"So, wait, all monsters are on lock down for Hall-I mean this day?" I asked, stopping myself from saying it as apparently it scares monsters, as Mavis and the gang dragged me towards Mavis room. "And here I thought that a pandemic would be insane." I said with a shrug of my shoulders as we entered her room and sat me down on the floor.

"Yes, and we need you to tell us what really happens on this day!" Mavis said, with me nodding as they all sat around the room.

"I see." I said, rubbing my head. "Well, every culture has its own version of this day, but to really know what happens is to know about all of them, and that includes the monster verse of things." I said, gaining their attention. "This day is among the oldest traditions in the world as it touches on an essential element of the human condition. The relationship between the living and the dead, so to speak. The observance evolved from ancient rituals marking the transition from summer to winter, thereby associating it with transformation, which is still a central theme of the holiday."

"So, humans celebrate it like a birthday?" Pedro asked, with me shaking my head as that wasnt even close.

"No. Every recorded civilization has created some form of ritual observance focused on what happens to people when they die, where they go, and how the living should best honor those who have passed or respond to the dead who seem unwilling or unable to move on. Ghosts, spirits, that sort of stuff. Countries around the world today celebrate Halloween in one form or another, from Mexico's "Day of the Dead" to China's "Tomb Sweeping Day". The modern-day observance of Halloween in countries such as the United States and Canada – where this tradition is most popular – share in this ancient tradition, even though some aspects of the holiday are relatively recent developments and can be traced back to the Celtic festival of Samhain."

"So, what is the Day of the Dead, is that where the dead walk around without fear of the humans? Or Tomb of Sleeping, do we get to sleep in all day, because that would be fun!" Whendy said, with me shaking my head at that.

"First, kind of, second, its Tomb Sweeping Day, not sleeping. Its where you clean off the gravestones of your loved ones." I informed, with them nodding as they kind of got it. "Christian groups through the years have routinely attempted to demonize and denigrate the observance, in part by repeating the erroneous claim that Sam Hain was the Celtic god of the dead and This day was his feast. This comes from the 18th-century British engineer Charles Vallancey, who wrote on the Samhain festival with a poor understanding of the culture and language and has been repeated uncritically since. Seriously, Charles was VERY wrong! It was actually the Church itself, however, which preserved the Samhain tradition in the West by Christianizing it in the 9th century, setting the course for a pagan Northern European religious tradition's transformation into a worldwide secular holiday which has become the most popular – and commercially lucrative – of the year, second only to Christmas, which I don't think is true but can be argued."

"You like this day?" Mavis asked with a raised eyebrow, looking at me with a disgusted look. "So, you like eating monsters?" She asked, with me looking at her with a disgusted look.

"What? NO! Unless you want me to eat you then I would ask them to leave but that isnt the point nor true!" I said, giving her a wink when I said, "Eat You". I'm still a teenage boy, so what.

"I'm good! I would prefer to stay alive!" She said, making me smile and shake my head as she didn't get it.

"Anyways, the traditions in the West date back thousands of years to the festival of Samhain, the Celtic New Year's festival. The name means "summer's end", and the festival marked the close of the harvest season and the coming of winter. The Celts believed that the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead were thinnest at this time and so the dead could return and walk where they had before. Further, those who had died in the past year and who, for one reason or another, had not yet moved on, would do so at this time and could interact with the living." I said, with them thinking about it.

"So, would that include my mother?" Mavis asked, with me scratching my head as I didn't know how to answer that.

"I mean, yeah, but I don't know if that connects with monsters or if its real. It's just a story." I said, with her nodding with a frown, bringing her knees to her chest to cover her mouth. "Very little is known of the rituals of ancient Samhain because the Church Christianized it – as with many pagan festivals – and what information is available comes from Irish monks who recorded the pre-Christian history of their people as well as other Christian scribes denigrating pagan rites. It seems, however, that the observance included stocking up supplies for the winter, slaughtering cattle, and disposing of the bones in "bone fires" which, in time, came to be known as bonfires. Really, that's how bonfires were named, by burning bones. There were gatherings of communities for feasting and drinking while this was going on, but there was also the awareness of the "thin time" of the year and the possibility of otherworldly visitors showing up at the party." I said, with Frank snapping his fingers.

"You mean monsters crashed their party!" He said, with me shrugging.

