Five Fun Facts About Word Halloween

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Halloween or All-Hallows-Eve takes place on the night of 31 October in anticipation of All-Hallows-Day (1st November). 

  1. Hallow is the old English word for saint.
  2. Halloween is a Scottish variation dating back to the 1700s. The 'een' suffix is a contraction of 'evening'. 'Hallowed evening' or 'holy evening' was later understood to mean eve or 'night before' as with Christmas Eve 
  3. Although halloween was imported to the US by British and Irish immigrants, until recently it had a higher profile in America. This is partly because the celebration of Halloween was associated with Catholicism in Britain and Ireland. The more popular commemoration in England was Guy Fawkes Day on November 5, marking the gunpowder plot
  4. All Hallows Day is now called All-Saints-Day in the Catholic calendar. This commemorates Christian martyrs
       
  5. All Souls Day follows on 2 November. On All Souls Day Catholics pray for the 'souls of the (faithful) departed'.

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    Halloween FAQ - brief history of Halloween customs - free 3 min read

    Halloween often features in Victorian ghost stories. Read and/or listen to E. Nesbit’s ‘Man-Made-in-Marble’ retold here.