Halloween goes back thousands of years, starting with the Samhain festival. It was a religious ceremony that marked the end of the harvest season. They believed that during this time period, the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead was at its thinnest, and all spirits were out. The name Halloween came from a celebration of Christian martyrs and saints, which was called All Saints’ Day, also named All Hallows’ Day. This day was on November 1st, making the day before, October 31st, All Hallows’ Eve. This name was later adapted to Halloween.

A tradition people would often do in the Samhain festival was darken their faces with ashes to ward off unwanted ghosts. This later resulted in wearing masks and costumes on Halloween. Another tradition on Halloween is pumpkin carving. Pumpkin carving started when the Celts practiced carving faces into a plant to use as protective lanterns. The pumpkin carving tradition still continues today.

One of the most beloved traditions was Trick-or-Treating. In England, during All Saints’ Day, people would often go from door to door offering to pray for the souls of the deceased in exchange for soul cakes. This tradition later came to the U.S. and evolved into Trick-or-Treating. People would wear their costumes and go door to door asking for candy. This beloved tradition still continues today.

In the 20th century, people began to desire a more thrilling experience during Halloween. This began the rise of haunted attractions. People would go to haunted houses for the thrill of the line between reality and fantasy blurring. There are many types of haunted attractions, like corn mazes, eerie theme parks, hospitals, hotels, etc. People don’t just celebrate Halloween, but they have begun to live it because of these haunted attractions.