What Is Halloween?
As observed today, Halloween is a secular holiday which takes place on October 31, combining vestiges of traditional harvest festival celebrations with customs more peculiar to the occasion such as wearing costumes and disguises, trick-or-treating, pranksterism, and decorations based on imagery of death and the supernatural.
Though it was regarded up until the last few decades of the 20th century as primarily a holiday for children, in more recent years activities such as mask wearing, costume parties, themed decorations, and even trick-or-treating have grown popular with adults as well, making Halloween a sportive occasion for both young and old.
Harvest Festivals
Harvest festivals originated with the ancients, who made sacrificial offerings to the gods at an appointed time each autumn to show their gratitude for a successful harvest and sustenance for another year. The ensuing feast, part ritual and part seasonal blow-out, usually culminated in a communal banquet with music, dancing, and harvest decorations.
Traditionally, harvest festivals were held on or about the arrival of the "harvest moon," the full moon occurring closest to the autumnal equinox in what is now the month of September. Samhain, the Celtic harvest festival thought to be the forerunner of Halloween, was one exception to that rule, taking place on the day following what the Celts regarded as the last day of summer, October 31.
