The History of Halloween: Where It All Started
On Halloween night the eerie leafless trees seem to be reaching for us as we pass by. The spooky jack-o-lanterns sit and watch us with conspiring smirks from every doorstep. 
Everything around us has a ghostly, peculiar appearance and the entire natural world seems to be part of the scheme. Yet, we find Halloween night irresistible and kids anticipate its advent with unrivaled excitement every year. However, most people don’t really know the origin of the holiday.
Believe it or not, the roots of Halloween or “hallow-even” started in Ireland by the Gaelic culture to commemorate the close of the harvest season. It was regarded as the “Celtic New Year” and involved a traditional festival filled with costumes, bonfires, fireworks, and food. They enjoyed customary treats such as the Barnbrack which is basically fruit-filled bread and Colcannon, a boiled potato and kale dish. However, this bread was also regarded as a fun fortune-telling game since it was baked with different items inside such as a thimble, a rag, a ring, or a coin. If you were the person who received the thimble you wouldn’t find love, if you found the rag you were destined to be poor, if you were the lucky one to get the ring then romance was in your future, and of course the coin denoted wealth.
They also participated in an ancient day trick-or-treat; however it was more of an opportunity for the poor children to knock on the doors of the wealthy and ask for food or money to bring back to the celebration. 
They played festive games such as “snap apple” which was probably the original version of what we know as “bobbing for apples”. Although, instead of the apples floating in water, they were suspended from a string and blinded folded children took their chances to grab a bite and claim their reward. However, their celebratory activities had a purpose; they believed that on this one night the boundary between the living and the spiritual world was non-existent. Therefore the ghoulish costumes and out of the ordinary activities were really intended to appease the lost souls who may be wondering the earth’s surface looking for revenge via crop damage, illness, or other misfortunes.
Later, the Irish brought their interesting legends to other parts of the Western world when the migrated out of Ireland. Scotland, England, Austria, New Zealand, China, Sweden, Mexico, and other regions all have some version of Halloween as well. Americans and Canadian began joining the traditions around the late 18th century and have continued ever since. Of course, the American version mainly consists of dressing up in costumes and collecting candy from door to door. Although, some are more committed than others with adorned front yards boasting various disturbing displays, while the host is disguised as time-honored Halloween characters (witches, mummies, vampires, etc.) to hand out candy. Regardless, it certainly isn’t as acknowledged as it still is in Ireland today. The Irish children are given the week off from school and still engage in the folklore that began the holiday many years ago. In fact, some visit Ireland during this particular time of year to take part in their tradition and witness the authenticity of the event.
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