Samhain is Gaelic for “summer’s end,” a day to bid good-bye to warmth and light as day length shortens.
In an attempt to replace this festival, the church moved the celebration of All Saints to November 1. This is the day when all of the saints are honored, especially those who did not have a day of their own. This day was formerly known as Allhallowmas, hallow meaning "holy" or "holy person." All Saints Day is known in England as All Hallows Day.
The evening before, October 31, is known as All Hallows Eve, the origin of the American word Halloween!
In later years, the Irish used hollowed-out, candlelit turnips carved with a demon’s face to frighten away the spirits. When Irish immigrants in the 1840s found few turnips in the United States, they used the more plentiful pumpkins instead.
See more about the History of Carving Pumpkins.
Halloween Day 2014
| Year | Halloween Day |
| 2014 | Friday, October 31 |
| 2015 | Saturday, October 31 |
Halloween Crafts
Get into the Halloween spirit with these seasonal crafts! See how to make:• A pumpkin seed necklace
• Pumpkin Spice Mix
• Really cool carved pumpkin designs
• Native American corn husk dolls
• Apple heads
Credit: Susan Valladao; Carved by Mike Valladao
Halloween Recipes
There are no tricks to making these old-fashioned Halloween treats. Yum!Candy Apples
Caramel-Covered Apples
Peanut Butter Balls
Oven Caramel Corn
Popcorn Balls
Find more ideas for Halloween recipes.
via
