Halloween

Halloween, festival held on Oct. 31, the eve of All Saints' Day, a holiday of the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches held to honor all the saints. The name comes from the medieval English “All Hallows' Eve.” Originally a Celtic festival to mark the new year, welcome the spirits of the dead, and appease supernatural powers, Halloween was introduced to the United States by Scottish and Irish immigrants and is now a children's festival famous for “trick-or-treat.”