Probing Question: What are the origins of Halloween?

By Sara LaJeunesse - Research/Penn State "Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat!" Each year on Oct. 31, children dressed in fanciful costumes go door-to-door demanding candy from their neighbors. Meanwhile, older folks tour haunted houses staged with phony bats, spiders and goblins, and party until dawn. Halloween is a much-loved tradition in the United States - and big business, to the tune of $5 billion and $7 billion annually. Yet most of us know little about the origins of this celebration of spookiness. According to Benjamin Hudson, professor of history and medieval studies at Penn State, Halloween, though nominally tied to the Christian holiday of All Saints' Day (Nov. 1), has its roots in secular Celtic celebrations.