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Samhain, the first quarter in the Gaelic calendar, is celebrated on October 31st as a festival. They believed that passing souls visited them on this night.
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Samhain began to look very similar to modern day Halloween. It involved people going door to door in Ireland and Scotland, dressed in costume, reciting verses in exchange for food. It was popular to carve mummies into turnips and use that for lanterns.
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Allhallowtide (consisting of three days- All Hallow's Eve, All Saints' Day, and All Souls Day) was a common and nearly obligatory holiday in Europe. It was an event when people dressed in all black and received "soul cakes" to mourn the dead. Peasants went door to door, begging for food in return for prayers.
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People continued to go door to door, singing songs for food. It was very common to try to imitate evil spirits. During this time, the word "Halloween" began to be referenced in poems.
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Many people in Ireland and Scotland migrated to America in the 1800's, bringing with them the ideas and influences of Halloween.