"Again, not sure how true it is." I said, with him nodding. "Departed loved ones were expected – and welcomed – and the practice of setting out favorite foods for the dead may have originated as early as 2,000 years ago, but many other kinds of spirits – some which never had human form – could also appear. Elves, fairies, sprites, and dark energies were just as likely to pay a visit as those one longed to see again one last time." I said, with Pedro standing up and pointing at me.

"Monsters TOTALY crashed the party! Man, our ancestors were AWSOME!" He said, with me rolling my eyes at this.

"Further, there was a very good chance that the spirit of a person one may have wronged would also make an appearance. In order to deceive the spirits, people darkened their faces with ashes from the bonfires, and this developed into wearing masks. A living person would recognize the spirit of a loved one and could then reveal themselves but otherwise remain safe from the unwanted attention of darker forces." I informed, with Whendy getting stars in her eyes.

"That is so gross!" She said, sounding excited.

"Yeah, gross." I said, "Agreeing" with her. "How long ago these rituals were included in the observance of Samhain is unknown, but some form of them were probably in place by the time Christianity came to Ireland in the 5th century. The hill of Tlachtga in County Meath was the site of the bonfire lighted on or around October 31st, signaling the beginning of Samhain festivities when it was answered by the much more prominent fire from the Neolithic site of the Hill of Tara across from it. Archaeologists from University College Dublin have dated the excavated earthworks to 200 CE but note these are only the latest developments at a site first used for ceremonial fires over 2,000 years ago."

"What's CE?" Frank asked, with me sighing.

"Common Era." I answered, with him nodding. "The hill is named for the druidess Tlachtga, daughter of the powerful druid Mug Ruith who traveled the world learning his craft. She was... forced upon by the three sons of Simon Magus, infamous for his confrontation with St. Peter in the biblical Book of Acts 8:9-24 and gave birth to triplets on the hill that bears her name before dying there. The inclusion of a biblical villain in her story, obviously, places the legend in the Christian era and aligns Tlachtga with St. Peter in so far as they shared a common adversary. Scholars believe that the Tlachtga story, like so many Celtic legends, was Christianized after the coming of St. Patrick to Ireland and... the forced upon by the sons of Simon Magus was added to a pre-existing account."

"What does forced upon mean?" Mavis asked, with me scratching my head at this.

"Raped. The sons Raped her, had their way with her, forced her to give birth to their children against her will. That sort of thing." I said, with her eyes widening at that. "The Christianization of pagan symbols, temples, festivals, legends, and religious iconography is well established and applies to the Samhain festival as well as many others. Pope Boniface IV had set May 13th as All Saint's Day, a feast day to celebrate those saints who did not have a day of their own, in the 7th century when he consecrated the great pagan temple of the Pantheon in Rome to Saint Mary and Christian martyrs, but in the 8th century, Pope Gregory III moved the date of the feast to November 1st."

"Why, that was the point in that?" Whendy asked, with me shrugging.

"The motivation for this move is still debated. Some scholars claim it was done intentionally to Christianize Samhain by turning it into All Hallows' Eve, which is most likely true as the move follows an established Christian paradigm of "redeeming" all things pagan in an effort to ease the conversion process of a given population. Prior to Christianization, May 13th had been the last day of the Roman festival of Lemuria, dedicated to placating the angry or restless dead. The festival developed from a pair of observances held earlier in the year, Parentalia – which honored the spirits of one's ancestors – and Feralia – which honored the spirits of loved ones lost. On Feralia, the living were obligated to remember and visit the graves of the dead and leave them gifts in the form of grains, salt, bread soaked in wine, and wreaths, accompanied by violet petals."

"That is weird, bread soaked in wine? What is the point in that?" Frank asked, with Pedro smacking him in the head.

"Dude, its so that they can party even after they are dead!" Pedro said, with me shrugging as I didn't care.

"As it was with Parentalia, Feralia, Lemuria, and many others, so it was with Samhain. Previously, the Samhain festival was associated with all those who had gone on before, with the earth, the change of the year, and this transformation was marked by celebration and communal activities. Once the festival was Christianized, All Hallows' Eve became a night of vigil, prayer, and fasting in preparation for the next day when the saints were honored at a far tamer celebration."

"So, the Cristians stole this day for their own?" Whendy asked, with me nodding.

