Informative Essay On Why Halloween Is Important Today

As October 31st slowly approaches, both kids and adults alike are getting ready for Halloween. The final touches are being made to costumes and they are making sure the candy bowls are filled to the brim with candy for the trick or treaters. This year alone it is expected that consumers are going to spend about 9.1 billion dollars on Halloween alone. Halloween is one of the oldest holidays that are still celebrated today but many people do not know why we put on costumes and walk the streets to collect candy. The reason why we celebrate Halloween is important to know because it is such a beloved holiday with an interesting history. The Halloween we know today started in Ireland by Celtic farmers. At the end of harvest season the Celtics would ask their priest known as a druid, to pray for them because winter was a harsh season. The
Pagans, like the Celtics, were people who worshipped natural spirits and were not a part of any formal religion. At this time Christians believed that all the natural forces that were worshipped by the pagans were actually evil demonic beings. When Christianity rose, missionaries were sent out to “save” thousands of pagan souls across Europe and turn them into Christians. Many of the missionaries realized that the pagan cultural traditions, such as Samhain, were so deeply instilled and was difficult to wipe out. The Christians ended up twisting some of these traditions and sanctifying them in order to appeal to the pagans. By the 8th century, Pope Gregory the third turned Samhain into a day of the church. November 1st was declared as All Saints Day also known as All Hallows Day. All Hallows eve is where the name we know today, Halloween is derived from. There were still many pagans who would carry on the beliefs of Samhain, dressing in the costumes and putting out the offerings for the souls of the dead but now under the name of Halloween instead of