Halloween

Halloween is a holiday that is popular in many countries. Where did this unique holiday come from?

The Ancient Roots of Halloween

Halloween is a mix of old and modern traditions. About 2,000 years ago, Celtic people in Europe had a holiday called Samhain. On this day, the Celts thought that ghosts walked the Earth. To make the ghosts happy, the Celts made food for them. To hide from evil ghosts, people wore masks, They also made lanterns from turnips and used them to scare away the ghosts. These turnip lanterns were the first jack-o’-lanterns. Many centuries later, a new holiday replaced Samhain. This new holiday was called “Halloween.”

Halloween in the U.S. and Canada

Immigrants from Europe brought Halloween to North America in the 19th century. Later, around 1910, going from house to house and asking for candy, fruit, and money became popular. It was called trick-or-treating. Today, kids go trick-or-treating with their families in every city and town in the U.S. and Canada. They dress up like zombies, pirates, and vampires. And mothers remind children to brush their teeth!

An International Holiday?

In recent times, Halloween has spread to Asia. In Japan, department stores display jack-o’-lanterns dressed up and go trick-or-treating. Hong Kong has many Halloween events, but no trick-or-treating because most people live in apartment buildings. English academies in South Korea have Halloween parties. Students wear costumes and go trick-or-treating from classroom to classroom. some people don’t like Halloween because they think it’s a cultural invasion from America. Some parents don’t like Halloween because children eat too much candy. However, there is one group of people who love Halloween: kids around the world.