![October 31 is Halloween that is celebrated by many [Image: commons.wikimedia.org]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2017/10/31/660x290/b_502x220x82/october-31-is-halloween-that-is-celebrated-by-many-image-commonswikimediaorg_1665085.jpg "October 31 is Halloween that is celebrated by many [Image: commons.wikimedia.org]")
Today is the last day of October, and a lot of people know what that means. October 31 is celebrated by some as Halloween. That is the unofficial secular holiday when people dress up in costumes that have changed over the years. Costumes used to be witches and scary creatures. Now the popular costumes are superheroes and celebrities. In fact, some celebrities are dressing up as other popular celebrities. For instance, Kim Kardashian West dressed up as Cher.
Origin of Halloween
Halloween can be traced back to an ancient Celtic pagan festival that was celebrated over 2,000 years ago.
The Celtics celebrated the ending of one year on October 31. They considered it a time for the dead to walk the face of the earth one last time before the new year came in on November 1. That's why people dress up on the night before the new year. The idea is to allow the spirits of the dead to walk free to do damage to the living.
It was traditional for the Celts to ward off the evil spirits and to prevent them from doing evil to their family and their crops. They did this by building big bonfires and leaving food outside their houses for the spirits. They wore costumes and masks so the dead wouldn't know who they were.
Halloween today
It is so unfortunate that many people celebrate Halloween without knowing why they are celebrating it.
Perhaps if they knew the origin of the holiday, they would skip the celebration altogether.
Today, Halloween is a big holiday, especially for celebrities. Most of the television shows pay tribute to the day. The sets have been decorated, and the hosts dress up in costumes during their broadcasts. In the United States this year, people have spent $9.1 billion.
This is the highest amount that has ever been spent on the occasion.
People who celebrate
It has been estimated that about seven out of 10 people in the United States celebrate the occasion with their family and pets. The average person spends $86.13 to have a good time. Over 40 million children will dress up and go out to trick-or-treat.
According to the National Retail Federation, people spent $2.7 billion this year on candy and treats so they will not be tricked by the people who come around expecting it.
Some Christians do not participate at all in Halloween because of it being a pagan holiday. They do not dress up in demonic costumes or give out candy to keep evil spirits away from them. Instead, some churches have activities for their children which is patterned after Halloween which is still patterned after the Celtic's pagan holiday.
