edu/article/365156|url-status=live| issn = 0021-4183|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qp7c4RGqtVgC&q=clay+game+joyce&pg=PA40|title=Joyce Effects: On Language, Theory, and History|first1=Derek|last1=Attridge|first2=Professor of English Derek|last2=Attridge|date=16 March 2000|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-77788-9|via=Google Books}}</ref>

In Ireland and Scotland, items would be hidden in food&nbsp;– usually a cake, [[barmbrack]], [[cranachan]], [[Champ (food)|champ]] or [[colcannon]]&nbsp;– and portions of it served out at random. A person's future would be foretold by the item they happened to find; for example, a ring meant marriage and a coin meant wealth.<ref>McNeill (1961), ''The Silver Bough Volume III'', p. 34</ref>

Up until the 19th century, the Halloween bonfires were also used for divination in parts of Scotland, Wales and Brittany. When the fire died down, a ring of stones would be laid in the ashes, one for each person. In the morning, if any stone was mislaid it was said that the person it represented would not live out the year.<ref name=hutton365-369/> In Mexico, children create altars to invite the spirits of deceased children to return (''angelitos'').<ref>{{cite book |last1=Day |first1=Frances A. |title=Latina and Latino Voices in Literature: Lives and Works, Updated and Expanded |date=30 May 2003 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA |isbn=978-0-313-05851-6 |page=72 |language=en|quote=On October 31, All Hallows Eve, the children make a children's altar, to invite ''angelitos'' (spirits of dead children) to come back for a visit. November 1 is All Saints Day, and the adult spirits will come to visit. November 2 is All Souls Day, when the families go to the cemetery to decorate the graves and tombs of their relatives.}}</ref>

Telling [[ghost story|ghost stories]], listening to Halloween-themed songs and watching horror films are common fixtures of Halloween parties. Episodes of television series and [[List of Halloween television specials|Halloween-themed specials]] (with the specials usually aimed at children) are commonly aired on or before Halloween, while new horror films are often released before Halloween to take advantage of the holiday.

==Haunted attractions==
{{Main|Haunted attraction}}
Haunted attractions are entertainment venues designed to thrill and scare patrons. Most attractions are seasonal Halloween businesses that may include [[Haunted attraction (simulated)#Types of haunted attractions|haunted houses]], [[corn maze]]s, and [[hayride]]s,<ref name="hvmag">{{cite web |url=http://www.hvmag.com/Hudson-Valley-Magazine/October-2008/A-Model-of-Mayhem/ |title=A Model of Mayhem |access-date=6 October 2008 |author=Greg Ryan |date=17 September 2008 |work=Hudson Valley Magazine |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511195707/http://www.hvmag.com/Hudson-Valley-Magazine/October-2008/A-Model-of-Mayhem/ |archive-date=11 May 2011 }}</ref> and the level of sophistication of the effects has risen as the industry has grown.

[[File:Ura and ima.jpg|thumb|Humorous [[Headstone|tombstones]] in front of a house in California]]
The first recorded purpose-built haunted attraction was the [[Orton and Spooner]] Ghost House, which opened in 1915 in [[Liphook]], England. This attraction actually most closely resembles a carnival fun house, powered by steam.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nbcbayarea.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/The-History-of-Haunted-Houses-How-Fears-Have-Fueled-an-Industry-280063892.html |title=The History of Haunted Houses: A Fight for Frights as Tastes Change |first=Adam |last=Warner |date=27 October 2014 |website=NBC Bay Area |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141027203902/http://www.nbcbayarea.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/The-History-of-Haunted-Houses-How-Fears-Have-Fueled-an-Industry-280063892.html |archive-date=27 October 2014 |url-status=dead |access-date=21 July 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.americahaunts.com/ah/2014/03/the-history-of-haunted-houses/ |title=The History of Haunted Houses! |first=Bekah |last=McKendry |date=March 2014 |website=America Haunts |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140308075305/http://www.americahaunts.com/ah/2014/03/the-history-of-haunted-houses/ |archive-date=8 March 2014 |url-status=dead |access-date=21 July 2014 }}</ref> The House still exists, in the [[Hollycombe Steam Collection]].

It was during the 1930s, about the same time as [[trick-or-treating]], that Halloween-themed haunted houses first began to appear in America. It was in the late 1950s that haunted houses as a major attraction began to appear, focusing first on California. Sponsored by the Children's Health Home Junior Auxiliary, the San Mateo Haunted House opened in 1957. The San Bernardino Assistance League Haunted House opened in 1958. Home haunts began appearing across the country during 1962 and 1963. In 1964, the San Manteo Haunted House opened, as well as the Children's Museum Haunted House in Indianapolis.<ref name=LisaMorton>{{cite book |last1=Morton |first1=Lisa |author-link1=Lisa Morton |date=28 September 2012 |title=Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween |type=paperback |location=United Kingdom |publisher=Reaktion Books |isbn=978-1-78023-047-4}}</ref>

The haunted house as an American cultural icon can be attributed to the opening of [[The Haunted Mansion]] in [[Disneyland]] on 12 August 1969.<ref>{{cite book |first=Jason |last=Surrell |author-link=Jason Surrell |date=11 August 2009 |title=Haunted Mansion: From The Magic Kingdom To The Movies |type=paperback |publisher=Disney Editions |isbn=978-1-4231-1895-4 }}</ref> [[Knott's Berry Farm]] began hosting its own Halloween night attraction, [[Knott's Scary Farm]], which opened in 1973.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.insidethemagic.net/2016/09/review-knotts-scary-farm-remains-the-ideal-southern-california-halloween-theme-park-event-for-the-2016-season/ |title=Knott's Scary Farm remains the ideal Southern California Halloween theme park event for the 2016 season |first=Mike |last=Celestino |date=28 September 2016 |website=Inside The Magic |publisher=Distant Creations Group, LLC |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160930164337/http://www.insidethemagic.net/2016/09/review-knotts-scary-farm-remains-the-ideal-southern-california-halloween-theme-park-event-for-the-2016-season/ |archive-date=30 September 2016 |url-status=dead |access-date=22 July 2017 }}</ref> Evangelical Christians adopted a form of these attractions by opening one of the first "hell houses" in 1972.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2014/10/30/these-evangelical-haunted-houses-are-designed-to-show-sinners-that-theyre-going-to-hell/ |title=These evangelical haunted houses are designed to show sinners that they're going to hell |first=Kathryn Gin |last=Lum |date=30 October 2014 |newspaper=The Washington Post |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141031144940/https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2014/10/30/these-evangelical-haunted-houses-are-designed-to-show-sinners-that-theyre-going-to-hell/ |archive-date=31 October 2014 |url-status=live |access-date=22 July 2017}}</ref>

