Halloween is a holiday that most people look forward to. People get to dress up as their favorite characters and have fun. Children get free candy, and adults can throw parties and binge scary movies.

“I love the opportunity to pretend to be something different from what I am normally,” said teacher Brooke Blair.

Halloween takes place October 31. The holiday has evolved from All Hallow’s Day, a celebration of remembering the deceased, including saints and loved ones. It has also taken inspiration from the Celtic festival of Samhain, a celebration of the harvest and a time where the dead could visit the living. Now, it is a day celebrating horror and the macabre and disturbing.

The holiday has evolved from a myriad of cultures and traditions including Christianity and Gaelic paganism.

Originating in Celtic communities such as Ireland and Scotland, the jack-o’-lantern is a staple of Halloween. The first jack-o’-lanterns were made out of carved root vegetables and were believed to ward off evil spirits.

Additionally, the tradition of wearing costumes was seen as far back as 1890 in Scotland, where people would wear “false faces” or masks. These masks were used as protection against evil spirits who roamed the earth during Samhain.

The act of trick-or-treating is thought to have originated in the Christian church with the act of “mumming,” where people would dress up and parade around the town, entering homes to dance or play games. It is also believed that the tradition may have also evolved from “souling,” where people would go around asking for soul cakes in exchange for prayers.

Halloween became popular after the mass immigration of Irish and Scottish people to North America. The holiday was then adopted by the Americans, who commercialized it. Halloween is now considered one of the most popular holidays in the country.