Halloween is a yearly celebration observed in a number of
countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows'
Day. It begins the three-day observance of Halloween, the time in the
liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints (hallows),
martyrs, and all the faithful departed believers.
According to many scholars, All Hallows' Eve is a
Christianized feast influenced by Celtic harvest festivals,with possible pagan
roots, particularly the Gaelic festival Samhain. Other scholars maintain that
it originated independently of Samhain and has solely Christian roots.
Typical festive Halloween activities include
trick-or-treating (or the related "guising"), attending costume
parties, decorating, carving pumpkins into jack-o'-lanterns, lighting bonfires,
apple bobbing and divination games, playing pranks, visiting haunted
attractions, telling scary stories and watching horror films. In many parts of
the world, the Christian religious observances of All Hallows' Eve, including
attending church services and lighting candles on the graves of the dead, remain
popular,although in other locations, these solemn customs are less pronounced
in favor of a more commercial and secular celebration.Because many Western
Christian denominations encourage, although most no longer require, abstinence
from meat on All Hallows' Eve, the tradition of eating certain vegetarian foods
for this vigil day developed, including the consumption of apples, colcannon,
cider, potato pancakes, and soul cakes.
