Halloween is both a beloved and detested holiday for all,  but where did it originate from?

It is thought to originate from Celtic-speaking countries, specifically the Samhain festival, which was celebrated for the end of the summer, harvest, and the turning of the seasons. It also has a Roman and Christian influence that makes it the Halloween it is today. The Roman influence being Feralia, a day that celebrated the passing of the dead, and the feast of Pomona where they celebrated the goddess of trees and seeds. The Christian influence came when the Christian religion mixed and replaced Celtic rites with a church sanctioned festival for the dead. Halloween came to the United States when immigrants from Europe came to the U.S., bringing their Halloween-esque traditions with them.

Even more still, Halloween has changed over the years. Creating costumes by hand and making candies for trick-o-treaters has turned into buying manufactured costumes and mass produced candy. Making soul cakes has all but disappeared in America. However Halloween pranks are still as popular as ever, from TPing or egging to simple pranks such as jump scares. Mrs. Keen said, “My car had candy thrown at it one year, it made me so mad!” Thomas Bruns regaled, “I used to TP my grandparents house every Halloween, which is funny because now I live there.”

Now we have our modern day Halloween full of costumes, trick-o-treating, and parties galore.