Hunting down the haunting

The spooky occasion is knocking at the door. Halloween - All Hallows' Eve - is on 31 October. The festival is celebrated with much gusto in many parts of the world, and our country is slowly but surely catching on.

Back from the dead
This spooky (or rather cute and joyous, depending on how you observe it) affair has ancient origins. It was a festival of the dead, called 'Samhain', observed by the Celtic people who were once found all over Europe.
According to their calendar, the year began on the date that corresponds to 1 November of the Gregorian calendar. It also marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter (Samhain means “summer's end”). The people believed that this transition was also a period when the worlds of the living and the dead overlapped and that the dead come to haunt the living. The rituals performed were based on this belief.

Trick or treat?
These ancient rituals and traditions have been carried down throughout centuries and across many borders, with a significant evolution over the ages.   

For example, the idea of dressing up in costumes came from the Celtic people's idea of disguising themselves in ways that the dead would mistakenly think that they were ghosts too and cause no harm to them. Today, children and adults have costume parties on Halloween, with outfits ranging from scary ghosts to superhero suits.  
Meanwhile the popular trick-or-treat resembles the late medieval practice of 'souling', where a group of poor people would go from door to door, asking for food in return for prayers for the dead. On the other hand, the Celtics also used to put food and wine outside their door in order to appease the spirits.
There are many theories about how the 'Jack-o-lanterns' came about. Carving gourds to make lanterns goes back several centuries, and it is believed that Jack-o-lanterns during Halloween were initially used in Ireland and some parts of Scotland.

From ghosts and ghouls to costumes and candy
Today, Halloween is big business. Here’s something really scary -- the National Retail Federation, the world's largest retail trade association, is expecting Americans to spend a staggering $7.4 billion for this year's Halloween. Out of this pie, a slice worth $2.5 billion goes to the candy market. Another slice, comprising of children's costumes, covers $1.1 billion.
And how can we forget our truly beloved pets? Americans are forecasted to spend a whopping $350 million on Halloween costumes for their pets. These statistics simply show people's love and zeal for this festival.
Halloween fever has also caught on in our country -- although still not to a very significant extent. A few schools prepare themselves for the festival, and many hotels have parties lined up. And indeed many families, especially those with children, observe Halloween with small costume parties, complete with the holiday recipes associated with it in the West and children's games.