Halloween is one of the world’s oldest holidays, and is celebrated all around the world. It first began in Ireland, and was brought over to America by Irish and Scottish immigrants in the late 19th century. Most of today’s Halloween customs were influenced by the Celtics, although some of the traditions are different now from 2,000 years ago when Halloween first began. The pumpkin carving was actually not a part of Halloween and was done way before when people just used them for lanterns. Trick-or-Treating was originally a Christian custom called “souling,” they would bake and share soul-cakes for all christened souls. This custom dates as far back as the 15th century, and were found in parts of England, Germany, Italy and others. Shakespeare actually mentioned this practice in one of his comedies, “The Two Gentlemen of Verona.” The costume wearing was developed by Prince Sorie Coteh who said that the night of Halloween, it was believed that the soul of the departed wandered the earth seeking vengeance on their enemies and to hide from the souls they would wear masks/costumes.

Although Halloween is celebrated in many other countries, it is the most popular in North America and Canada. Each country celebrates it differently and has different beliefs on what Halloween means, such as the Belgians believe that it is unlucky if a black cat crosses your path and on Halloween night they light candles in memory of deceased relatives. Czechoslovakia place chairs by the fireside, one chair for each living family member and one for each of the deceased family members spirit.

No matter where in the world it’s celebrated, it’s still the same traditional Halloween that most everyone loves and celebrates. Halloween has been around for over 2,000 years and hopefully many more to come!