* Halloween* The origin of Halloween can be traced to an ancient pagan festival, known as Samhain (pronounced sow-in), celebrated by Celtic people over 2,000 years ago. By the 9th century the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands, where it gradually blended with and supplanted the older Celtic rites. It is widely believed today that the church was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday. David Skal, an American cultural historian states, “It was a calculated move on the part of the church to bring more people into the fold.” Trick or treating, one of the main activities of Halloween, dates back to ‘souling’. Poor people would visit the houses of wealthier families and receive pastries called soul cakes in exchange for a promise to pray for the souls of the homeowners’ dead relatives. The practice was later taken up by children, who would go from door to door asking for gifts such as food, money and ale.