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Halloween is a festival celebrated on October 31st. The word halloween actually means hallowed or holy evening. In the ancient days the festival of all hallowed eves was celebrated just before another important day--All Saints Day.

Halloween originated as the ancient Celtic holiday called Samhain. The Celts (the people from Gaul and Great Britain) believed dead spirits would try to possess living people. They also believed that witches, ghosts and other evil spirits roamed the land freely on this night. To scare away the spirits, people dressed in costumes, lit bonfires, and placed jack-o-lanterns and other scary decorations in front of their homes.

The Durids, who were the priests in the ancient days, would also make sacrifices in order to appease the evil spirits. This is the origin of the modern tradition of giving candy, money and other treats when children knock at the door and say trick or treat. To learn more about Halloween, follow these links and have some fun, but be careful, you may learn something before you're done.