Halloween Holiday

Halloween is the second largest commercial holiday in America today. In the colonial times, Protestantism in New England never allowed Halloween to evolve as a great festive event. But with the advent of the European immigrants to America there came varied Halloween customs to the American land. The beliefs and practices of the different ethnic groups mixed with the American Indian cultural practices and the American Halloween attained the distinct American flavor.

Annual autumn celebrations had become common in several parts of America by the mid-nineteenth century but Halloween festival celebrations were not common even then. People used to gather and share stories of the dead, indulge in fortune-telling, sing and dance and make mischief as a part of the celebrations. Read further to explore information about the evolution of Halloween holiday...

In the second half of the nineteenth century, America became the home of more new immigrants. These immigrants were mostly the Irish people fleeing from Ireland's potato famine of 1846. Following the Irish and English traditions, Americans started dressing up in weird costumes and visit the neighboring houses asking for food, ale and money. This gave rise to the "trick-or-treat" tradition of the modern days.