Halloween or Hallowe'en is the name of a popular celebration of pre-Christian origin, now typically American and Canadian, which is celebrated on the evening of 31 October. However, its ancient origins lie in the distant past of the European tradition: when it goes back to the tribal people used to divide the year into two parts according to the transhumance of livestock. Between October and November, in preparation the land to winter, it was necessary to shelter the cattle in a confined space to ensure its survival in the cold season: this is the period of Halloween.
In Europe, the recurrence is common with the Celts. These people celebrating the end of summer with Samhain, their New Year. In Old Irish Samain means "late summer" (Sam, summer, and Fuin, end). In the evening all households, were extinguished and rekindled by the Druids who went from house to house with torches at the fire sacred OILSTONES Tlachtga located near the Royal Hill of Tara.
The circular dimension of the cyclic-time feature of Celtic culture, Samhain was at a point outside the temporal dimension that belonged neither old nor the new year, at which time the veil that separated from the land of the living dead narrowed and could access it.
The Celts did not fear for their dead and left their food on the table as a sign of welcome for those who did visit the living. Hence the custom of trick-or-treat (in Italian "trick or treat?"). In addition to not fear the spirits of the dead, the Celts did not believe in demons but rather in fairies and the elves, however, both considered dangerous creatures: the first for a supposed grudge against humans, the latter to the extreme differences that exist precisely than man. According to legend, these creatures on the night of Samhain used to make jokes too dangerous to men and this has led to the creation and perpetuation of many other horror stories.
is perhaps linked to this tradition today and the most recent for which children, dressed as witches, zombies, ghosts and vampires knock on the door screaming with a threatening tone: "Trick or treat?". To ward off bad luck, it is also necessary to knock on 13 different ports. The name "Halloween" derives from "All Hallows Eve", which means precisely "Eve of All Saints", hence "Eve of the Feast of All Saints", a holiday that occurs, in fact, on 1 November. Since the figure of "Saints" is back to Druidic religion, another etymon could be "All Allows even", meaning "the night when everything is permitted", including the dead who come from the tombs to visit the living.