Hallowe’en postcard, circa 1903. This postcard contains many of the traditional Halloween elements of a black cat, a witch with a broom, a bat, a full moon and even bobbing for apples as some still do on this date.

Halloween, or Hallowe’en, (which is a contraction of All Hallows’ Evening), is a celebration observed in many western countries on the eve of the feast of All Hallows Day or in some places, All Saints Day, which is observed on Nov. 1. All Hallows Day or All Saints Day is held in observance of the dead, including the Saints, (Hallows), martyrs and the faithful departed, so the holiday has Christian roots.