I'm sure (most of you) recognize this song. It's finally fall, and what does that mean? Halloween, which is my favorite time of year. From candy to costumes to ghost stories, Halloween is a day to be someone you're not and try to scare people. We love the thrill of it, but what made modern-day Halloween, well, modern-day Halloween? There are three stages in the development of Halloween: Samhain (pronounced "sow"), All Hallow's Eve, and Halloween. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essay To begin with, Halloween dates back about 2,000 years to the Celts of Europe who occupied parts of Ireland, UK and North. France. It was a pagan festival called Samhain (meaning the end of summer in garlic) that celebrated honoring the dead and involved sacrifices of crops and animals. There is no original written documentation of this festival from the ancient Celts today, but there is a reference to this festival in Roman records dating from the time the Romans conquered the Celtic lands around 43 AD. The festival would take place around November 1st. Although no direct connection has been made between Halloween and Samhain, but because Samhain and All Hallow's Eve are so close on the calendar, many scholars believe that they influenced each other and then combined to create Halloween. Second, around 600 AD, Pope Boniface IV created All Saints' Day, which honors saints and martyrs. This day was created to give Christians who did not want to celebrate a pagan holiday something that had positive spiritual value. With the expansion of Christianity in Europe, All Saints' Day became the dominant holiday. All Hallows' Eve was called All Hallow's Evening (which was later shortened to All Hallow's Eve or All Hallow's Even and changed over time to Halloween.) In 1000 AD, the church made November 2 the All Soul's Day, which was a day to honor the dead. It is widely believed that the Church simply wanted to replace the Celtic festival with something of the same kind, simply sanctioned by the Church. This day was celebrated with large bonfires, parades and disguises of saints, angels and devils. (Sound familiar?) Finally, Halloween has come to America. Celebration of the holiday was extremely limited in New England due to rigid Protestant beliefs, but it was common in Maryland and the southern states. As the cultures of different European ethnic groups and those of the American Indians mixed, a uniquely American version of Halloween emerged. Early American celebrations included "Play Parties", which are public events held to celebrate the harvest, where neighbors would tell ghost stories, tell fortunes, dance, and sing. In the second half of the 19th century, America was flooded with immigrants who helped popularize the celebration of Halloween nationwide. It's when we dress up in costumes and go from house to house asking for food or money. In the late 1800s, people wanted Halloween to be about family and community rather than ghosts and witches. By the late 1920s and 1930s, Halloween had become a secular but communal holiday, and by the 1950s, Halloween had become a holiday aimed at children. Today, Americans spend approximately $6 billion a year,!