The first Halloween haunted house run by a nonprofit organization was produced in 1970 by the Sycamore-Deer Park [[United States Junior Chamber|Jaycees]] in [[Clifton, Cincinnati|Clifton, Ohio]]. It was cosponsored by [[WSAI]], an AM radio station broadcasting out of [[Cincinnati]], Ohio. It was last produced in 1982.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.houseofdoom.net/vintage |title=Classic Haunts From Cincinnati's Past |author=<!-- Staff writers --> |year=2012 |website=House of Doom |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425130229/http://www.houseofdoom.net/vintage |archive-date=25 April 2012 |url-status=dead |access-date=8 August 2017 }}</ref> Other Jaycees followed suit with their own versions after the success of the Ohio house. The [[March of Dimes]] copyrighted a "Mini haunted house for the March of Dimes" in 1976 and began fundraising through their local chapters by conducting haunted houses soon after. Although they apparently quit supporting this type of event nationally sometime in the 1980s, some March of Dimes haunted houses have persisted until today.<ref>{{cite journal |title=A757914 |url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=_kshAQAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&output=reader&pg=GBS.PA1701 |journal=Catalog of Copyright Entries |series=Third Series |date=July–December 1976 |volume=30 |page=xliii |issn=0041-7815 |access-date=22 July 2017 |archive-date=31 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031081823/https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=_kshAQAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&output=reader&pg=GBS.PA1701 |url-status=live }}</ref>

On the evening of 11 May 1984, in Jackson Township, New Jersey, the [[Haunted Castle (Six Flags Great Adventure)|Haunted Castle]] at Six Flags Great Adventure [[Haunted Castle (Six Flags Great Adventure)#1984 fire|caught fire]]. As a result of the fire, eight teenagers perished.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/05/19/nyregion/blaze-fatal-to-8-linked-to-lighter.html |title=Blaze Fatal to 8 Linked to Lighter |work=The New York Times |date=19 May 1984 |access-date=20 November 2006 |first=Lindsey |last=Gruson |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090501161201/http://www.nytimes.com/1984/05/19/nyregion/blaze-fatal-to-8-linked-to-lighter.html |archive-date=1 May 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref> The backlash to the tragedy was a tightening of regulations relating to safety, building codes and the frequency of inspections of attractions nationwide. The smaller venues, especially the nonprofit attractions, were unable to compete financially, and the better funded commercial enterprises filled the vacuum.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.femoranfp.com/fires-in-history-haunted-castle/ |title=Fires in History: The Haunted Castle|access-date=9 August 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170325224708/http://www.femoranfp.com/fires-in-history-haunted-castle/ |archive-date=25 March 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1984/05/12/8-killed-by-smoky-fire-in-parks-haunted-castle/19dd0404-29a6-4c73-a156-370621228c87/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813145408/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1984/05/12/8-killed-by-smoky-fire-in-parks-haunted-castle/19dd0404-29a6-4c73-a156-370621228c87/|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 August 2017|title=8 Killed by Smoky Fire in Park's 'Haunted Castle'|date=12 May 1984|newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> Facilities that were once able to avoid regulation because they were considered to be temporary installations now had to adhere to the stricter codes required of permanent attractions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nfpa.org/news-and-research/publications/nfpa-journal/2014/may-june-2014/features/the-haunted-castle-revisited|title=The Haunted Castle, Revisited – NFPA Journal|publisher=nfpa.org|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813181603/http://www.nfpa.org/news-and-research/publications/nfpa-journal/2014/may-june-2014/features/the-haunted-castle-revisited|archive-date=13 August 2017|access-date=9 August 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nfpa.org/news-and-research/publications/nfpa-journal/2014/may-june-2014/features/the-haunted-castle-revisited/spooky-and-safe|title=Spooky and Safe|publisher=nfpa.org|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813145912/http://www.nfpa.org/news-and-research/publications/nfpa-journal/2014/may-june-2014/features/the-haunted-castle-revisited/spooky-and-safe|archive-date=13 August 2017|access-date=9 August 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fireengineering.com/content/dam/fe/online-articles/documents/2014/FE081984HauntedCastleFire.pdf |title=Horror in a Haunted Castle |access-date=29 September 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150215194802/http://www.fireengineering.com/content/dam/fe/online-articles/documents/2014/FE081984HauntedCastleFire.pdf |archive-date=15 February 2015 }}</ref>

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, theme parks became a notable figure in the Halloween business. [[Six Flags Fright Fest]] began in 1986 and [[Universal Studios Florida]] began [[Halloween Horror Nights]] in 1991. [[Knott's Scary Farm]] experienced a surge in attendance in the 1990s as a result of America's obsession with Halloween as a cultural event. Theme parks have played a major role in globalizing the holiday. [[Universal Studios Singapore]] and [[Universal Studios Japan]] both participate, while Disney now mounts [[Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party]] events at its parks in Paris, Hong Kong and Tokyo, as well as in the United States.<ref>{{Cite news|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/26/movies/at-universal-orlando-halloween-fright-is-a-full-time-job.html|title= The Real Scare Is Not Being Scary|last= Barnes|first= Brooks|date= 25 October 2011|newspaper= The New York Times|access-date= 12 July 2017|url-status=live|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170730000332/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/26/movies/at-universal-orlando-halloween-fright-is-a-full-time-job.html|archive-date= 30 July 2017|df= dmy-all}}</ref> The theme park haunts are by far the largest, both in scale and attendance.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.aol.com/article/finance/2014/10/23/halloween-is-raking-in-scary-profits-for-theme-parks/20982309/|title= Halloween Is Raking in Scary Profits for Theme Parks|last= Munarriz|first= Rick Aristotle|date= 23 October 2014|publisher= AOL.com/Finance|access-date= 3 November 2017|url-status=live|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20171107013349/https://www.aol.com/article/finance/2014/10/23/halloween-is-raking-in-scary-profits-for-theme-parks/20982309/|archive-date= 7 November 2017|df= dmy-all}}</ref>

==Food==
[[File:HalloweenPumpkin2.jpg|thumb|left|Pumpkins for sale during Halloween]]

On All Hallows' Eve, many Western Christian denominations encourage [[Meat-free days|abstinence from meat]], giving rise to a variety of [[Christian vegetarianism|vegetarian]] foods associated with this day.<ref name=mader>{{cite web|last=Mader |first=Isabel |date=30 September 2014 |title=Halloween Colcannon |work=Simmer Magazine |url=http://www.simmermagazine.com/2014/09/30/halloween-colcannon-recipe/ |access-date=3 October 2014 |quote=All Hallow's Eve was a Western (Anglo) Christian holiday that revolved around commemorating the dead using humor to intimidate death itself. Like all holidays, All Hallow's Eve involved traditional treats. The church encouraged an abstinence from meat, which created many vegetarian dishes. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141005201753/http://www.simmermagazine.com/2014/09/30/halloween-colcannon-recipe/ |archive-date=5 October 2014 }}</ref>

Because in the [[Northern Hemisphere]] Halloween comes in the wake of the yearly apple harvest, [[candy apple]]s (known as toffee apples outside North America), [[Caramel apple|caramel apples]] or taffy apples are common Halloween treats made by rolling whole apples in a sticky sugar syrup or caramel, sometimes followed by rolling them in nuts.

