A Trivia Book on Halloween

More about Halloween
The Celts believed that the passage of a day began with
darkness and progressed into the light. The same notion
explains why Winter – the season of long, nights – marked
the beginning of the year and proceeded into the lighter days
of Spring, Summer, and Autumn. So, the 1st of November,
Samhain, was the Celtic New Year, and the celebrations
began at sunset of the day before its Eve.
During the 8th century, the Catholic Church designated
the first day of November as All Saints Day - all Hallows.
Thus, All Hallows Eve became Hallowe'en. At the reunion at
All Hallows, when the sheep and cattle were brought back
from the summer pastures, fires were lit to mark the end of
the period of growth and to herald the new year. The
Hallowe'en fire was used long ago to supply light and to
rekindle the domestic fire. The crops would have been
harvested and the turf saved by then.
Today's trick-or-treating tradition mainly developed from
soul parades that took place on Halloween in England. Poor
people would beg from door to door, asking for food or money
in exchange for praying for souls to be delivered from
purgatory. Eventually, children took over the tradition, and
people began baking sweet soul cakes to give to the young
revelers. In the United States, trick-or-treating didn't
become widely popular until the 1940s, when communities
sought wholesome Halloween activities to discourage kids
from vandalism and another mischief.