Why is Halloween on Oct. 31?

Happy Halloween!

Today, Oct. 31st, is Halloween, the spooky time when ghosts and goblins of all ages dress up in hopes of securing candy.

All the sugar-laced fun comes at a cost. According to the National Retail Foundation, Halloween participation is expected to return to pre-pandemic levels this year with spending reaching a record $10.6 billion, exceeding the previous record of $10.1 billion set last year.

Spending is expected to top $100 per person with most of the money going towards costumes ($3.6 billion collectively), followed by decorations ($3.4 billion) and candy ($3.1 billion), according to a survey by NRF.

While Halloween is big business, it’s roots go back the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain on Nov. 1, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. The day also marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the winter.

According to history.com, in the 8th century, Pope Gregory III designated Nov. 1 as a time to honor all saints. It didn’t take long for All Saints Day to incorporate Samhain traditions and the evening before became known as All Hallows Eve. Bonfires, costumes and parades all became part of the pre-Saints Day celebration.

The word “hallow” comes from Middle and Old English words for “holy,” or, as noun “saint.”

In early America, Halloween wasn’t widely celebrated in strictly religious Puritan colonies but was more common in Southern areas, History.com explains. Different ethnic groups immigrating to America brought their own traditions and, over time, things such as the telling of ghost stories and playing pranks became part of the holiday.

Trick-or-treating is believed to have begun when people dressed up as saints and children would go door to door to ask for “soul cakes,” a biscuit-like treat. That turned into people handing out candy in an effort to avoid being “tricked” by holiday pranks.