All Hallows Eve, popularly known as Halloween, is an annual holiday celebrated on October 31.
The origins of Halloween are said to be in the Celtic festival of Samhain, where people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts.
The day is mainly to honour and pray to the dead and ward off any evil. The Celts held holy bonfires and offered sacrifices to the Celtic Gods for protection during the long, dark winter.
Initially held as a solemn occasion, Halloween has evolved into a more celebratory pop culture festival. Today, Halloween is a favourite among children and adults alike. Trick or treat, carving jack-o-lanterns, costume parties, spooky campfire stories, horror movie marathons, these are the popular ways in which people across the world celebrate Halloween.
Going trick or treating is a cherished memory of many children in the West, where they dress up as ghosts or some fictional character and carry an empty bucket to be filled with sweets and candies.
Many young adults dress up as pop culture icons for costume parties, which are a huge deal in Hollywood too.
With inputs from Twisha Soni.
