Dating back thousands of years, to Pagan times Halloween can be traced back to a festival of the celtic people who populated Britain, Ireland and Northern France.  Pre-dating christianity, this celtic festival marked the transition from the spring and summer seasons of life, growth and warmth to the colder, darker winter, essentially symbolising a transition from the world of the living to the world of the…dead!  They believed Oct 31st marked the night when the mortal world would be revisited by the dead.  In response Celtic Priests, the Druids, would light bonfires to ward off evil sprirts.  Today there are many theories that the standing stones at Stonehenge are related to the ancient celts and particularly the Druid Priesthood.

It is believed the festival continued in some form after the invasion of Britain by the Romans in 43AD although over the course of several hundred years it adopted some characteristics from the Roman traditions and celebrations including a the tradtion of “bobbing for apples” which is still a popular game played by children in the UK today.

Following the Romans in the 5th century the germanic clans of the Saxons invaded pushing the celtic peoples to the north and western extremes of Britain including Scotland, Wales and Cornwall.    And shortly after this the Christian religion was introduced to Britain and imposed upon much of its people.  The Christian festival of “All Hallows Day” which traditionally remembered those who had died for their beliefs, was moved from May to Nov 1st to coincide with Pagan festival and help assimilate the Pagan people in to Christianity.  The Pagan night therefore became All Hallows Even which over the centuries became Halloween.

As with many other countries, modern day Halloween is still widely celebrated.  Excited groups of children take to the streets to “Trick or Treat” namely dressing as skeletons, witches, ghosts, vampires and other creepy characters.  They wander from house to house demanding sweets and treats.  Others have Halloween parties, again involving scary costume, and the telling of ghost stories by candle light.  Some games are played including bobbing for apples where children dunk there heads in to a bowl of water to fish for floating apples with their mouths.  And of course, as in many other countries, children here hollow out pumpkins, cutting faces in to the side and lighting them with candles.