Originally a religious celebration, Halloween (Cadılar Bayramı) has gradually become more secular over the centuries, with its religious appeal almost completely disappearing. Today, Halloween is considered a dressing up and entertainment holiday, especially for children. So, what is Halloween (Cadılar Bayramı)? Halloween is a festival celebrated every year on October 31st. Its origins can be traced back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. This day was believed to be when the spirits of the dead returned to the world. Nowadays, Halloween is celebrated with fun activities like wearing costumes, collecting candy, throwing parties, and preparing scary decorations. Witches, ghosts, and other spooky themes are symbols of this day. The earliest records of the word Halloween date back to the 1550s. Halloween is sometimes written as Hallowe’en, reflecting the fact that its name comes from the abbreviation of Allhallows Even. Allhallows is another name for the Christian holiday known as All Saints’ Day. The word “even” in Allhallows Even means the evening or day before a holiday (similar to Christmas Eve). The word “hallow” is used to refer to saints, meaning “hallowed” or “sacred”. Many of the traditions associated with Halloween, especially the idea of creatures from the spirit world roaming in the world of the living, are thought to have originated from Samhain. During the Christian era, some of the Samhain traditions were incorporated into All Saints’ Day, celebrated on November 1st. These traditions were brought to the United States by immigrants, influencing Halloween to become what it is today, incorporating elements from various cultures.