Excited children masquerading as witches, ghosts, goblins, demons, and other grotesque characters skip through the neighborhood, knocking on doors and chanting “trick or treat.” They hold out sacks waiting for a piece of candy or other goodies, joining in parties at school, church, or Sunday School to bob for apples, tell fortunes, or walk through “haunted houses.” With decorations of jack-o’-lanterns, witches on brooms, and black cats with arched backs, it is “Halloween”—one of the strangest days of the year.
Are Halloween activities really just the simple, innocent holiday fun most people believe them to be? Where did this holiday originate, and why is it celebrated? History provides the answers.