[[File:Tastee-Candy-Apple-Red-Caramel-wPeanuts.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.65|A [[candy apple]]]]
At one time, candy apples were commonly given to trick-or-treating children, but the practice rapidly waned in the wake of widespread rumors that some individuals were embedding items like pins and [[Poisoned candy myths|razor blades in the apples]] in the United States.<ref name="rogers_r">Rogers, Nicholas (2002). "Razor in the Apple: Struggle for Safe and Sane Halloween, ''c''. 1920–1990", ''Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night'', pp. 78–102. New York: Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|0-19-516896-8}}.</ref> While there is evidence of such incidents,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.snopes.com/horrors/mayhem/needles.asp |title=Urban Legends Reference Pages: Pins and Needles in Halloween Candy |website=Snopes.com |date=2 November 2000 |access-date=31 October 2008 |archive-date=29 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029222107/http://www.snopes.com/horrors/mayhem/needles.asp |url-status=live }}</ref> relative to the degree of reporting of such cases, actual cases involving malicious acts are extremely rare and have never resulted in serious injury. Nonetheless, many parents assumed that such heinous practices were rampant because of the mass media. At the peak of the hysteria, some hospitals offered free X-rays of children's Halloween hauls in order to find evidence of tampering. Virtually all of the few known candy poisoning incidents involved parents who poisoned their own children's candy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.livescience.com/8839-poisoned-halloween-candy-trick-treat-myth.html|title=Poisoned Halloween Candy: Trick, Treat or Myth? |last=Nixon|first=Robin|date=27 October 2010|publisher=LiveScience |access-date=23 January 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111081950/http://www.livescience.com/8839-poisoned-halloween-candy-trick-treat-myth.html|archive-date=11 January 2012}}</ref>

One custom that persists in modern-day Ireland is the baking (or more often nowadays, the purchase) of a [[barmbrack]] ({{langx|ga|báirín breac}}), which is a light fruitcake, into which a plain ring, a coin, and other charms are placed before baking.<ref name="Barmbrack">{{cite news|title=Top ten Irish Halloween traditions and memories you may share|url=https://www.irishcentral.com/culture/craic/top-irish-halloween-memories-traditions|access-date=23 October 2018|agency=Ireland Central|archive-date=24 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181024035306/https://www.irishcentral.com/culture/craic/top-irish-halloween-memories-traditions|url-status=live}}</ref> It is considered fortunate to be the lucky one who finds it.<ref name="Barmbrack"/> It has also been said that those who get a ring will find their true love in the ensuing year. This is similar to the tradition of [[king cake]] at the festival of [[Epiphany (holiday)|Epiphany]]. Halloween-themed foods are also produced by companies in the lead up to the night, for example [[Cadbury]] releasing Goo Heads (similar to [[Cadbury Creme Egg|Creme Eggs]]) in spooky wrapping.<ref>{{cite news |title=Spooky twist on classic Cadbury Creme Egg in time for Halloween |url=https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink/spooky-twist-classic-cadbury-creme-2069709 |access-date=25 August 2023 |newspaper=Derby Telegraph}}</ref>
Foods such as cakes will often be decorated with Halloween colors (typically black, orange, and purple) and motifs for parties and events. Popular themes include pumpkins, spiders, and body parts.<ref name="Crocker 2012">{{cite book |last=Crocker |first=B. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=62qtbyB8yY4C&pg=PA132 |title=Betty Crocker Halloween Cookbook |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-544-17814-4 |series=Betty Crocker Cooking |page=132}}</ref><ref name="Hood 2014 p. 119">{{cite book |last=Hood |first=K.J.M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GthuBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA119 |title=Halloween Delights Cookbook: A Collection of Halloween Recipes |publisher=Whispering Pine Press International, Incorporated |year=2014 |isbn=978-1-59434-181-6 |series=Cookbook Delights Holiday Series |pages=119–138}}</ref><ref name="McCrum 2015">{{cite web |last=McCrum |first=Kirstie |date=14 October 2015 |title=Trick or treat? Halloween cakes look horrifying but are they devilishly tasty? |url=http://www.irishmirror.ie/news/weird-news/trick-treat-gory-halloween-cakes-6634322 |access-date=6 February 2016 |website=[[Irish Mirror]]}}</ref>

List of foods associated with Halloween:
* [[Barmbrack]] (Ireland)
* [[Bonfire toffee]] (Great Britain)
* [[Candy apple]]s/[[toffee apple]]s (Great Britain and Ireland)
* [[Candy apple]]s, [[candy corn]], [[candy pumpkin]]s (North America)
* Monkey nuts ([[peanut]]s in their shells) (Ireland and Scotland)
* [[Caramel apple]]s
* [[Caramel corn]]
* [[Colcannon]] (Ireland; see [[#Christian observances|below]])
* [[Candy|Sweets]]/[[candy]]/[[chocolate]], often with novelty shapes like skulls, [[Candy pumpkin|pumpkins]], bats, etc.
* Roasted [[Pumpkin seed|pumpkin seeds]]
* Roasted [[sweet corn]]
* [[Soul cake]]s
* [[Pumpkin pie]]

==Christian observances==
[[File:Vigil of All Hallows, St. George's Episcopal Church (2010).jpg|thumb|The Vigil of All Hallows is being celebrated at an [[Anglicanism|Episcopal]] Christian church on Hallowe'en.]]

On Hallowe'en (All Hallows' Eve), in Poland, believers were once taught to [[Christian prayer|pray]] out loud as they walk through the forests in order that the souls of the dead might find comfort; in Spain, Christian priests in tiny villages toll their [[church bell]]s in order to remind their congregants to remember the dead on All Hallows' Eve.<ref>{{cite book|last=Bannatyne|first=Lesley Pratt|title=Halloween: An American Holiday, an American History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rNAXt9jLXWwC&pg=PA12|access-date=1 November 2012|date=1 August 1998|publisher=Pelican Publishing|isbn=978-1-56554-346-1|page=12|quote=Polish Catholics taught their children to pray out loud as they walked through the woods so that the souls of the dead could hear them and be comforted. Priests in tiny Spanish villages still ring their church bells to remind parishioners to honor the dead on All Hallows Eve.|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171031175805/https://books.google.com/books?id=rNAXt9jLXWwC&pg=PA12|archive-date=31 October 2017}}</ref> In Ireland, and among immigrants in Canada, a custom includes the Christian practice of [[Fasting and abstinence in the Catholic Church|abstinence]], keeping All Hallows' Eve as a [[meat-free day]] and serving pancakes or [[colcannon]] instead.<ref>''Feasting and Fasting: Canada's Heritage Celebrations'' (Dorothy Duncan), Dundurn, p. 249</ref> 

