Halloween

Halloween is a festival that takes place on October 31. In the USA, children wear halloween costumes or masks and go from door to door saying "trick or treat" which is the main activity on Halloween day. Some children trick or treat for UNICEF also. They collect money for the agency in official orange and black cartoons. UNICEF uses the money to provide food, medical care, and other services for poor children throughout the world. For safety reason, younger trick-or-treaters should be accompanied by an adult. Children should visit only homes in their neighborhood. Many parents allow their children to eat only packaged candy. Some communities set aside certain hours for trick-or-treating so that people can prepare for the children.

The other thing you can find on Halloween day is Jack-o'-Lanterns which are carved and hollowed out of pumpkins with a face cut into one side. Most of them contain a candle or some other light. According to an Irish legend, jack-o'-lanterns were named for a man called Jack, who could not enter heaven because he was a miser. He could not enter hell either, because he had played jokes on the devil. As a result, Jack had to walk the earth with his lantern until Judgement Day.
What a terrible story...

From its origin, Halloween developed from ancient new year festivals and festivals of the dead. In the800's, the church established All Saints' Day on November 1 so that people could continue a festival they had celebrated becoming Christians. The Mass that was said on this day was called Allhallowmas. The evening before become known as All Hallow e'en, or Halloween.