Much of the history of Halloween hadn’t been recorded for centuries and therefore some of it is still different than the real story and subject to debate. But the most plausible theory is that Halloween originated in the British Isles out of the Pagan Celtic celebration of Samhain. It goes back as far as 5 B.C. It was believed that spirits rose from the dead and mingled with the living on this day. The Celts left food at their doors to encourage good spirits to enter and wore masks to scare off the bad ones.
Some historians believe that the Romans who invaded England added a few of their own traditions to the celebration of Samhain, such as celebrating the end of the harvest and honoring the dead. Others say that because the Romans never conquered the Celts (Ireland and Scotland) there was no mingling of cultures, but the Celts celebrated the end of the harvest and honored their dead in this way anyway!
Many centuries later, the Roman Catholic church, in an attempt to do away with pagan holidays like Halloween, established November 1st as All Saints Day (in French, la Toussaint), in celebration of all the saints who do not have their own holy day. This attempt to detract attention from the pagan celebration of Samhain didn't work. The celebrations on the eve of All Saints Day continued to grow and change. During the massive Irish immigration into America in the 1840s, Halloween found its way to the United States, where it continues to flourish.
The modern name, Halloween, comes from the word All-Hallows-Evening, as it is at the end of All-Hallows-Day, which is also known as All-Saints-Day. It was eventually shortened to hallowe’en and then eventually to halloween. ("Hallow" is an Old English word for "saint.") Although currently All-Saints-Day falls one day after Halloween, they used to be celebrated together on the same day.
Halloween remains today one of the most beloved holidays of the American people. We all love candy and the other traditions associated with Halloween, and hope that this Halloween will be a fun one.