The [[Christian Church]] traditionally observed Hallowe'en through a [[vigil]]. Worshippers prepared themselves for feasting on the following [[All Saints' Day]] with prayers and fasting.<ref name=BBC3>{{cite web|title=BBC – Religions – Christianity: All Hallows' Eve|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/holydays/halloween_1.shtml|publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)|quote=All Hallows' Eve falls on 31st October each year, and is the day before All Hallows' Day, also known as All Saints' Day in the Christian calendar. The Church traditionally held a vigil on All Hallows' Eve when worshippers would prepare themselves with prayers and fasting prior to the feast day itself.|year=2010|access-date=1 November 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111103105817/http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/holydays/halloween_1.shtml|archive-date=3 November 2011}}</ref> This [[church service]] is known as the ''Vigil of All Hallows'' or the ''Vigil of All Saints'';<ref name=Harvey>{{cite web|title='All Hallows' Eve'|url=http://www.patriotpost.us/commentary/15253|work=The Patriot Post|author=Andrew James Harvey|quote="The vigil of the hallows" refers to the prayer service the evening before the celebration of All Hallows or Saints Day. Or "Halloween" for short – a fixture on the liturgical calendar of the Christian West since the seventh century.|date=31 October 2012|access-date=1 November 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130421185016/http://www.patriotpost.us/commentary/15253|archive-date=21 April 2013}}</ref><ref name=CNA>{{cite web|title=Vigil of All Saints|url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/resource/55077/vigil-of-all-saints|agency=Catholic News Agency|quote=The Vigil is based on the monastic office of Vigils (or Matins), when the monks would arise in the middle of the night to pray.  On major feast days, they would have an extended service of readings (scriptural, patristic, and from lives of the saints) in addition to chanting the psalms.  This all would be done in the dark, of course, and was an opportunity to listen carefully to the Word of God as well as the words of the Church Fathers and great saints. The Vigil of All Saints is an adaptation of this ancient practice, using the canonical office of Compline at the end.|date=31 October 2012|access-date=1 November 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524132950/http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/resources/saints/feast-days/vigil-of-all-saints/|archive-date=24 May 2013}}</ref> an initiative known as ''Night of Light'' seeks to further spread the ''Vigil of All Hallows'' throughout [[Christendom]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nightoflight.org/nofl2000.htm|title=Night of Light Beginnings|publisher=Cor et Lumen Christi Community|access-date=2 November 2012|quote=In its first year – 2000 AD – over 1000 people participated from several countries. This included special All Saints Vigil masses, extended periods of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and parties for children. In our second year 10,000 participated. Since these modest beginnings, the Night of Light has been adopted in many countries around the world with vast numbers involved each year from a Cathedral in India to a convent in New Zealand; from Churches in the US and Europe to Africa; in Schools, churches, homes and church halls all ages have got involved. Although it began in the Catholic Church it has been taken up by other Christians who while keeping its essentials have adapted it to suit their own traditions.|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023062312/http://www.nightoflight.org/nofl2000.htm|archive-date=23 October 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/8114025/Heres-to-the-Soulcakers-going-about-their-mysterious-mummery.html|title=Here's to the Soulcakers going about their mysterious mummery|work=The Telegraph|access-date=6 November 2012|quote=One that has grown over the past decade is the so-called Night of Light, on All Hallows' Eve, October 31. It was invented in 2000, in leafy Chertsey, Surrey, when perhaps 1,000 people took part. Now it is a worldwide movement, popular in Africa and the United States.<br /><br />The heart of the Night of Light is an all-night vigil of prayer, but there is room for children's fun too: sweets, perhaps a bonfire and dressing up as St George or St Lucy. The minimum gesture is to put a lighted candle in the window, which is in itself too exciting for some proponents of health and safety. The inventor of the Night of Light is Damian Stayne, the founder of a year-round religious community called Cor et Lumen Christi – heart and light of Christ. This new movement is Catholic, orthodox and charismatic – emphasising the work of the Holy Spirit.|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130403094908/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/8114025/Heres-to-the-Soulcakers-going-about-their-mysterious-mummery.html|archive-date=3 April 2013|date=6 November 2010}}</ref> After the service, "suitable festivities and entertainments" often follow, as well as a visit to the graveyard or cemetery, where flowers and candles are often placed in preparation for [[All Saints' Day|All Hallows' Day]].<ref name=Armentrout>{{cite book|last1=Armentrout|first1=Donald S.|last2=Slocum|first2=Robert Boak|title=An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y_RpbmWNfHcC&pg=PA7|access-date=1 November 2012|year=1999|publisher=Church Publishing, Inc.|isbn=978-0-89869-211-2|page=7|quote=The ''BOS'' notes that "suitable festivities and entertainments" may precede of follow the service, and there may be a visit to a cemetery or burial place.|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160730202753/https://books.google.com/books?id=y_RpbmWNfHcC|archive-date=30 July 2016}}</ref><ref name=Infeld>{{cite book|last1=Infeld|first1=Joanna|title=In-Formation|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nJ5JfYtNC7QC&q=halloween+poland+visiting+cemetery&pg=PA150|access-date=1 November 2012|date=1 December 2008|publisher=D & J Holdings LLC|isbn=978-0-9760512-4-4|page=150|quote=My folks are Polish and they celebrate Halloween in a different way. It is time to remember your dead and visit the cemetery and graves of your loved ones.}}</ref> In England, Light Parties are organized by churches after worship services on Halloween with the focus on Jesus as the [[Light of the World]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Doward |first1=Jamie |title=Halloween light parties put a Christian spin on haunted celebrations |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/oct/28/halloween-light-parties-church-christian-spin |website=[[The Guardian]] |date=28 October 2017}}</ref> In Finland, because so many people visit the cemeteries on All Hallows' Eve to light [[votive candle]]s there, they "are known as ''valomeri'', or seas of light".<ref>''Teens in Finland'' (Jason Skog), Capstone, p. 61</ref>

Today, Christian attitudes towards Halloween are diverse. In the [[Anglican Communion|Anglican Church]], some [[diocese]]s have chosen to emphasize the Christian traditions associated with All Hallows' Eve.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/digest/index.cfm/2006/9/18/Bishop_challenges_supermarkets_to_lighten_up_Halloween |title=Bishop Challenges Supermarkets to Lighten up Halloween |publisher=The Church of England |quote=Christianity needs to make clear its positive message for young people. It's high time we reclaimed the Christian aspects of Halloween," says the Bishop, explaining the background to his letter. |access-date=28 October 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120518215103/http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/digest/index.cfm/2006/9/18/Bishop_challenges_supermarkets_to_lighten_up_Halloween |archive-date=18 May 2012 }}</ref><ref name="newadvent.org">{{cite web | url = http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01315a.htm | title = Halloween and All Saints Day | access-date = 22 October 2006 | date = n.d. | publisher = newadvent.org | url-status=live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061016020938/http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01315a.htm | archive-date = 16 October 2006 | df = dmy-all }}</ref> Some of these [[Christian worship|practices]] include [[Christian prayer|praying]], [[fasting]] and attending [[Church service|worship services]].<ref name=Fasting>{{cite web|title=BBC – Religions – Christianity: All Hallows' Eve|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/holydays/halloween_1.shtml|publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)|quote=It is widely believed that many Hallowe'en traditions have evolved from an ancient Celtic festival called Samhain which was Christianised by the early Church.... All Hallows' Eve falls on 31st October each year, and is the day before All Hallows' Day, also known as All Saints' Day in the Christian calendar. The Church traditionally held a vigil on All Hallows' Eve when worshippers would prepare themselves with prayers and fasting prior to the feast day itself. The name derives from the Old English 'hallowed' meaning holy or sanctified and is now usually contracted to the more familiar word Hallowe'en. ...However, there are supporters of the view that Hallowe'en, as the eve of All Saints' Day, originated entirely independently of Samhain ...|year=2010|access-date=1 November 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111103105817/http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/holydays/halloween_1.shtml|archive-date=3 November 2011}}</ref><ref name=Service /><ref name=Prayer />

