SPOOKTACULAR When is Halloween 2017, why is the date significant and how is it celebrated?

IT is time to get your fancy dress costume ready and make sure you have plenty of sweets and chocolate stashed near the door as Halloween is nearly here.

But do you know how the day got its name and why we celebrate it? Here's the lowdown...

When is Halloween 2017?

Halloween falls every year on October 31, which is a Tuesday this year.

It is held the day before All Saints’ Day, which is a Christian festival used to celebrate recognised saints.

Halloween activities typically involve trick or treating and dressing up in fancy dress.

Why is the date of Halloween significant?

The word Halloween comes from Hallowe’en, meaning “hallowed evening” or holy evening.

It is widely thought that Halloween traditions came from Celtic harvest festivals of Samhain, although some people support the view that Halloween began independently as a Christian festival.

Samhain was a celebration of the end of the harvest season, and means "summer’s end."

People at this time through the walls between worlds were thin and spirits could pass through into our realm, and it was feared they may damage crops for the next season.

To appease any spirits, Gaels would set up places at their dinner tables for the spirits and light bonfires to scare off evil spirits.

How can you celebrate Halloween?

There are a number of ways to celebrate the festival, whether you want to go out or enjoy it from the comfort of your home.

These include:

playing apple bobbing
carving pumpkins
playing pranks
dressing up in fancy dress at a costume party
going trick or treating
watching horror films
telling scary stories
visiting "haunted" attractions
some Christians attend church services

https://www.thesun.co.uk/aad32ca9-1dff-4c90-96bb-3dc50104db9e