Halloween, October 31

Samhain Celtic calendar Coligny calendar Gaulish 62 lunar months Halloween Nos Calan Gaeaf Druid October 31 Superstition Feralia Pope Boniface IV All-hallows Eve Trick or treat Pumpkin Ducking apples Candy Ghosts Witches Black cats

October 31 is the 304th day of the year (305th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. This day is internationally known as Halloween, also known as All Hallow's Eve or the Day of the Dead.

These days we celebrate the eve of All Saints. Pope Sixtus IV in 1484 established November 1, the Feast of All Saints, as a holyday of obligation and gave it both a vigil (known today as "All Hallows' Eve" or "Hallowe'en") and an eight day period or octave to celebrate the feast, later in 1955, the octave of All Saints was removed.

In England, saints or holy people are called "hallowed," hence the name "All Hallow's Day." The evening, or "e'en" before the feast became popularly known as "All Hallows' Eve" or even shorter, "Hallowe'en."

What other days you could have on October 31st ?

• Mount Rushmore is Completed, October 31, 1941
• John Candy is Born, October 31, 1950
• River Phoenix Dies, October 31, 1993
• The Official End of the Battle of Britain, October 31, 1940
• Indira Gandhi is Assassinated, October 31, 1984
• Benito Mussolini Becomes Prime Minister of Italy, October 31, 1922
• Egypt Air Flight 990 Crash, October 31, 1999

So we could have had a lot of "calibrations" or "commemorative" days which would have been acceptable, but Halloween on the 31 October inst one that accepted by many..

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