page_title: Halloween
section_title: Etymology
hierarchical_section_title: Halloween / Etymology
caption_attribution_description: English: Illustration to Robert Burns' poem Halloween by J.M. Wright and Edward Scriven. The Complete Works of Robert Burns: Containing the Poems, Songs, and Correspondence. Illustrated By W.H. Bartlett, T. Allom, and Other Artists. With a New Life of the Poet, and Notices, Critical and Biographical[1] by Allan Cunningham. Published in London by George Virtue. No year is given explicitly, but "James Gibson 1856" has been handwritten inside the front cover, it's dedicated to a MP, Archibald Hastie of Paisley, who was no longer a MP by 1857, and some of the artists and engravers were dead before 1842. As such, I'm going with c. 1841 as the year, though it could be as late as 1856, when James Gibson evidently acquired it. Scanned at 600dpi.
context_page_description: Halloween or Hallowe'en, also known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve, is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows' Day. It begins the three-day observance of Allhallowtide, the time in the liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints, martyrs, and all the faithful departed.
  It is widely believed that many Halloween traditions originated from ancient Celtic harvest festivals, particularly the Gaelic festival Samhain; that such festivals may have had pagan roots; and that Samhain itself was Christianized as Halloween by the early Church. Some believe, however, that Halloween began solely as a Christian holiday, separate from ancient festivals like Samhain.
  Halloween activities include trick-or-treating, attending Halloween costume parties, carving pumpkins into jack-o'-lanterns, lighting bonfires, apple bobbing, divination games, playing pranks, visiting haunted attractions, telling scary stories, as well as watching horror films.
context_section_description: The word Halloween or Hallowe'en dates to about 1745 and is of Christian origin. The word "Hallowe'en" means "Saints' evening". It comes from a Scottish term for All Hallows' Eve (the evening before All Hallows' Day). In Scots, the word "eve" is even, and this is contracted to e'en or een. Over time, (All) Hallow(s) E(v)en evolved into Hallowe'en. Although the phrase "All Hallows'" is found in Old English "All Hallows' Eve" is itself not seen until 1556.
caption: The word appears as the title of Robert Burns' "Halloween" (1785), a poem traditionally recited by Scots
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