All Hallows' Eve, often known as Halloween, is the night before All Saints' (or All Hallows') Day and is a holiday celebrated on October 31. The event kicks off Allhallowtide, a three-day period that ends with All Souls' Day, and celebrates the day before the Western Christian feast of All Saints. The majority of North America and much of Europe do not observe Halloween as a religious holiday.
Samhain, a festival celebrated by the Celts of ancient Britain and Ireland, is where Halloween got its start. The new year was thought to start on the day that modern calendars would place as November 1. When the herds were brought in from pasture and land tenures were renewed on that day, it was regarded as the start of the winter season. The dead were thought to visit their houses during the Samhain celebration and those who passed away over the year were thought to travel to the afterlife. People would ignite bonfires on hilltops to scare away evil spirits and relight their hearth fires for the winter. They would also occasionally dress strangely to avoid being recognised by the ghosts they believed to be around. These practises led to the association of witches, hobgoblins, fairies, and demons with the day. Additionally, it was considered beneficial during this time to use divination to predict things like marriage, health, and even death. When the Romans subdued the Celts in the first century CE, they established their own festivals to honour the harvest goddess Pomona and the passing of the dead, Feralia.
