- History of Halloween

Halloween, celebrated each year on October 31, is a mix of ancient Celtic

practices, Catholic and Roman religious rituals and European folk traditions that blended
together over time to create the holiday we know today. Straddling the line between fall and
winter, plenty and paucity and life and death, Halloween is a time of celebration and
superstition. Halloween has long been thought of as a day when the dead can return to the
earth, and ancient Celts would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off these roaming
ghosts. The Celtic holiday of Samhain, the Catholic Hallowmas period of All Saints' Day and All
Souls' Day and the Roman festival of Feralia all influenced the modern holiday of Halloween. In
the 19th century, Halloween began to lose its religious connotation, becoming a
more secular community-based children's holiday. Although the superstitions and beliefs
surrounding Halloween may have evolved over the years, as the days grow shorter and the
nights get colder, people can still look forward to parades, costumes and sweet treats to usher
in the winter season.

- How did the colors orange and black become

synonymous with Halloween?
The Celtics were given credit for beginning the holiday as a festival of harvest. Harvest
time is when things look orange in autumn, so that's why the orange. Black refers to the side of
Halloween that deals with the festival of the dead, which it was once believed to be. Black also
represents darkness. 

Pumpkins are orange and some believe this is where orange became a color to
represent Halloween. The color orange also signifies strength and endurance. We don’t know if
that is for the holiday or strength and endurance at the harvest time. Since the Celtics were
involved in wars with Julius Caesar, they may have believed the color orange gave courage to
those who wore the color during battle.

Halloween was once (and still may be in some areas) a festival of the dead. Death is
usually associated with darkness and absence of light signified by the color black. 

Black cats, witches hats, cauldrons, and streamers are a few of the items that are
reminders of the holiday. Most candies at this time of year are in black and orange wrappers. 

Traditionally, Halloween is always celebrated after sunset. The blackness of the night
cloaks the revelers and hides their misdeeds or tricks if they don’t receive any treats.

- Trick-or-treating
Trick-or-treating "Trick or Treat" is a term used on Halloween. It's a main tradition in
halloween and is a request by (usually) children as they pass from door to door asking for treats
- threatening to play tricks on those who refuse to give.