Halloween, the festival of Samhain (pronounced Sah-win), was the biggest and most significant holiday of the Celtic year. It marked the beginning of winter. The Celts believed that at the time of Samhain the ghosts of the dead were able to mingle with the living, because at Samhain the souls of those who had died during the year traveled into the other world. People gathered to sacrifice animals, fruits, and vegetables. They also lit fires in honor of the dead, to aid them on their journey, and to keep them away from the living. Our jack-o-lanterns are such traveling fires.
As a result of their efforts to wipe out “pagan” holidays, such as Samhain, the Christians succeeded in effecting major transformations in it. In 601 A.D. Pope Gregory the First issued a now famous edict to his missionaries concerning the native beliefs and customs of the peoples he hoped to convert. Rather than try to obliterate native peoples’ customs and beliefs, the pope instructed his missionaries to use them: if a group of people worshiped a tree, rather than cut it down, he advised them to consecrate it to Christ and allow its continued worship.
Masks and costumes are among the many customs that have accrued to the day. It’s a time to expand our view of ourselves and of the world on this most popular holiday after only Christmas.
Sena Havasy based on Jack Santino from About.com,
via http://inventors.about.com/od/sstartinventions/a/Samhain.htm