The Origin and History of Halloween
Today's Halloween customs are thought to have been influenced by folk customs and beliefs from the Celtic-speaking countries , some of which are believed to have pagan roots. Jack Santino , a folklorist , writes that "there was throughout Ireland an uneasy truce existing between customs and beliefs associated with Christianity and those associated with religions that were Irish before Christianity arrived". Historian Nicholas Rogers, exploring the origins of Halloween, notes that while "some folklorists have detected its origins in the Roman feast of Pomona , the goddess of fruits and seeds, or in the festival of the dead called Parentalia , it is more typically linked to the Celtic festival of Samhain , which comes from the Old Irish for 'summer's end'." Samhain was the first and most important of the four quarter days in the medieval Gaelic calendar and was celebrated on 31 October – 1 November in Ireland,