{{blockquote|O LORD our God, increase, we pray thee, and multiply upon us the gifts of thy grace: that we, who do prevent the glorious festival of all thy Saints, may of thee be enabled joyfully to follow them in all virtuous and godly living.  Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.  Amen. —[[Collect]] of the Vigil of All Saints, ''[[The Anglican Breviary]]''<ref name="Church1955">{{cite book|title=The Anglican Breviary|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CaI9AAAAYAAJ|access-date=12 November 2015|year=1955|publisher=Frank Gavin Liturgical Foundation|pages=1514 (E494)|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160423211911/https://books.google.com/books?id=CaI9AAAAYAAJ|archive-date=23 April 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref>}}

[[File:Halloween Scripture Candy.jpg|thumb|left|Halloween Scripture Candy with [[Tract (literature)|gospel tract]]]]

Other [[Protestantism|Protestant Christians]] also celebrate All Hallows' Eve as [[Reformation Day]], a day to remember the [[Reformation|Protestant Reformation]], alongside All Hallows' Eve or independently from it.<ref name = "RefDay">{{cite web | url = http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=15084&loc_id=9,612,32,52 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070223075856/http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=15084&loc_id=9,612,32,52 | archive-date = 23 February 2007 | title = Reformation Day: What, Why, and Resources for Worship | access-date =22 October 2006 |date=21 October 2005 | publisher = The General Board of Discipleship of The United Methodist Church}}</ref> This is because [[Martin Luther]] is said to have nailed his ''[[Ninety-five Theses]]'' to [[All Saints' Church, Wittenberg|All Saints' Church in Wittenberg]] on All Hallows' Eve.<ref>''Halloween, Hallowed Is Thy Name'' (Smith), p. 29</ref> Often, "Harvest Festivals", "{{va|hallelujah|text=Hallelujah Night}}" or "Reformation Festivals" are held on All Hallows' Eve, in which children dress up as [[List of minor biblical figures|Bible characters]] or [[Protestant Reformers|Reformers]].<ref name=Reformers>{{cite web |last=Allen |first=Travis |year=2011 |title=Christians and Halloween |publisher=Church Publishing, Inc. |url=http://www.gty.org/resources/Articles/A123 |access-date=31 October 2011 |quote=Other Christians will opt for Halloween alternatives called 'Harvest Festivals', 'Hallelujah Night' or 'Reformation Festivals' – the kids dress up as farmers, Bible characters, or Reformation heroes. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111028075853/http://www.gty.org/resources/Articles/A123 |archive-date=28 October 2011 }}</ref> In addition to distributing candy to children who are trick-or-treating on Hallowe'en, many Christians also provide [[Tract (literature)|gospel tracts]] to them. One organization, the [[American Tract Society]], stated that around 3 million gospel tracts are ordered from them alone for Hallowe'en celebrations.<ref>''Halloween tracts serve as tool to spread gospel to children'' (Curry), Baptist Press</ref> Others order Halloween-themed ''Scripture Candy'' to pass out to children on this day.<ref name="Woods2013">{{cite book|last=Woods|first=Robert|title=Evangelical Christians and Popular Culture|year=2013|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0-313-38654-1|page=239|quote=Evangelicals have found opportunities with both Christmas and Easter to use Christian candy to re-inject religion into these traditionally Christian holidays and boldly reclaim them as their own. They have increasingly begun to use Halloween, the most candy-centric holiday, as an opportunity for evangelism. Contained in small packages featuring Bible verses, Scripture Candy's "Harvest Seeds" – candy corn in everything but name&nbsp;– are among many candies created for this purpose.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=D'Augostine|first=Lori|title=Suffer Not the Trick-or-Treaters|url=http://www.cbn.com/spirituallife/devotions/daugostine_halloween.aspx|publisher=CBN|access-date=23 October 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029184839/http://www.cbn.com/spirituallife/devotions/daugostine_halloween.aspx|archive-date=29 October 2013|date=20 September 2013}}</ref>

[[File:Halloween Costumes.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Belize|Belizean]] children dressed up as Biblical figures and Christian saints]]

Some Christians feel concerned about the modern celebration of Halloween because they feel it trivializes&nbsp;– or celebrates&nbsp;– [[paganism]], the [[occult]], or other practices and cultural phenomena deemed incompatible with their beliefs.<ref name="russo">''Halloween: What's a Christian to Do?'' (1998) by Steve Russo.</ref> Father [[Gabriele Amorth]], an [[exorcist]] in Rome, has said, "if English and American children like to dress up as witches and devils on one night of the year that is not a problem. If it is just a game, there is no harm in that."<ref name="Brandreth">Gyles Brandreth, "[https://web.archive.org/web/20071011093730/http://telegraph.co.uk/health/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fhealth%2F2000%2F11%2F03%2Ftldevl03.xml&page=1 The Devil is gaining ground]" ''The Sunday Telegraph'' (London), 11 March 2000.</ref> The [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston|Catholic Archdiocese of Boston]] has organized a "Saint Fest" on Halloween.<ref name="www.rcab.org">{{cite web |url=http://www.rcab.org/Pilot/2004/ps041105/saintfest.html |title=Salem 'Saint Fest' restores Christian message to Halloween |access-date=22 October 2006 |date=n.d. |publisher=rcab.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060929155738/http://www.rcab.org/Pilot/2004/ps041105/saintfest.html |archive-date=29 September 2006 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Similarly, many contemporary Protestant churches view Halloween as a fun event for children, holding events in their churches where children and their parents can dress up, play games, and get candy for free. To these Christians, Halloween holds no threat to the spiritual lives of children: being taught about death and mortality, and the ways of the Celtic ancestors actually being a valuable life lesson and a part of many of their parishioners' heritage.<ref name="CelticChristians">{{cite web | url = http://allsaintsbrookline.org/celtic/samhain.html | title = Feast of Samhain/Celtic New Year/Celebration of All Celtic Saints 1 November | access-date = 22 November 2006 | date = n.d. | publisher = All Saints Parish | url-status=dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061120171225/http://www.allsaintsbrookline.org/celtic/samhain.html | archive-date = 20 November 2006 | df = dmy-all }}</ref> Christian minister Sam Portaro wrote that Halloween is about using "humor and ridicule to confront the power of death".<ref>{{cite book|last=Portaro|first=Sam |title=A Companion to the Lesser Feasts and Fasts|date=25 January 1998|publisher=[[Cowley Publications]]|isbn=978-1-4616-6051-4|page=199|quote=All Saints' Day is the centerpiece of an autumn triduum. In the carnival celebrations of All Hallows' Eve our ancestors used the most powerful weapon in the human arsenal, the power of humor and ridicule to confront the power of death. The following day, in the commemoration of All Saints, we gave witness to the victory of incarnate goodness embodied in remarkable deeds and doers triumphing over the misanthropy of darkness and devils. And in the commemoration of All Souls we proclaimed the hope of common mortality expressed in our aspirations and expectations of a shared eternity.}}</ref>

