Have you ever wonder how Halloween got started? The modern holiday of Halloween has its origins in the ancient Gaelic festival known as Samhain. The Festival of Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture. Halloween started in Ireland,originally it was a pagan festival and then it was brought over to America in the early 1900s.

Halloween started as a pagan celebration in Ireland and Scotland in pre-Christian days, although the modern practice of trick or treat is an entirely American invention.

The other holiday which blended into our modern Halloween, is All Hallows' Eve the Christian holiday to honor the saints. People believed that on this night, witches (in the form of black cats), flew about and ghosts and demons were free to roam the land. It was the night to have your future told or play games like bobbing for apples.

Today Halloween has become a time of trick or treating for children. Children dress in their favorite costumes and go from house to house receiving treats. Many adults also like to dress for "Halloween" and enjoy it as much as the children. In the United States, Halloween has really gained in popularity. Not only do children along with their parents go from house to house trick or treating, but many parties are planned around Halloween.

Some symbols of Halloween are witches, black cats, ghosts and goblins, bowls of candy corn, and pumpkins. It is difficult to celebrate Halloween without a carved or painted pumpkin on your porch.Pumpkins have become a symbol of Halloween and many enjoy painting or carving pumpkins. The pumpkin originated in Mexico about 9,000 years ago. It is one of America's oldest known vegetables. Carving a face on a pumpkin and placing a candle inside the carved pumpkin is know as a jack-o-lantern.

There are many issues involving the celebration of Halloween but it doesn't matter why we celebrate Halloween-it is a fun holiday, and children love having the opportunity to dress up and get lots and lots of candy. Though Halloween might have once had pagan origins, it is primarily a commercial holiday in this day and age. People spend $6.9 billion dollars on Halloween every year, whether it is on candy or decorations. It is a wonderful way to get spooked and have some fun!

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