1). Trick-or-Treating

Trick-or-treating has been a tradition in America for over a century. Its origins are debated but they can be traced back to ancient Celtic festivals, early Roman Catholic holidays , medieval practices and British politics. Trick-or-treating happens on October 31st, usually in the evening,  where children, or anyone can dress up in their best costumes and walk around a neighborhood knocking on people’s doors while saying “trick-or-treat” and get candy in return. 

2). Pumpkin Carving

The carving of pumpkins may have originated from Ireland where they carved faces into vegetables like turnips. Some believed that they did this to ward off evil spirits. When Irish immigrants moved to the U.S. they began carving pumpkins since pumpkins were more abundant in the U.S.  

3). Wearing Costumes

One theory of the origin of wearing halloween costumes is that it originated with the Celtics celebrating Samhain, a pagan holiday, which marked the beginning of winter. During that time it was believed that, that was the time where the veil between the dead and the living was the thinnest, so people would wear disguises to ward off the evil spirits. Nowadays people no longer wear costumes to ward off evil spirits, but more so as a way to express themselves by dressing up as their favorite character. 

4). Going to Haunted Houses

The tradition of going to haunted houses came from communities having activities to keep their kids busy during that time of year, so they used haunted houses as one way to do that. Since then it has become a popular attraction in America with hundreds of haunted houses over the U.S.