The word Halloween or Hallowe'en dates to the eighth century. The word ( Hallowe'en ) means ( holy evening ) or ( hallowed evening ). It comes from a Scottish term for ( All Hallows' Eve ). In Scots, the word "eve" is even, and this is contracted to ( e'en or een ) Over time.
Halloween’s origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain .The Celts, who lived 2000 years ago in the area that is now The United Kingdom, Ireland and northern France, celebrated their new year on one November .
This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the, cold winter. for the Celts, the day ended and began at sunset; thus the festival began on the evening before 1 November.
Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the border between the worlds of the living and the dead thinned, at this time the ghosts of the dead returned to earth and they could walk among the living.
It was believed that the otherworldly spirits causing trouble, so they needed to be propitiated to ensure that the people and their livestock, crops survived the winter. Offerings of food and drink, or portions of the crops, were left outside for the otherworldly spirits.
In addition to Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future, especially regarding death and marriage.
The souls of the dead were also said to revisit their homes at this night . So places were set at the dinner table and by the fire to welcome them.
During the celebration, the Celts "wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins. this involved people going house-to-house in disguise, usually reciting songs and verses in exchange for food. This all gives reasons why dressing up like ghosts and demons, people could avoid being possessed.
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