With Halloween approaching, I thought it would be appropriate to take a step back to examine the origins of the holiday. Halloween is widely believed to have originated from the Celtic festival, Samhain. The Celts believed that on October 31st the dead would return to the realm of the living. To ward off spirits, the Celts donned costumes and lit bonfires on October 31st. However, the holiday changed significantly in its transition to American culture. The focus of the holiday shifted to a celebration of harvest rather than a religious holiday. Although significantly changed from its origins, the holiday of Halloween continued to grow in popularity due to a flood of Irish immigrants. A combination of different traditions led to the beginnings of Trick or Treating in the United States. Similar to other cultures, Trick or Treating began with children going door to door asking for gifts of any sort. After U.S. candy companies saw the opportunity to capitalize on the holiday, they created ad campaigns branding candy as the gift of choice. This campaign was wildly successful and became synonymous with the American idea of Halloween. Halloween is celebrated in many different ways in different cultures. How will you choose to celebrate this Halloween?