halloween



Having a look at our school you can all guess that Halloween is near.
As you have learnt on October 31st, we celebrate Halloween,thought to be the one night of the year when ghosts, witches, and fairies are especially active.
Why do we celebrate Halloween?
The easy answer to this question is that no one really knows the origins of Halloween.
What we do know for sure is that Halloween is on the eve of a major Catholic festival, All Saints (1st November) and the eve of the pagan Celtic festival known as Samhain.
The three days between 31st October and 2nd November see pagan and Christian celebrations intertwined in a fascinating way and is a perfect example of superstition struggling with religious belief.
Currently, it is widely thought that Halloween originated as a pagan Celtic festival of the dead related to the Irish and Scottish Samhain, but there is no evidence that it was connected with the dead in pre-Christian times.

All Saints Day - 1 November


Another name for All Saints Day is 'All Hallows' (hallow is an archaic English word for 'saint'). The festival began on All Hallows Eve, the last night of October

Where does the name Halloween originate from?
Halloween comes from All Hallow Even, the eve (night before) All Hallows day. Therefore, Halloween is the eve of All Saint's Day
Traditions and Superstitions of Halloween
So why do we do what we do on Halloween in England?
Facts about Halloween