Have you ever wondered where and why Halloween originated? As we enter October, the spookier month, it’s nice to learn the origin of the widespread holiday. Halloween is celebrated every year on October 31, and this year, in 2024, it will fall on a Thursday. This holiday originated with an ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, during which people would light bonfires and wear costumes supposed to scare off ghosts. The evening before Halloween was known as All Hallows Eve, which later became what we now know as Halloween. Over the years, Halloween’s activities have evolved to include carving pumpkins, dressing up in costumes, festivals, and trick-or-treating. Americans began dressing up in costumes and going to houses asking for food and money, which evolved into trick-or-treating with candy between 1920 and 1950 because it was an inexpensive way for the whole community to participate in the Halloween celebration. Black cats are associated with Halloween due to beliefs dating back to the Middle Ages when many people thought that witches avoided being found or discovered by turning themselves into black cats. It is estimated that Americans spend 6 billion dollars on Halloween each year, making it the country’s second-largest celebrated holiday.