The Origins of Halloween

Believe it or not, Halloween is actually a very old holiday; even older than Christmas, though it was not always celebrated as a holiday. Over 2000 years ago, Halloween was a very important festival for the Celts. Halloween was known as Samhain, which meant the end of summer. During this festival the people celebrated the harvest and honored the dead.
It was some of the beliefs of the Celts that actually gave Halloween its spooky nature. During this time, the Celts believed that there was no line or distinction between time and space and the dead were free to roam the earth. It was out of these beliefs that the people began to build big fires and provide offers so that they could appease the restless spirits that roamed the earth on Halloween. The Druid customs of honoring the dead was also brought into the Halloween mix, as well as that of the early Christians.
When people of Britain began spread out to other parts of the world, they also brought with them their Halloween traditions. Many of the traditions that exist today can be traced to these early Halloween rituals.
The world Halloween was taken from the words, All Hallows Eve.