1. Halloween is one of the oldest days of celebration its roots go back to the Celtic festival of Samhain.
2.Samhain was celebrated by the Celts on October 31st as their New Year's Eve, marking the end of the 'season of the sun' and the beginning of the 'season of darkness and cold'.
3.The Celts believed that during the winter the sun god was taken prisoner by Samhain, the Lord of the Dead and Prince of Darkness; and on October 31st Samhain caled all the dead together to fight the people of the sun god. The dead would take different forms, with the bad sprits turning into animals. The most evil ones would become cats - miaow!
4. On October 31st after the crops were stored for winter, the home cooking fires would be put out. The Druids (the Celtic priests) would meet on the hill tops, light fires and offer sacrifices of crops to Samhain. In the morning the Druids would five an ember from their fires to home to start new cooking fires. They thought these fires would keep the homes safe and free from evil spirits.
5. When Chistianity arrived in Britain in 497AD, the Romon Catholic Church made Novermber 1st a church holiday to honour the saints. This day was called All Saint's Day or Halowmas or All Hallows - so the day before (October 31st) eventually became known as Halloween (short for Hallows' Eve).
6. Trick or treat' also comes from the Celts who, on October 31st, pretended to be fairies and went from house to house begging for treats. If they weren't given any goodies, they played practical jokes for revenge!
7. As it was believed that the fairies were food outside their front doors for them, hoping they'd get the blessings of the 'good fairy folk' for the next year.
8. On Halloween, the Celts also carried turnips carved to represent faces. This is where our modern pumpkin lanterns come from!
9. Apple bobbing comes from the Celtic belief that the first woman to bite into an apple would be next to be married.
10. Apple peeling was also a custom - the longest peel equalled the longest life!
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