However, Halloween falls on the last day of October because the Feast of All Saints, or 'All Hallows' falls on November 1. Later, in the 840s, Pope Gregory IV commanded that All Saints be observed everywhere. Indeed, Halloween occurs near the time of agricultural harvest, which to early, nature-oriented religions symbolized the intertwined connection between birth and death. The Celts, ancestors of the Scots, Irish and Welsh marked this as a time of year when all manner of supernatural events took place. The wall between the living and those beings in the afterlife was crossed, and spirits or ghosts strolled through villages.
People often put out propitiatory offerings.
As Christianity spread throughout the western world, its holidays were often grafted on to the more ancient pagan celebrations. In different cultures, the residue of a harvest festival or Samhain itself survived with folkloric tales, asking for and receiving food, costuming and mummery and more. It involved drinking, rituals of misrule and other forms of revelry. This year, the commercialization of Halloween seems to be attracting as much controversy as the alleged religious overtones of the holiday. Eight percent of pet owners will be dressing up their dogs, cats and other animal friends, although veterinarians advise against this.