Halloween Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (a contraction of Hallows' Even or Hallows' Evening), also known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve, is a celebration observed in several countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows' Day. It begins the three-day observance of Allhallowtide, the time in the liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints (hallows), martyrs, and all the faithful departed. It is widely believed that many Halloween traditions originated from ancient Celtic harvest festivals, particularly the Gaelic festival Samhain; that such festivals may have had pagan roots; and that
All-Hallows-the-Less Christopher Wren to decide which churches would be rebuilt. All-Hallows-the-Less was not amongst those chosen; instead the parish was united with that of All-Hallows-the-Great, and the site of the church retained as a burial ground. All-Hallows-the-Great itself was demolished in 1894 and the united parishes were in turn joined with that of St Michael Paternoster Royal under the Union of Benefices Act 1860. In 1896 many bodies were disinterred from the churchyard and reburied at Brookwood Cemetery. The last physical evidence of the existence of All-Hallows-the-Less, an old watch house, was destroyed during the Second World War. The church is