Halloween and All Hallows' Eve

The end of October and the beginning of November are moments of excitement, especially for those living in the European countries, Latin America, and the United States. It's time for trick-or-treating, Halloween, and also to commemorate All Saints' Day or All Hallows' Eve on the following day.
Although these two celebrations are so closely dated to one another that many have associate them to each other, they hold different meanings, have different backgrounds, and stem from different traditions.
Halloween, which falls on October 31st, originates from Samhain, a Gaelic pagan rite celebrated every end of summer. "Samhain" in Old Irish means "summer's end."
The Ancient Irish folks believed that on the end of summer, the barrier separating the world and the afterlife grew thinner, due to the arrival of "the darker half" of the year, allowing the spirits of the deceased to travel back to the land of the living. Thus, Samhain also included the "Festival of the Dead" back in medieval days.
People wore masks and costumes to placate evil spirits, and made lanterns of carved turnips or pumpkins to ward off the souls of the dead. The tradition was handed down for generations up to this day. And, since the date was so close to the "Festival of All Saints" or "All Hallows' Eve" on the following day, people saturated their names, calling Samhain with a new name: Halloween (All Hallows' Evening).
On the contrary, All Hallows' Eve or All Saints' Day has a completely different origin from Samhain. It is a tradition of the Roman Catholic Church which falls on the first of November, celebrated to commemorate the departed saints and holy martyrs. It is now held not only to remember the saints, but also to remember all those who have passed away in the congregation of believers in the Lord.
In the Roman Catholic Church, All Saints' Day is a holy day of obligation, which means on November 1st, they gather for a mass to celebrate this special occasion. In many countries, people visit the graveyard after the mass to light candles on the tombs of deceased relatives. In most English-speaking countries, the festival of All Saints is also celebrated by singing the hymn "For All the Saints."