If you are getting ready for Halloween, you may be wondering from where Halloween came. Halloween started in the Middle Ages with the Celtic people, in the area of Europe that is now considered to be Ireland. For these medieval people, their New Year began on November 1st, which was considered to be the end of their period of harvest.
The Celts believed that on the night before the beginning of the New Year their dead relatives would visit them. Bonfires were built to make sacrifices to the Celtic gods and Halloween costumes were worn to try to make the gods happy or to scare the evil spirits that had descended to earth. This Halloween tradition continued for centuries.
When the Irish people started settling in America, they brought those traditions with them. Over time, the Halloween tradition and symbols modified to what they are today. The belief in the evil spirits has been eliminated, but the spirit of Halloween lives on.
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