Halloween isn't just america, though, read on:
The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter.
To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities.
During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other's fortunes. When the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter.
By A.D. 43, Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. In the course of the four hundred years that they ruled the Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman origin were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain.
The first was Feralia, a day in late October when the Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead. The second was a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple and the incorporation of this celebration into Samhain probably explains the tradition of "bobbing" for apples that is practiced today on Halloween.
By the 800s, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1 All Saints' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. It is widely believed today that the pope was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday. The celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints' Day) and the night before it, the night of Samhain, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween.
Even later, in A.D. 1000, the church would make November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. It was celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils. Together, the three celebrations, the eve of All Saints', All Saints', and All Souls', were called Hallowmas.
Also, a recipe:( For fun)
Severed Finger Cookies
Recipe By: CulinArt
Servings: 48
Categories: Desserts
Amount Measure Ingredient
1 batch Basic Sugar Cookies
1 cup blanched almonds
1 tablespoon red food coloring
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place almonds in a bowl, drizzle on enough red food coloring to coat almonds. Stir almonds around so that they are evenly colored. Place almonds on paper towel-lined platter to dry.
Work with one half of the dough at a time and keep the remainder refrigerated. Scoop dough into tablespoonful-sized balls. Roll each piece of dough into a finger shape. Press 1 almond, pointy-end out, firmly into 1 end of cookie finger to form a nail. Press the tines of a fork lightly into the dough just below the nail and in the center of the finger to form knuckles.
Place cookies, about 1-inch apart, on parchment-lined cookie sheets; bake for about 10 to 15 minutes or until pale golden. When cookies are done, let cool on cookie sheet for 3 minutes. Remove cookies to platter to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough and almonds.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Per serving: 98 Calories (kcal); 6g Total Fat; (50% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 11g Carbohydrate; 14mg Cholesterol; 24mg Sodium
Food Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates
Also you don't have to give them money or a treat remember, it's TRICK OR TREAT! Play a trick on them!