Halloween (All Hallows' Eve) · Halovin

Culture of origin: Christian · Cultural

Holiday sources: Australia (national) · Canada (federal) · Christianity · France · Germany (nationwide) · United Kingdom (England and Wales) · United States (federal)

Halloween, from All Hallows' Eve, is the evening before All Saints' Day and opens Allhallowtide, the days for remembering the saints and the dead. Its customs include costumes, trick-or-treating from door to door, carving jack-o'-lanterns, bonfires and ghost stories. Scholars debate whether they come from the Gaelic festival of Samhain or began as a Christian vigil. Irish and Scottish emigrants brought it to North America, from where it spread around the world.