Haunted History of Halloween - HISTORY

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

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

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

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

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.

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

Primal Fear suggsts why people like to be scared.

Witches were perceived as evil beings by early Christians in Europe, inspiring the iconic Halloween figure.