To trace its very early beginnings though we must go to celtic Ireland in the 5th century BC. There the end of summer was on October 31st. People believed that on this day, the spirits of those who had died the previous year would come back looking for living bodies. In order to scare the spirits away, the people would dress up in scary costumes and go thru the village making noise and trouble.

Irish immigrants brought Halloween to America in the 1840's when they came here because of the great potatoe famine.

Trick or treating comes from 9th century Europeans. On All Hallows Eve, people would walk from village to village, begging for pieces of bread with currants on top called soul cakes. For every soul cake they recieved they would promise to say a prayer for the doner's deceased loved ones.

Jack-o-Lanterns come from an old Irish folktale. Jack was a drunk and a trick player. One day he tricked the devil into climbing a tree. Then he put a cross on the tree so that the devil couldn't come down. He made a deal with the devil that he would move the cross if the devil would never tempt him again.