All Hallow's Eve, October 31, is the eve of All Saints' Day. Although Halloween means "holy" or "hallowed" evening, the evening preceding all Saints' Day was actually a pagan celebration. It began in the 7th or 8th century after the spread of Christianity when saints were honored on All Saints' Day. The original Druidic holiday, Samhain, began many hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus. Enemies of the church made fun of Christians by worshipping the devil on Halloween.
 

The Druids (members of a Celtic religious order) celebrated their New Year's Eve on October 31. They believed in the supernatural and tried to placate the Lord of Death. They lit bonfires to honor the sun god and frighten away evil spirits. The Druids also believed that witches rode on broomsticks and that ghosts caused supernatural happenings.
 

The custom of celebrating Halloween was brought to the New World by Gaelic immigrants. Today's celebration follows ancient customs involving a combination of Druid practices and other religious beliefs. The Jack-o-Lantern originated with an Irishman named Jack who loved to play pranks on the Devil. Legend is that he was made to wander the world carrying a lantern to show him the way, going to neither heaven nor hell. Hollowed out pumpkins with candles lighted inside were supposed to scare evil spirits away. "Trick-or-treating" was initiated by the Irish when farmers would go from house to house to collect food for the village.
 

Today, Halloween has become a multi-million dollar costume business. Generally, on this children's holiday, children dress up and go from house to house for candy (although, adults have been known to also dress up, get drunk and make fools of themselves). Harmless pranks are pulled on neighbors or friends. Many communities are now hosting structured activities or parties in order to keep pranks from turning into destructive outings.