Halloween is celebrated in many parts of the western world and is a time when people dress up as witches or ghosts and go ‘trick-or-treating’. It is 1DOUBT one of the most popular traditions in the United States and Britain. The celebration 2ORIGIN about two thousand years ago with the Celts. These people were the 3INHABIT of an area that includes Britain, Ireland and Brittany. They relied on the land for their 4LIVE, and this meant that they were at the mercy of 5PREDICT weather conditions, especially during the winter. The Celtic new year began on 1st November, which also marked the beginning of winter, a period 6TRADITION associated with death. On the eve of the new year, it was believed that the barriers between the worlds of the living and the dead were 7TEMPORARY withdrawn, and it was possible to communicate with spirits. The Celts believed that the spirits offered them 8GUIDE and protection, and the Druids (Celtic priests) were reputedly able to predict the future on this night. When the Romans completed their conquest of Celtic lands, they added their own flavour to this festival. The advent of Christianity brought about yet other changes. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV declared November 1st All Saints’ Day, also known as ‘All Hallows Day’, and the night before it was ‘All Hallows Eve’, which was eventually abbreviated to ‘Halloween’.