The history of trick-or-treating, and how it became a Halloween tradition. Children dressing in costumes and going door-to-door for treats is a relatively modern tradition—but its origins can be ...

The history: Many cultures have shape-shifters that turn into animals, but the wolf might have especially taken hold because of our ancient bond with these canines: They evolved into our ...

The traits of modern-day vampires are pretty well established. They have fangs, drink human blood, and can’t see themselves in mirrors. They can be warded off with garlic, or killed with a stake ...

Halloween helps preserve Budapest’s Celtic heritage Now, however, Hungary’s Celtic heritage has disappeared, says Krisztián Varga, who has studied Celtic history for 20 years and is involved ...

From a very real 18th century fear to the Halloween iconography we know and love—we owe it all to the enduring, mystifying appeal of the vampire. HISTORY & CULTURE How popular culture changed ...

The National Museum of Ireland—Country Life, near the town of Castlebar, displays a plaster cast of an early 1900s jack-o’-lantern, known as a “ghost turnip.” ...

When Irish immigrants came to America, they discovered that pumpkins were easier to carve, solidifying the pumpkin's place in Halloween. 2. Trick-or-treat. According to National Geographic, ...

The unassuming entrance to Oweynagat cave, in Rathcroghan, Ireland, belies its central role in ancient Irish history. It‘s known as a gateway to the demon-filled underworld and the birthplace of ...

It was practiced in early 20th century Irish and Scottish immigrant communities, but trick-or-treating didn’t really spread until the 1920s and 1930s, while Halloween pranking raged.