The Story
What's the history of Halloween and how did it come to America?
Halloween was influenced by Celtic festivals that marked the end of the harvest season. They believed that on that night, ghosts returned to earth, and some would cause trouble. The Celtic priests built sacred bonfires and people wore costumes.
Eventually, Christianity spread and they adopted the customs and tied it to All Souls Day. The night before became known as All-Hallows Eve, and, eventually, Halloween.
Anglican colonists in the South and Catholics in Maryland brought the celebrations. However, not until mass Irish and Scottish immigration in the 19th century did it become a major holiday.
The Jack-o-latern represented a soul in limbo. Originally they carved a turnip but adopted the easier to carve native pumpkin in North America.
In Ireland, kids used to go house to house at Halloween and put on a small performance to be rewarded with food or treats. This practice morphed into "trick or treat"ing. The first usage of the phrase came from Ontario Canada.