[Lee Stewart]

The roots of trick-or-treating go back more than 2,000 years to the Ancient Celts. They celebrated a pagan festival called Samhain on November 1 that marked the end of the harvest season. The night before, they believed the dead returned as ghosts, so they left food and wine on their doorsteps to appease them. In the 8th century, the Christian church replaced Sahmain with All Saints Day, a.k.a., All Hallows. The night before — October 31 — came to be known as All Hallow's Eve, which then, of course, became Halloween.