History of Halloween

Written by Elyse Banai

Do you celebrate Halloween? You might wear costumes, collect candy or throw a big slumber party with your friends. Even though most people celebrate Halloween, how well do we know its history? Halloween is a big holiday, and it dates back all the way to the eighth century! Back then, Halloween was not called Halloween, instead it was called “All Saints Day” and was celebrated on November 1st. The night before, people celebrated “All Hallows Eve” where people threw parties/festivals, ate candy and dressed up. On “All Hallows Eve” people thought that all the spirits would come and visit. Some people would put out food to please the spirits, but others would hide and wear costumes, so the spirits would not find them. But in the early 1920s, people started to only celebrate Halloween. Even though it was never declared a real holiday, Halloween is celebrated by many people across the globe!

What do you do for Halloween? Kindergartener Gemma Vanes said, “This year I am going to be a butterfly. I love everything about Halloween, especially Twizzlers!”

Second grader Wallace Cheng Buggs said, ”I haven’t chosen my costume yet, but I love getting candy and wearing scary costumes. I just wish I could eat all my candy!”