The Halloween festival dates back to the time of the Celts , a people who lived more than 2000 , years ago in a region covering Ireland , the United Kingdom and north-western France . Every 1st November , the Celts organised the great festival of Samhain to celebrate the start of the new year . This festival marked the end of the harvaest season with its dark , cold days and the beginning of a new year . This period was therefore associated with death . The Celts believed that on the night before New Year ' s Eve , there was no longer any bondary between the world of the living and the dead , thus opening the way for the spirits of the deceaded to return to earth . To avoid being recognised by ghosts , people dressed up as scary creatures , witches , demons and the undead , in order to blent into the supernatural surroundings . In Ireland and Scotland , the poor went from house to house asking for food in exchange for prayers for the dead . This is how Halloween became a celebration dedicated to the strange and terrifying . Halloween spread to America with the mass immigration of Irish and Scottish people in the 19th century , due to the Great Famine (1845–1852 ) . They brought the Halloween tradition with them in their suitcases . It includes the myth of Jack-o ' -lantern . Jack , a cuning character who tricked the devil , was condamned to wander the earth forever . The villagers carved turnips to ward off his soul . These grimacing faces were supposed to scare away wendering spirits and keep death at bay . This celebration has evolved into a popular holiday in the United States , incorporating various cultural traditions . Turnip are not widely grown in America and have been replaced by punpkins , which are more abundant , larger and easier to carve . With the influx of English and Irish immigrants , Americans began to dress up in costumes and go from house to house asking for money or food . This practice continues today and is called ‘trick-or-treat ' This term appeared in North America at the beginning of the 20th century , particularly in Canada in 1917 . It became popular in the United States in the 1930s , becoming a festive activity for children on the evening of 31 October . Thus , children in costume knock on doors saying ‘Trick or treat ! ' — either you give them sweets , or you risk a little mischievous spell . Today , dressing up is a way to celebrate the imagination , play with one ' s fears , and participate in a collective celebration . Costumes have become more playful , incorporating fictional characters , monsters , and even celebrities . Halloween expresses a complex blend of traditions that have spaned centuries and continents . It has become an ever-evolving celebration , blending memories of ancient rites with contemporary creativity . It reflects our ability to transform ancestral fears into moments of sharing , recreation and celebration .
