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Long before the birth of Christ, the Celts occupied Europe and celebrated the New Year on November 1st. This festival marked the end of the season of the sun and the beginning of the season of darkness. During this season of dark and cold, the Celts believed the sun god was taken to prison by Samhain, the Lord of the Dead and Prince of Darkness. On October 31st, All Hallow's Eve, the Prince of Darkness called together all the dead people to walk the earth. People wore costumes and lit candles to ward off these spirits who returned as cats, witches and ghosts. People in costume began to visit homes and ask for treats. Those who gave, would be assured of having a good year; those who did not were warned to watch out for spirits.
Romans, after conquering England and France, bobbed for apples and gave nuts to their neighbors. The Italians left bread and water and lit lamps before going to bed to. Other Europeans put out doughnuts and milk for the spirits while still others placed empty chairs in a circle, one for each member of the family and one extra for an expected ghost.
One of the influences came with the spread of Christianity throughout Europe and Britain. In the year 835 A.D., the Roman Catholic Church made November 1s5 a Holy Day to honor all saints, which is called All Saint's Day. Years later, the Church designated November 2 as a special day to honor the dead and it is called All Souls Day. These special days were celebrated with bonfires, parades and people dressing up as saints and angels.
In the nineteenth century, Irish immigrants brought the holiday to North America, where it has evolved to become a national celebration. We still celebrate Halloween which includes some of these influences: We take our children, dressed in costume, door-to-door asking for treats, we associate donuts and apple cider with the holiday, we bob for apples at Halloween parties and celebrated All Saints Day by having our school children dress up as their favorite saint.
