Irish Halloween

Many people do not know that Halloween comes from pagan Ireland when then celebrated the new year on November 1st making October 31st (Halloween) their "New Years eve." They believed that on that on that night the living and deceased walked together, the dead as animals. This spooky belief has changed a little but most people still believe in similar, scary things happening on Halloween.
When Christianity came to Ireland the holiday became known as all Hallows eve where people gave a day of respect and remembrance to Saints. This more religious take on the holiday has not traveled to the US but we still copy a lot of other traditions. Carving pumpkins for example comes from the times when Irish people put candles or coals in carved potatoes. The tradition carried when immigrants came to America and found a larger supply of pumpkins which are larger and easier to carve.
Halloween costumes also have an Irish history. In pagan Celtic Ireland the spiritual leaders (Druids) would dress up as evil or scary things in hopes that they would be protected from being noticed as humans by any evil creatures they may have met up with during that night when the two worlds combined. So this Halloween when your sitting around a bonfire your doing the same thing that the ancient Celtic people would have.