Halloween was originally celebrated by the Druids of Celtic as an end of summer and honoring the dead. It was the Celtic end of year. Halloween is a Pagan (non-believers/primitive) festival which was used by St.Patrick and others to convert native people to Christianity. Instead of eradicating pagan practices such as Halloween or Samhain, the holiday was used with Christian twist to bring paganism into Christian fold and making it easier for locals to convert to the state religion.
The early Irish brought it to America. It was commercialized by America and used as a weapon against the Non-believers. The next day after Halloween is called All Saints Day. The beliefs behind the custom-immortality of soul, purgatory and prayers for dead are deep rooted in the celebration! The Celts believed the souls of the dead roamed the streets and villages at night. Since not all spirits were thought to be friendly, gifts and treats were left out to pacify the evil and ensure next year's crops would be plentiful. The custom evolved as trick-or-treating.
The early Irish brought it to America. It was commercialized by America and used as a weapon against the Non-believers. The next day after Halloween is called All Saints Day. The beliefs behind the custom-immortality of soul, purgatory and prayers for dead are deep rooted in the celebration! The Celts believed the souls of the dead roamed the streets and villages at night. Since not all spirits were thought to be friendly, gifts and treats were left out to pacify the evil and ensure next year's crops would be plentiful. The custom evolved as trick-or-treating.
Now it is used in schools all over the world to do the same! I don't know how it creeped into the schools in India which seems to be a very recent practice by the evangelical missionaries.
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