Jack-O-Lantern

• According to the History Channel, the Irish's "bonfires shrank to lanterns carved from gourds." These gourds eventually became jack-o-lanterns inspired by the Irish legend of Stingy Jack. Jack was sentenced to roaming the dark with only a lit coal after becoming unfavorable to God and untaken by Satan. Legend says Jack put the coal into a carved-out turnip; his ghostly figure was named "Jack of the lantern," which was later shortened to Jack-o-Lantern. The Irish and Scottish eventually began making their own lanterns "by carving scary faces into turnips or potatoes and placing them into windows or near doors to frighten" Jack away. When the Irish arrived in America, the turnips and potatoes became pumpkins.
  
  

Costumes

• Ogre costumes are worn during the celebration of Halloween.ogre in the forest image by Vasiliy Koval from Fotolia.com
  
  The first costumes were probably made from animal skins and were complimented with blackened faces or masks, according to National Geographic. It's also believed that the Celts imitated their deceased ancestors with men dressing as women and vice versa. All this was done with the hopes that the spirits would be unable to decipher the living from the dead, or the demons and creatures from the humans.
  
  

Trick-or-Treat

• The History Channel reports that the exact origin of trick-or-treat is unknown. The History Channel reports trick-or-treating may have originated from the custom of "souling." Poor individuals would travel from home to home and pray for the souls of their lost loved ones. In return for their prayers, they received a "small cake." National Geographic theorizes that costumed Celts traveled from dwelling to dwelling "engaging in silly acts in exchange for food and drink."
  
  

Candy Corn

• Candy corn is a great Halloween treat and decoration.spider web, witch"s hat, and candy corn image by dav820 from Fotolia.com
  
  A Halloween celebration is lacking something if you don't have candy corn. Candy corn was first made in Philadelphia at the Wunderlee Candy Company in the 1880s. It is a popular Halloween candy for two reasons: it looks like corn which is harvested in October and back in the 1880s the company wasn't automated, so candy corn was made seasonally from March through November. Halloween would have been one of the last times of the year it was available.
  
  

Apples

• While the Romans ruled Celtic territory, they set aside a day in October to honor Pomona, their goddess of fruit and trees. This tradition mixed with the Celt celebration of Samhain and eventually apples, Pomona's symbol and also an autumn harvest, became symbolic with Halloween. Ultimately the symbol became part of the popular game bobbing for apples.