Halloween is a holiday celebrated on October 31st, the evening before All Saints Day, which is a Western Christian feast day. The holiday has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, which was held on November 1st in contemporary calendars. The festival marked the end of summer and the beginning of winter, and it was believed that on that day, the souls of the dead returned to their homes. People dressed in costumes and lit bonfires to ward off spirits. Over time, the holiday became increasingly secular, and today it is largely nonreligious.

Halloween is associated with a number of activities, including trick-or-treating, costume parties, and making jack-o-lanterns. Trick-or-treating is a custom in which children dress up in costume and solicit treats from neighbors. The custom became popular in the United States in the early 20th century as Irish and Scottish communities revived the Old World custom of “guising,” in which a person would dress in costume and tell a joke, recite a poem, or perform some other trick in exchange for a piece of fruit or other treat. Today, Halloween is one of the biggest holidays for candy sales in the United States.

As a secular holiday, Halloween has come to be associated with a number of activities. One is the practice of pulling usually harmless pranks. Celebrants wear masks and costumes for parties and for trick-or-treating, thought to have derived from the British practice of allowing the poor to beg for food, called “soul cakes.” Trick-or-treaters go from house to house with the threat that they will pull a trick if they do not receive a treat.

In conclusion, Halloween is a holiday that has its roots in ancient Celtic traditions and has evolved over time to become a largely secular holiday celebrated with a variety of activities, including trick-or-treating, costume parties, and making jack-o-lanterns.