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Halloween originated around 2,000 years ago from the Celtic festival of Samhain, in present day Britain and Ireland. In the United States, Halloween is celebrated as a fun, scary time for everyone. With activities like trick or treating, watching scary movies, and carving pumpkins. In the US, Halloween is on October 31st every year, but festive activities can occur throughout the whole month of October. 

Bonfires are common on Halloween, this traditionally began from the Celtics. The Celtics originated from Samhain, which is mostly now Ireland, northern France, and part of the United Kingdom. The Celts performed a form of witchcraft, where they would throw bones into the fire to scare off evil spirits. Historians have actually found evidence of these annual bonfires in Tlachtga. The new grange, a Samhain history website, states, “Two hills in the Boyne Valley were associated with Samhain in Celtic Ireland, Tlachtga and Tara. Tlachtga was the location of the Great Fire Festival which began on the eve of Samhain (Halloween). Tara was also associated with Samhain, however it was secondary to Tlachtga in this respect” (“The Celtic roots of Halloween”). Another ritual from the ancient Celts was to make masks from animal skins, as well as other parts of animals. These masks would serve a similar purpose as the bonfires, to frighten sinful spirits.

A common Halloween tradition for many people is to go trick-or-treating. This tradition dates back to Scotland and Ireland in the 16th century. But when should the trick-or-treating fun end? Chesapeake, Virginia city officials announced the law that trick-or-treaters over the age of 12 can be fined up to $100 and serve up to 6 months of jail time. Nine additional towns have also enforced this law.

Following right behind Christmas, Halloween is the second most commercialized holiday. For example, in 2021 American consumers hit a record with their spending on Halloween. Americans spent $10.6 billion on carving pumpkins, indoor and outdoor decorations, costumes, parties, and of course candy. 

On the topic of candy, the average American consumes about 3.4 pounds of candy each Halloween. That is also the weight of a small chiwawa. Often, children eat around 7,000 calories just of candy on Halloween.

But why do we celebrate Halloween? For a lot of people, Halloween comes from the traditions through their family of remembering dead family members, or a holiday spent trying to ward off evil spirits. Other people like the superstitious and mysterious aspect of halloween. And for some people, Halloween is just a holiday to watch scary movies and eat candy.