The most well-known of all of October’s holidays is Halloween. 

Also called All Saints Day or All Hallows Day, it is looked forward to by children almost as much as Christmas.  If you practice Wicca, you may call this particular date Samhain.  

Halloween is probably the oldest holiday that is still celebrated around the world, although the way it is celebrated may differ from country to country.  Although this is not an official federal holiday, it is one that most people in the country celebrate in some way.  This could mean that parents take their children out “trick or treating.” It could also mean that parents stay at home and hand out candy to the children that knock on their door asking for candy. 

For children, besides getting candy, it is a time to dress up as their favorite characters from television and the big screen.  Some children dress up as historical figures in homemade costumes.  Still others choose to dress up as witches, ghosts, or other characters that belie the holiday’s pagan origins. 

Children aren’t the only ones to be taken in by the opportunity to dress up, however.  Quite often you’ll find adult office employees dressing up for work that day.  Teachers, particularly, will dress up for the holiday so they can be a part of the fun.   

Businesses also allow employees to dress up as they hand out candy that evening.  These types of events were instituted after many children were hurt from objects that were placed in the candy they were given.  In an effort to keep this from happening, businesses across the country have started having trick-or-treating where the candy is promised to be safe.

Another aspect of Halloween that children and parents alike seem to enjoy is the time they take to carve jack-o-lantern faces out of pumpkins.  This practice was originally done to ward off evil spirits in medieval times, but now families enjoy picking out a pumpkin, deciding on a face to put on it, and then carving the face on the pumpkin. 

Expect to find haunted houses open to the public beginning a week before Halloween.  In an effort to make Halloween less “evil,” some religious organizations have Harvest Festivals in place of Halloween festivities.  They use some of the same elements, like scarecrows, dressing up, and candy, but they do whatever they can to downplay the origins of the holiday. 

In most Latin American countries, October 31 begins the three-day holiday known as All Souls’ Day and lasts until November 2.  This holiday is also called El Dia De Los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead. 

El Dia De Los Muertos is a holiday to honor the dead.  Those that celebrate this holiday believe that the souls of those who have died return to their earthly homes on this day.  It isn’t uncommon for families to have an altar set up in their homes to honor the dead.  They may also prepare a feast of the deceased’s favorite foods. 

Another thing people do to celebrate this holiday is to burn candles and incense.  It is believed that these items help lead the deceased back home.  Family members may also visit the grave of their loved one to take care of the plot.  As the three-day holiday ends, the family returns to the gravesite and have a picnic.  This helps them remember their loved one and honors their memory. 

Those who practice Wicca call this night Samhain.  They believe it is the best time to contact the spirit world because the veil between the two worlds is at its thinnest.  Scholars believe that the day was celebrated because it was the end of summer here on earth and the beginning of summer in the underworld. 

The Celtic people of old began their new year on Samhain because it was logical to them.  The harvest had been completed and it appeared that the earth was dying.  This was the perfect time to begin anew and begin looking forward to the next year’s planting and harvesting. 

Samhain was also a time to honor the ancestors who had passed from this life.  It was an opportunity to celebrate their loved one’s memory.  Festivities generally last for three days and there is a feast each night.

Halloween, it's more than just a pretty face :0)