Halloween wasn’t always about costumes and candy. Long before it became of night of playful fright, it was a seasonal celebration steeped in ritual, community and the supernatural.   “You can really see continuities in ritual practice, from dressing up, to trickery and even house parties,” says history professor Megan Armstrong.    With origins in the British Isles and ties to Christian observances, Armstrong says Halloween’s journey to North America reflects centuries of cultural transformation.   Where do the origins of Halloween come from, and how did it evolve into the celebration we know today? We can trace the practice of Halloween back to at least the 14th or 15th century in England, but its roots go even further. If we think of Halloween as a layered festival, like an archaeological dig, it has deep Celtic, pagan origins and likely began as a harvest celebration.  It emerged from the British Isles, particularly the Celtic regions like Scotland, Ireland and Wales. It marked the end of the season of fruitfulness and the beginning of winter. October 31 was a transitional moment, symbolizing a shift from life and fertility to death – a reflection of the cycle of life.   As Christianity spread through the British Isles, Halloween became infused with Christian meanings. From the 7th century onward, it became associated with All Saints Day (Nov. 1) and later All Souls Day (Nov. 2). These were more somber occasions introduced by the Church: All Saints Day was established by Pope Gregory IV to honor early Christian martyrs, and All Souls Day, added in the 10th century, was meant to commemorate all the dead.  Halloween evolved alongside these Christian festivals, but it remained distinct. It was never truly a Christian holiday. It was more of a cultural one.  How did Halloween become associated with magic, the supernatural and the occult? By the 16th century in England, Halloween had come to occupy a space that blurred the boundaries between this world and the next. It wasn’t just a transition from life to death, but a time when the living and the dead could coexist and interact. That sense of ambiguity and possibility opened the door to magic and the supernatural.    The Celtic festival most closely linked to it is Samhain, which marked the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter. People told stories of giants trampling fields, mischievous fairies (sídhe) and spirits roaming freely. It was a night of enchantment and risk where magic wasn’t just imagined but also felt.  Halloween’s association with magic and the occult stems from this ancient belief that, for one night, the wall between worlds came down. People felt they could engage directly with forces beyond the natural world – both beautiful and terrifying.  Candles burning in a forest.  By the 16th century in England, Halloween had come to occupy a space that blurred the boundaries between this world and the...