Halloween is an annual holiday celebrated each year on October 31, and Halloween 2018 occurs on Wednesday, October 31. It originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. read more
Because of the French Catholic Church's strong campaign against Halloween, the French did not celebrate the holiday until the mid-1990s, but today, for their "La Fete D'Halloween," people go from store to store collecting candy, not from house to house. read more
Given the obvious similarities, there is probably a link between the present-day Halloween custom of wearing costumes and trick-or-treating on Oct. 31 and the Medieval practices of "mumming" and "going a-souling" on the eves of All Saints Day (Nov. 1) and All Souls Day (Nov. 2). read more