Halloween actually has its origins in the Catholic Church. It comes from a contracted corruption of All Hallows Eve. November 1st, All Hallows Day is a Catholic day of observance in honor of saints. In Mexico, they celebrate El Dia de los Muertos or the Day of the Dead starting the evening of October 31st. The custom of Halloween was brought to America in the 1840s by Irish immigrants fleeing their country’s potato famine. The Celtic festival of Samhain is the basis for Halloween. Samhain, All Hallowtide, the feast of the dead in Pagan and Christian times, signalizing the close of harvest and the initiation of the winter season.
Lecture on Halloween History