In the [[Catholic Church]], Halloween's Christian connection is acknowledged, and Halloween celebrations are common in many [[Catholic school|Catholic parochial schools]], such as in the United States,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20071024173709/http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Halloween/ "Halloween's Christian Roots"] AmericanCatholic.org. Retrieved 24 October 2007.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://broomecatholicschools.org/catholic-elementary-schools-to-celebrate-halloween-with-costume-parades-on-friday-october-28-monday-october-31/|title=Catholic Elementary Schools to Celebrate Halloween with Costume Parades on Friday, October 28 & Monday, October 31|last=Bucci|first=Rich|year=2016|publisher=The Catholic Schools of Broome County|language=en|access-date=2 October 2018|archive-date=3 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003061841/https://broomecatholicschools.org/catholic-elementary-schools-to-celebrate-halloween-with-costume-parades-on-friday-october-28-monday-october-31/|url-status=usurped}}</ref> while schools throughout Ireland also close for the Halloween break.<ref>{{cite news |title=School holidays |url=https://www.education-ni.gov.uk/articles/school-holidays |access-date=26 September 2023 |publisher=Department of Education Northern Ireland}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Schools 'must reopen' after Halloween break |url=https://www.irishnews.com/news/northernirelandnews/2020/10/26/news/schools-must-reopen-after-halloween-break-2109837/ |access-date=26 September 2023 |work=Irish News|quote=Catholic school chiefs have insisted that the extended Halloween holiday must not be stretched out any further.}}</ref> A few [[Christian fundamentalism|fundamentalist]] and [[Evangelicalism|evangelical]] churches use "[[Hell house]]s" and comic-style [[Tract (literature)|tracts]] in order to make use of Halloween's popularity as an opportunity for [[evangelism]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/religion/2007-10-26-hell-house_N.htm|title=Some Christians use 'Hell Houses' to reach out on Halloween|last=Suarez|first=Essdras|date=29 October 2007|work=[[USA Today]]|access-date=7 November 2015|quote=While some Christians aren't certain what to make of Halloween – unsure whether to embrace or ignore all the goblins and ghoulishness – some evangelical churches use Oct. 31 as a day to evangelize. ...Some use trick-or-treating as an evangelistic opportunity, giving out Bible tracts with candy.|archive-date=28 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210428062255/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/religion/2007-10-26-hell-house_N.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Others consider Halloween to be completely incompatible with the Christian faith due to its putative origins in the [[Festival of the Dead]] celebration.<ref name="www.thercg.org">{{cite web | url = http://rcg.org/articles/totuh.html | title = 'Trick?' or 'Treat?'&nbsp;– Unmasking Halloween | access-date = 21 September 2007 | date = n.d. | publisher = The Restored Church of God | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120425093016/http://rcg.org/articles/totuh.html | archive-date = 25 April 2012 | df = dmy-all }}</ref> Indeed, even though [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox]] Christians observe All Hallows' Day on the First Sunday after [[Pentecost]], the Eastern Orthodox Church recommends the observance of [[Vespers]] or a [[Paraklesis]] on the Western observance of All Hallows' Eve, out of the pastoral need to provide an alternative to popular celebrations.<ref>''Do Orthodox Christians Observe Halloween?'' by Saint Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church</ref>

