History of Halloween: From its beginnings to today

Donning costumes, carving jack-o’-lanterns and making offerings in exchange for treats have been part of Halloween celebrations for centuries. But the costumes weren’t always cute. The jack-o’-lanterns weren’t always carved out of pumpkins. And the treats weren’t always candy.

Try our quiz to learn about the history of Halloween and how it evolved to become the holiday we know and love today. As a "treat," you’ll get to test your knowledge of English grammar and syntax at the same time: it’s a Halloween two-for-one!

1. Halloween can trace its origins to the festival called Samhain, celebrated about 2,000 years ago.

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ancient Celtic

2. A number of Samhain customs dressing up, became the precursors to modern Halloween traditions.

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such as

3. By 43 CE, the Romans most of the Celtic territory, and rituals from Roman festivals then became part of Samhain celebrations.

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4. By the 9th century, All Hallows’ Day was later called All Saints’ Day, fell on November 1, and Samhain came to be known as All Hallows’ Eve.

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5. "Souling" and "guising" considered to be early forms of trick-or-treating that became popular All Hallows’ Eve traditions.

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6. Irish and Scottish immigrants started coming to North America in large numbers in the mid-1800s introduced Halloween to Canada.

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7. Following the arrival of Irish and Scottish immigrants, Halloween traditions of carving jack-o’-lanterns and dressing up began to evolve and catch on in Canada.

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8. By the 1920s, trick-or-treating had become common in Canada; , it wasn’t until the 1950s that it began to evolve into the tradition we know today.

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9. Since the 1950s, Halloween traditions both new and have become increasingly commercial.

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10. Today, Halloween is tremendously popular, and with costumes available for our tiny tots and furry four-legged friends, no one in the family left out of the fun!

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