Halloween

All Hallows Eve, also known to most of us as Halloween is a yearly celebration observed in a number of countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallow's Day. Halloween the time in the liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints, martyrs, and all the faithful departed believers.

The word Halloween or Hallowe'en dates to about 1745.Although the phrase "All Hallows'" is found in Old English, "All Hallows' Eve" is itself not seen until 1556.

Today's Halloween customs are thought to have been influenced by folk customs and beliefs from the Celtic-speaking countries, some of which have pagan roots, and others which may be rooted in Celtic Christianity. In modern Ireland, Scotland, Mann and Wales, the festival included mumming and guising,the latter of which goes back at least as far as the 16th century. This involved people going house-to-house in costume or in disguise, usually reciting verses or songs in exchange for food. It may have come from the Christian custom of souling or it may have a Gaelic folk origin, with the costumes being a means of imitating, or disguising oneself from, the Aos Sí.

20th-century Irish Hallowe'en mask

 

Today's Halloween customs are also thought to have been influenced by Christian dogma and practices derived from it. Halloween falls on the evening before the Christian holy days of All Hallows' Day also known as All Saints' or Hallowmas on 1 November and All Souls' Day on 2 November, thus giving the holiday on 31 October the full name of All Hallows' Eve. 
Development of artifacts and symbols associated with Halloween formed over time. Jack-o'-lanterns are traditionally carried by guisers on All Hallows' Eve in order to frighten evil spirits. There is a popular Irish Christian folktale associated with the jack-o'-lantern, which in lore, is said to represent a "soul who has been denied entry into both heaven and hell"