==Analogous celebrations and perspectives==

===Judaism===
{{Main|Jews and Halloween}}

According to [[Alfred J. Kolatch]] in the ''Second Jewish Book of Why'', in [[Judaism]], Halloween is not permitted by Jewish [[Halakha]] because it violates [[Leviticus 18]]:3, which forbids Jews from partaking in Gentile customs. Many Jews observe [[Yizkor]] communally four times a year, which is vaguely similar to the observance of [[Allhallowtide]] in Christianity, in the sense that prayers are said for both "martyrs and for one's own family".<ref>''The Jewish Life Cycle: rites of passage from biblical to modern times'' (Ivan G. Marcus), University of Washington Press, p. 232</ref> Nevertheless, many American Jews celebrate Halloween, disconnected from its Christian and Pagan origins.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/Halloween.html |title=Jews and Halloween |publisher=[[Jewish Virtual Library|Jewishvirtuallibrary.org]] |access-date=5 March 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120713045152/http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/Halloween.html |archive-date=13 July 2012 }}</ref> [[Reform Judaism|Reform]] [[Rabbi]] Jeffrey Goldwasser has said that "There is no religious reason why contemporary Jews should not celebrate Halloween", while [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox]] Rabbi Michael Broyde has argued against Jews' observing the holiday.<ref>[http://www.jewishjournal.com/beyondthebimah/item/a_jewish_exploration_of_halloween_the_sermon A Jewish exploration of halloween] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161031031232/http://www.jewishjournal.com/beyondthebimah/item/a_jewish_exploration_of_halloween_the_sermon |date=31 October 2016 }} ''The Jewish Journal''</ref> [[Purim]] has sometimes been compared to Halloween, in part due to some observants wearing costumes, especially of Biblical figures described in the Purim narrative.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pitofsky |first=Marina |date=15 March 2022 |title=What day is Purim? Here's what you need to know about the Jewish holiday |work=[[USA Today]] |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/03/15/purim-dates-2022-heres-what-know-jewish-holiday/7041902001/ |access-date=31 October 2022 |archive-date=31 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221031044253/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/03/15/purim-dates-2022-heres-what-know-jewish-holiday/7041902001/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Islam===
[[Sheikh]] Idris Palmer, author of ''A Brief Illustrated Guide to Understanding Islam'', has ruled that [[Muslim]]s should not participate in Halloween, stating that "participation in Halloween is worse than participation in Christmas, Easter, ... it is more sinful than congratulating the Christians for their prostration to the crucifix".<ref>{{citation|url=http://alhudainstitute.ca/Upload/specialevents/halloween/through-muslim-eyes.pdf |title=Halloween: Through Muslim Eyes |author=A. Idris Palmer |publisher=Al Huda Institute Canada |access-date=11 November 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091104020728/http://alhudainstitute.ca/Upload/specialevents/halloween/through-muslim-eyes.pdf |archive-date=4 November 2009 }}</ref> It has also been ruled to be [[haram]] by the [[Department of Islamic Development Malaysia|National Fatwa Council of Malaysia]] because of its alleged pagan roots stating "Halloween is celebrated using a humorous theme mixed with horror to entertain and resist the spirit of death that influence humans".<ref>{{Cite web|date=29 October 2014|title=Halloween is 'haram,' declares Malaysia fatwa council|url=https://english.alarabiya.net/en/variety/2014/10/29/Halloween-is-haram-declares-Malaysia-fatwa-council-|access-date=15 October 2020|website=Al Arabiya English|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Trick or treat? Fatwa Council bars Muslims from celebrating Halloween {{!}} Malay Mail|url=https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2014/10/28/trick-or-treat-fatwa-council-bars-muslims-from-celebrating-halloween/771879|access-date=15 October 2020|website=www.malaymail.com|date=28 October 2014|language=en|archive-date=16 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201016163738/https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2014/10/28/trick-or-treat-fatwa-council-bars-muslims-from-celebrating-halloween/771879|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah|Dar Al-Ifta Al-Missriyyah]] disagrees provided the celebration is not referred to as an 'eid' and that behaviour remains in line with Islamic principles.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Fatawa – Is it forbidden for Muslims to celebrate days such as valentine's day and halloween?|url=https://www.dar-alifta.org/foreign/ViewFatwa.aspx?ID=4843|access-date=15 October 2020|website=Dar al-Ifta al Misriyyah|archive-date=19 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201019210102/https://www.dar-alifta.org/foreign/ViewFatwa.aspx?ID=4843|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Hinduism===
[[Hindus]] remember the dead during the festival of [[Pitru Paksha]], during which Hindus pay homage to and perform a ceremony "to keep the souls of their ancestors at rest". It is celebrated in the Hindu month of [[Bhadra (Hindu calendar)|Bhadrapada]], usually in mid-September.<ref>{{citation |url=http://visionnationals.org/halloween-in-india/ |title=Halloween in India? |author=Lauren Stengele |publisher=Vision Nationals |date=25 October 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208100852/http://visionnationals.org/halloween-in-india/ |archive-date=8 December 2015 |access-date=11 November 2015 }}</ref> The celebration of the Hindu festival [[Diwali]] sometimes conflicts with the date of Halloween; but some Hindus choose to participate in the popular customs of Halloween.<ref>{{citation |url=http://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/omsweetom/2009/10/halloween.html |title=Trick or Treat? Not quite sure. |author=Vineet Chander |publisher=Beliefnet |access-date=11 November 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208110330/http://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/omsweetom/2009/10/halloween.html |archive-date=8 December 2015 |date=30 October 2009 }}</ref> Other Hindus, such as Soumya Dasgupta, have opposed the celebration on the grounds that Western holidays like Halloween have "begun to adversely affect our indigenous festivals".<ref>{{citation |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB125739432384030183 |title=Should Indians Celebrate Foreign Festivals Like Halloween? |author=Soumya Dasgupta |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=5 November 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150620043001/http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB125739432384030183 |archive-date=20 June 2015 }}</ref>

===Neopaganism===
There is no consistent rule or view on Halloween amongst those who describe themselves as [[Neopagan]]s or [[Wiccans]]. Some Neopagans do not observe Halloween, but instead observe [[Samhain]] on 1 November,<ref name=George>{{cite web|url=http://www.themanitoban.com/2010/10/real-life-witches-that-dont-celebrate-halloween/1513/|title=Real-life witches that don't celebrate Halloween|last=George|first=Stephanie|date=25 October 2010|publisher=[[The Manitoban]]|access-date=29 May 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140529233121/http://www.themanitoban.com/2010/10/real-life-witches-that-dont-celebrate-halloween/1513/|archive-date=29 May 2014}}</ref> some neopagans do enjoy Halloween festivities, stating that one can observe both "the solemnity of Samhain in addition to the fun of Halloween". Some neopagans are opposed to the celebration of Hallowe'en, stating that it "trivializes Samhain",<ref>''Should Pagans Celebrate Halloween?'' (Wicasta Lovelace), Pagan Centric</ref> and "avoid Halloween, because of the interruptions from trick or treaters".<ref>''Halloween, From a Wiccan/Neopagan perspective'' (B.A. Robinson), Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance</ref> ''[[The Manitoban]]'' writes that "Wiccans don't officially celebrate Halloween, despite the fact that 31 Oct. will still have a star beside it in any good Wiccan's day planner. Starting at sundown, Wiccans celebrate a holiday known as Samhain. Samhain actually comes from old Celtic traditions and is not exclusive to Neopagan religions like Wicca. While the traditions of this holiday originate in Celtic countries, modern day Wiccans don't try to historically replicate Samhain celebrations. Some traditional Samhain rituals are still practised, but at its core, the period is treated as a time to celebrate darkness and the dead{{snd}}a possible reason why Samhain can be confused with Halloween celebrations."<ref name=George/>

