The earliest Halloween celebrations took place among the Celts who lived more than 2000 years ago in what is now England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and northern France. The Celtic order of priests, Druids, used to honor Samhain, lord of the dead, on the evening of October 31 and November 1. According to ancient Celtic legend, Samhain could control the spirits of the dead. On October 31 he assembled the souls of all those who died during the previous year. To pay for their sins these souls were put into bodies of animals and people and sacrificed by fire. It was believed this would keep Samhain happy, who would then give them clues about the future in the ashes. November 1 marked New Year's Day for the Celts. It was the beginning of winter and the time of the "light that loses, the night that wins."

    Another tradition of Celtic belief was that on November 1 demons, witches and evil spirits roamed the earth to greet the long, dark winter months, "their season". The only way humans could escape their pranks would be to dress up as one of them or put out sweets and other good things to eat to placate the evil spirits. This is the custom from which Halloween finds its roots.

    When Rome conquered the Gauls, a Celtic people in what is now France, they brought their customs with them. The Roman festival honoring their goddess Pomona, to whom they dedicated their gardens and orchards, made apples a part of Halloween celebrations. Rome in 61 AD ordered the Celtic groves of human and animal sacrifice destroyed.

    Christianity spread throughout Europe and the Church was faced with the dilemma of the relevance of pagan festivals in light of gospel. By 600 AD many Celts had become Christians. The Church disliked the Celtic holidays and wanted them to honor Christian holidays instead. In 615 the Church created a new holiday. It was called All Hallows' Day (AIl Saints' Day today) to honor all those who died as martyrs. At first it was held on May 13, 615, to celebrate the dedication of the Roman temple of Pantheon to Mary and all the martyrs. Two hundred years later Pope Gregory IV (844) transferred the celebration to November 1. Some believe the reason was to provide a substitute for the pagan Germanic celebrations at that time. Actually, the reason for the transfer was that the many pilgrims who came to Rome for the Feast of Pantheon could be fed more easily after the harvest than in the spring. In 1484 Pope Sixtus IV established it as a holyday of obligation for the entire Latin church.

    Outside the church the belief in Halloween as a gathering time for evil spirits, demons and witches continued with little change. To the ghosts assembled were added goblins and fairies. Long after the church had triumphed over paganism country people everywhere in Europe continued in their ancient practice of placating local spirits. When the Church took a stronger stance against such pagan practices and declared them heresy, witchcraft emerged as an organized cult in opposition. During the Middle Ages Halloween became known as the night of the witch, when the devil and his followers would gather. They would mock the Church's coming festival of All Saints' Day on November 1 by performing unholy acts the night before.

    What began as pagan practices before Christianity has now become a war between light and dark. As the Church took its stand, the enemy took his. While All Hallows' was a day for religious observance, All Hallows' Even (shortened to Hallowe'en) was a night for magic and superstition.

    When the Puritans left their homes and settled in America in the 1600's, they did not celebrate Halloween at all. To them it was a heathen event and the work of the devil. It was not until the last century, when the Irish and Scots came to America in large numbers, that Halloween became a holiday.

.....anonymous