One of the national festivals of english-speaking countries is halloween. it takes place on october 31 on allhallow’s eve. it is widely believed that many halloween traditions originated from celtic harvest festivals which may have pagan roots, particularly the gaelic festival samhain, and that this festival was christianized as halloween.halloween activities include trick-or-treating, attending halloween costume parties, decorating, carving pumpkins into jack-o'-lanterns, lighting bonfires, apple bobbing and divination games, playing pranks, visiting haunted attractions, telling scary stories and watching horror films. in many parts of the world, the christian religious observances of all hallows' eve, including attending church services and lighting candles on the graves of the dead, remain popular, although elsewhere it is a more commercial and secular celebration.the traditions and importance of halloween vary greatly among countries that observe it. in scotland and ireland, traditional halloween customs include children dressing up in costume going "guising", holding parties, while other practices in ireland include lighting bonfires, and having firework displays. in brittany children would play practical jokes by setting candles inside skulls in graveyards to frighten visitors. mass transatlantic immigration in the 19th century popularized halloween in north america, and celebration in the united states and canada has had a significant impact on how the event is observed in other nations.