==Geography==
{{Main|Geography of Halloween}}

[[File:Kobe Mosaic15s3072.jpg|thumb|upright|Halloween display in [[Kobe]], Japan]]
The traditions and importance of Halloween vary greatly among countries that observe it. In Scotland and Ireland, traditional Halloween customs include children dressing up in costume going "guising", holding parties, while other practices in Ireland include lighting bonfires, and having firework displays.<ref name="Irish Times"/><ref>[http://www.u.tv/News/Halloween-fire-calls-every-90-seconds/15324334-54c7-4167-b118-40fd763bf701 Halloween fire calls 'every 90 seconds'] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101102150224/http://www.u.tv/News/Halloween-fire-calls-every-90-seconds/15324334-54c7-4167-b118-40fd763bf701 |date=2 November 2010 }} ''UTV News'' Retrieved 22 November 2010</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/community-telegraph/north-down/news/halloween-firework-injuries-are-on-the-increase-hospital-14989337.html|title=Halloween firework injuries are on the increase|last=McCann|first=Chris|date=28 October 2010|work=The Belfast Telegraph|access-date=22 November 2010|archive-date=7 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120707115852/http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/community-telegraph/north-down/news/halloween-firework-injuries-are-on-the-increase-hospital-14989337.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In Brittany children would play practical jokes by setting candles inside skulls in graveyards to frighten visitors.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tartanplace.com/hcustom/kalan.html |title=Kalan -Goañv ha Marv |publisher=Tartanplace.com |date=12 July 2001 |access-date=1 November 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120013221/http://www.tartanplace.com/hcustom/kalan.html |archive-date=20 January 2013 }}</ref> Mass transatlantic immigration in the 19th century popularized Halloween in North America, and celebration in the United States and Canada has had a significant impact on how the event is observed in other nations.<ref name="Irish Times"/> This larger North American influence, particularly in iconic and commercial elements, has extended to places such as Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Chile,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://noticias.universia.cl/en-portada/noticia/2010/10/31/665526/introduce-fiesta-halloween-chile.html|title=¿Cómo se introduce la fiesta de Halloween en Chile?|work=noticias.universia.cl|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161012151122/http://noticias.universia.cl/en-portada/noticia/2010/10/31/665526/introduce-fiesta-halloween-chile.html|archive-date=12 October 2016|access-date=11 October 2016}}</ref> Australia,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.news.com.au/national-news/a-halloween-holiday-from-reality/story-e6frfkvr-1225943986615|title=Calls for Halloween holiday in Australia|author=Paul Kent|date=27 October 2010|work=[[Herald Sun]]|access-date=7 October 2013|archive-date=31 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031081822/https://www.news.com.au/national/a-halloween-holiday-from-reality/news-story/f9ed8af976229ab7587cd05aaebdf7de|url-status=dead}}</ref> New Zealand,<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10684066|title=Safe treats for kids on year's scariest night|last=Denton|first=Hannah|date=30 October 2010|work=[[The New Zealand Herald]]|access-date=22 November 2010|archive-date=10 November 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101110122802/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10684066|url-status=live}}</ref> (most) [[continental Europe]], Finland,<ref>{{cite web | url = http://almanakka.helsinki.fi/fi/usein-kysyttya-faq.html?highlight=WyJoYWxsb3dlZW4iXQ== | title = Usein kysyttyä (FAQ) | publisher = Helsingin yliopiston almanakkatoimisto | access-date = 28 September 2020 | language = fi | archive-date = 15 September 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150915032242/http://almanakka.helsinki.fi/fi/usein-kysyttya-faq.html?highlight=WyJoYWxsb3dlZW4iXQ | url-status = live }}</ref> Japan, and other parts of East Asia.<ref name="rogers_m">Rogers, Nicholas (2002). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=stWZ_UDteMIC&pg=PA164 Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night]'', p. 164. New York: [[Oxford University Press]]. {{ISBN|0-19-516896-8}}</ref>

==Cost==
In the American economy, Halloween accounts for over $10 billion every year. According to the [[National Retail Federation]], Americans were projected to spend $12.2 billion on Halloween in 2023, up from $10.6 billion in 2022. Of this amount, $3.9 billion is projected to be spent on home decorations, up from $2.7 billion in 2019. The National Retail Federation projects it to increase to $13.1 billion in 2025 with  Decorations accounting for $4.2 billion, costumes with a total cost of $4.3 billion, greeting cards costing $700 million, and candy  $3.9 billion.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jasinski |first=Allie |date=2025-09-30 |title=Halloween spending to hit record $13.1B — Here's how to save |url=https://www.kcci.com/article/save-on-halloween-costumes-candy-decor/68038021 |access-date=2025-10-03 |website=KCCI |language=en}}</ref> The popularity of Halloween decorations has been growing in recent years, with retailers offering a wider range of increasingly elaborate and oversized decorations.<ref>{{cite news |last=Doherty |first=Brennan |url=https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20231013-why-americans-may-spend-12bn-on-halloween-in-2023 |title=Why Americans may spend $12bn on Halloween in 2023 |work=[[BBC News]] |date=15 October 2023 |accessdate=17 October 2023 }}</ref> 

==See also==
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* {{anl|Campfire story}}
* {{anl|Dziady}}
* [[English festivals]]
* {{anl|Ghost Festival}}
* {{anl|Kekri (harvest festival)|Kekri}}
* [[List of fiction works about Halloween]]
* [[List of films set around Halloween]]
* [[List of Halloween television specials]]
* {{anl|Martinisingen}}
* {{anl|Mischief Night}}
* {{anl|Naraka Chaturdashi}}
* {{anl|Neewollah}}
* {{anl|Skelly (Halloween decoration)}}
* {{anl|Walpurgis Night}}
* {{anl|Will-o'-the-wisp}}
{{div col end}}

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{Main|Bibliography of Halloween}}

{{refbegin|30em}}
* Diane C. Arkins, ''Halloween: Romantic Art and Customs of Yesteryear'', [[Pelican Publishing Company]] (2000). 96 pages. {{ISBN|1-56554-712-8}}
* Diane C. Arkins, ''Halloween Merrymaking: An Illustrated Celebration Of Fun, Food, And Frolics From Halloweens Past'', Pelican Publishing Company (2004). 112 pages. {{ISBN|1-58980-113-X}}
* Lesley Bannatyne, ''Halloween: An American Holiday, An American History'', Facts on File (1990, Pelican Publishing Company, 1998). 180 pages. {{ISBN|1-56554-346-7}}
* Lesley Bannatyne, ''A Halloween Reader. Stories, Poems and Plays from Halloweens Past'', Pelican Publishing Company (2004). 272 pages. {{ISBN|1-58980-176-8}}
* Phyllis Galembo, ''Dressed for Thrills: 100 Years of Halloween Costumes and Masquerade'', [[Harry N. Abrams, Inc.]] (2002). 128 pages. {{ISBN|0-8109-3291-1}}
* Editha Hörandner (ed.), ''Halloween in der Steiermark und anderswo'', ''Volkskunde (Münster in Westfalen)'', LIT Verlag Münster (2005). 308 pages. {{ISBN|3-8258-8889-4}}
* Lisa Morton, ''Trick or Treat A history of Halloween'', [[Reaktion Books]] (2012). 229 pages. {{ISBN|978-1-78023-187-7}}
* Lisa Morton, ''The Halloween Encyclopedia'', [[McFarland & Company]] (2003). 240 pages. {{ISBN|0-7864-1524-X}}
* Nicholas Rogers, ''Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night'', [[Oxford University Press]], US (2002). {{ISBN|0-19-514691-3}}
* Jack Santino (ed.), ''Halloween and Other Festivals of Death and Life'', [[University of Tennessee Press]] (1994). 280 pages. {{ISBN|0-87049-813-4}}
* David J. Skal, ''Death Makes a Holiday: A Cultural History of Halloween'', [[Bloomsbury Publishing|Bloomsbury]] US (2003). 224 pages. {{ISBN|1-58234-305-5}}
* James Tipper, ''Gods of The Nowhere: A Novel of Halloween'', Waxlight Press (2013). 294 pages. {{ISBN|978-0-9882433-1-6}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/holydays/halloween_1.shtml "A brief history of Halloween"] by the [[BBC]]
* [https://www.liturgicalartsjournal.com/2019/09/all-hallows-eve-halloween-in.html "All Hallows Eve (Halloween) in the Traditional, Pre-1955 Liturgical Books"] by the Liturgical Arts Journal
* [http://www.history.com/topics/halloween "The History of Halloween"] by the [[History (U.S. TV channel)|History Channel]]
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{{Halloween|state=expanded}}
{{Halloween events}}
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[[Category:Halloween| ]]
[[Category:Allhallowtide]]
[[Category:Autumn festivals]]
[[Category:Christianity and death]]
[[Category:Culture of Ireland]]
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[[Category:Halloween events| ]]
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