ByStephanie MartinManaging Editor
Demons and fairies and ghosts -- oh my! In a tradition that datesback more than 1,000 years, the Halloween that we know today is notnearly the same holiday it was back then.
Halloween or "All Hallows Eve" has its origins in the Catholicchurch since the day immediately following (Nov.1) was "All HallowsDay" or "All Saints Day."
But for the Celts, a rural European society, it was the end ofsummer and a new year. The holiday was called Samhain.
Samhain was also know as the Feast of the Dead. It was a day whenghosts of dead ancestors could revisit the Earth and join theirfamilies in a feast.
Legend has it
There are conflicting stories about the origins oftrick-or-treating. In one story it is said the villagers, who werefearful of being visited by spirits of the dead, would dress up incostumes to scare the spirits away. And in case that didn't work,they would leave offerings of food or other treats on their doorstepsalong with a jack-o'-lantern.
The Celts believed there were fairy hills where tricky fairieslived. On Halloween, the fairies would sometimes trick people intodisappearing in the fairy mounds forever.
Fairies weren't the only ones out and about that night playingtricks. It was a night of mischief where everyone played jokes on oneanother by dressing up as fairies to beg for treats. Those who leftnothing would have practical jokes played on them.
Another tale says that trick-or-treating began with a medievalEuropean custom called souling -- a way to get soul's into heaven. OnNov. 2, All Souls Day, Christians walked around begging for squarepieces of bread with currants. With the "soul cakes" they receivedfrom donors, beggars would pray for the souls of the dead relativesdonors to get to heaven.
Jack-o'-lanterns
How did we get jack-o'-lanterns? There's an old Irish tale about aman named Stingy Jack who was a drunkard and made a deal with theDevil when he got stuck up a tree.
When Jack died he was denied admittance into heaven and was leftwandering the Earth. All he had to light his way was lit coal, whichhe put into a hollowed turnip he was eating -- hence the name"jack-o'-lantern".
In 1845 the Irish Potato Famine brought about 700,000 immigrantsto America, while fleeing the famine in their country. The immigrantsbrought with them their customs and turnips. Eventually they adoptedthe pumpkins we use today.
2000 trends
Since coming to the states, the popularity of Halloween hasretailers working overtime. According to the National RetailFederation, Halloween has become a $6.8-billion industry.
And grown ups still love it. The 2000 American Express RetailIndex survey found that two-thirds of adults celebrate it and 82percent give treats.
What's the most popular treat? For the second year in a row,Snickers is the most popular chocolate treat. Other favoritetooth-decayers include lollipops, gum and Skittles.
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