It became popular over time - evolved, you might say. Have you talked to your priest about your anger issues? I hear they have some strong views regarding wrath.

You do not have to believe or participate - but getting angry doesn't make sense

Halloween's origins date back about 2,000 years, to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. The Celts lived in the cold parts of Northern Europe — in Britain, Ireland, and the north of France — and so for them, the new year began on November 1st, the end of the fall harvest and the beginning of winter. The night before the new year, on October 31st, the division between the world of the living and the world of the dead dissolved, and the dead could come to earth again. This was partly bad and partly good — these spirits would damage crops and cause sickness, but they also helped the Celtic priests, the druids, to tell the future, to make predictions about the coming year. The druids built huge bonfires, and regular people put out their own fires in their homes and crowded together around these fires, where they burned sacrifices for the gods, told each other's fortunes, and dressed in costumes — usually animal skins and heads. At the end of the celebration, they took a piece of the sacred bonfire and relit their own fires at home with this new flame, which was meant to help them stay warm through the long winter ahead. First the Romans co-opted Samhain and combined it with their festivals, and then the Christians co-opted both the Celtic and Roman celebrations. In the ninth century, the pope decided that these pagan festivals needed to be replaced with a Christian holiday, so he just moved the holiday called All Saints' Day from May 13 to November 1. All Saints' Day was a time for Christians to honor all the saints and martyrs of their religion. The term for All Saints' Day in Middle English was Alholowmesse, or All-hallowmass. This became All-hallows, and so the night before was referred to as All-hallows Eve, and finally, Halloween.

I can't understand why anyone would get so upset over it. All it is these days is a tradition where kids get to dress up and get candy.

I'd say if you are angry about something like Halloween you have bigger issues than can be addressed here. At any rate here is a little bit about the tradition of Halloween. Yet another holiday early Christians attempted to subvert as the attempted to erase the old ways and convert people to Christianity. If you want to talk about tradition perhaps you should be more respectful of the truth eh? Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter. To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities. During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other's fortunes. When the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter. By A.D. 43, Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. In the course of the four hundred years that they ruled the Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman origin were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain. The first was Feralia, a day in late October when the Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead. The second was a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple and the incorporation of this celebration into Samhain probably explains the tradition of "bobbing" for apples that is practiced today on Halloween. By the 800s, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1 All Saints' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. It is widely believed today that the pope was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday. The celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints' Day) and the night before it, the night of Samhain, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween. Even later, in A.D. 1000, the church would make November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. It was celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils. Together, the three celebrations, the eve of All Saints', All Saints', and All Souls', were called Hallowmas.

I'm so angry about Christmas. It's supposed to be a celebration of Jesus's birthday (8 or 9 months early), yet all people do is max out their credit cards and buy gifts for each other and attribute it all to some fat guy with a beard.

Historically, the connection between Samhain and Halloween does not, in fact exist. Though it's the pop and oft-repeated view, it is historically false, as is born out by the actual documentary and archaeological evidence. All Saints Day began entirely independently of Samhain, generations after it had ceased to be observed, and a half a world away. The scary (witches, goblins, ghosts, and devils) aspect of it didn't start to show up until the late 16th century in Britain (and is no doubt related to the Witch Craze of that time), and really only took off in Puritan New England in the 17th century. The Puritans also introduced Jack-o-lanterns and shadow-lanterns. Costumes and Trick-or-Treating were only introduced in the 1930s in America by Methodist ministers and the YMCA as a benign alternative to Mischief Night, which had become increasingly vandalistic, destructive, and dangerous since World War I. The practice of costumes and trick-or-treating was unknown in Britain until the 1960s, and in the rest of Europe until the 1980's - exports of American pop-culture. The idea that Halloween is a co-opted Celtic pagan festival is a lie invented in the Romantic Era by the (neo)pagan revivalists of the 19th century.

WTF!!! Hallloween is a Wiccan holiday unrelated to Christianity

Being a Catholic { okay, not devout} I have no idea what you think Halloween ever was.

So we should all celebrate the holidays in only the way that you, a catholic, find acceptable? Fine, we'll give you that day...and you have to give us all the other of the 300ish days that are religious non-events to celebrate the way we see fit with no regard for your beliefs. Stinks when the shoe is on the other foot, doesn't it.

The history of Halloween has already been covered several times so no need off me to re-mention it. Imho, the celebration is not harming anyone. And if people, dead or alive, are upset about people dressing up and enjoying themselves, then those individuals may be a bit intolerant. There are quite a few things I find distasteful for me, but those things are enjoyable for others and I give them due respect.

My Queen, I appreciate your point of view, but for little kids, they are only little once. I am no catholic, I am agnostic. My point is, I respect your opinion.

October 31 is all-hallows-eve, not THE day when we remember those no longer with us. It has traditionally been a night when scary spirits are out and about. November 1 is All Saints' Day; November 2 is All Souls' Day. Both those days are linked to remembrance of loved ones, not October 31.

i'm more upset with the disrespect shown towards Arbor Day

Halloween is different from All Saints Day. Dont fret over apples and oranges.

Do not when. But it is popular now because it is fun dress up and you get free candy.

I dunno, but I am guessing that its popularity probably took off with the introduction of the notion of giving young children lots of free candy. Really, you could hold an economics symposium in Latin & if they gave away lots of free candy, it would become a big hit. Even if you had to wear costumes.

The same thing has happened to Easter and Christmas also. The addition of secular customs to otherwise solemn religious observances was to make it more palatable to the common people. Modern Halloween customs are relatively late comers and probably evolved in the early 20th Century. Just Wikipedia Halloween for more accurate info.

Life is short so make the best of it and don't worry about the small stuff.