Halloween is pretty much an American holiday, which is slowly making inroads into the cultures of many other western countries.  According to Wikipedia, it “originated under a different name ("samhain") as a Pagan festival among the Celts of Ireland and Great Britain, with mainly Irish and Scots and other immigrants transporting versions of the tradition to North America in the nineteenth century. Most other Western countries have embraced Halloween as a part of American pop culture in the late twentieth century.”

“Halloween or Hallowe'en is a tradition celebrated on the night of October 31, most notably by children dressing in costumes and going door-to-door collecting sweets, fruit, and other gifts. Apart from this trick-or-treating, there are many other traditional Halloween activities. Some of these include costume parties, watching horror films, going to "haunted" houses, and traditional autumn activities such as hayrides,” and bobbing for apples,

It was one of my favorite holidays when I was a child, and remains so for most children.  What’s not to love–costumes, mischief, scary stories, and lots of free candy?

In our family, Halloween is celebrated by carving jack-o-lanterns from pumpkins, dressing up in costumes, and trick-or-treating.  On the following pages are a few photos of my nieces and nephews, and even a few Halloweens abroad.