Halloween's Origins - HISTORY

Timothy Dickinson gives his take on one of our most popular holidays.

FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate.

RELATED CONTENT

In this History Channel video clip we learn about the New York Village Halloween Parade. Much preparation goes into making all the costumes for the parade through the work of volunteers. The costumes are gigantic paper mache constructions that can take months to build.

Halloween was originally called Samhain and marked the end of the harvest season for Celtic farmers.

Halloween's commercialization in the United States began in the early 20th century.

Primal Fear suggests two functions of the facial expression of fear.

Primal Fear suggsts why people like to be scared.

Pirates have hunted ships' bounty for as long as sailors have charted the open seas.