Samhain, End of Summer, was a Pagan festival celebrated in Ireland more than a thousand years ago. When Irish immigrants came to North America in the 19th Century, they called their holiday in English All Hallows' Even'. This became All Hallows' Eve and was then shortened to Hallowe'en which later became just Halloween. While Samhain was recognition of the coming of winter, and a hope the harvest was plentiful enough to last all winter, the Celts also believed that on that day the boundary separating the dead from the living became blurred. This later led (in the 20th Century) to the North American tradition of dressing up or "guising" to confuse the spirits. All Hallows' Eve, celebrated on October 31st, precedes All Hallows' Day, which occurs on the following day, which in turn precedes All Souls' Day.

All Saints' Day or All Hallows' Day falls on November 1st, following All Hallows' Eve, and preceding All Souls' Day, celebrated on November 2nd. On this day, many countries make offerings to Saints and Martyrs. Pope Gregory III, in the eighth century, moved the celebration of All Saints' Day to November 1st from May 13th to honour all the Saints, known and unknown.

All Souls' Day is a day set apart for honouring the faithful departed. All Souls' Day follows All Saints' Day on November 2nd. If the souls of the departed have not been cleansed from sin, or have not yet atoned for past transgressions, they can not attain beatific vision meaning they can't yet "see" God in Heaven. Prayers and sacrifices by the mass may absolve this and help those souls stuck in purgatory.

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