"Sort of. The old ways had not died out, however, and bonfires were still lighted – only now in honor of Christian heroes – and the turning of the seasons was still observed – only now to the glory of Christ. Many of the rituals which accompanied this new incarnation of the festival are unknown but by the 16th century, the practice of "souling" had become integral. The poor of the town or city would go about knocking on doors asking for a soul-cake in return for prayers, this was changed to candy in some places."

"THEY GIVE CANDY AWAY!?" All of them yelled, with me nodding.

"Yes but hold off on that until I am done." I said, with them nodding, all of them leaning forward as they wanted to know more. "This practice is thought to have begun in response to the belief in purgatory where it was thought a soul lingered in torment unless elevated by prayer and, most often, money paid to the Church. After the Protestant Reformation, souling continued in Britain, only now the protestant young and poor offered to pray for the people of the house and their loved ones instead of those in purgatory while Catholics continued the older tradition."

"So, Britain doesn't do candy?" Mavis asked, with me shrugging.

"I don't know, maybe? I've never been there. Anyways, in the 17th century, Guy Fawkes Day added a new component to the development of this day. On November 5th 1605, a group of dissident Catholics tried to assassinate the protestant King James I of Britain in an attempt known as the Gunpowder Plot. The attempt failed and one of the group, Guy Fawkes, was caught with the explosives beneath the House of Lords and, although he had co-conspirators, his name attached itself famously to the plot."

"This Guy, was into explosives?" Pedro asked, with me shrugging.

"I don't know, maybe?" I said, with him laughing.

"Guy really had a good hobby then, blowing stuff up is AWSOME!" He said, with me rolling my eyes at this.

"Guy Fawkes Day was celebrated by the Protestants of Britain as a triumph over "popery", and November 5th became an occasion for anti-Catholic sermons and vandalism of Catholic homes and businesses even though, officially, the government claimed it was a celebration of Providence sparing the king. On Guy Fawkes night, bonfires were lit and unpopular figures – most often the Pope – were hanged in effigy while people drank, feasted, and lit off fireworks. Children and the poor would go house to house, often wearing masks, pushing an effigy of Guy Fawkes in a wheelbarrow and begging for money or treats while threatening vandalism if they were refused. Which is kind of where Trick or Treat came from, Trick being a prank and Treat being sweets like candy." I said, with Mavis tapping her chin thought.

"Trick or Treat? Wouldn't it be better if it was Sticks or Steaks?" She asked, with me shaking my head as she was thinking of meat right now, must be hungry.

"Anyways, when the British came to North America, they brought these traditions with them. The Puritans of New England, who refused to observe any holidays which might be associated with pagan beliefs – including Christmas and Easter – kept the observance of Guy Fawkes Day on November 5th as a reminder of their supposed moral superiority to Catholics. Guy Fawkes continued to be celebrated up until the American Revolution of 1775-1783."

"American Revolution? What's that?" Whendy asked, with me thinking about it.

"It's when Americawas trying to get its freedom from Britan. Anyways, back on topic. The rituals of Samhain arrived in the United States less than a century later with the displacement of the Irish in 1845-1849, during the potato famine. The Irish, largely Catholic, continued to observe All Hallows' Eve, All Saint's Day, and All Soul's Day along with the practice of "souling" but these festivals by now were infused with folk traditions such as the jack o' lantern."

"What's a Jack o' Lantern?" Mavis asked, with me pointing at her.

"The jack o' lantern is associated with the Irish folk tale of Stingy Jack, a clever drunk and con man who fooled the devil into banning him from hell but, because of his sinful life, could not enter heaven. After his death, he roamed the world carrying a small lantern made of a turnip with a red-hot ember from hell inside to light his way. Scholars believe this legend evolved from sightings of will-o-the-wisp, swamp and marsh gasses which glowed in the night. On All Hallows Eve, the Irish hollowed out turnips and carved them with faces, placing a candle inside, so that as they went about "souling" on the night when the veil between life and death was thinnest, they would be protected from spirits like Stingy Jack."

"So, Jack can never go to the underworld or the upperworld because he tricked the Devil, that is Epic!" Pedro said, with me nodding as it kind of was.

"The basics of Halloween were now in place with people going from house to house asking for sweet treats in the form of the soul-cakes and carrying jack-o-lanterns. Shortly after their arrival in the United States, the Irish traded the turnip for the pumpkin as their lantern-of-choice as it was much easier to carve. Guy Fawkes Day was no longer celebrated in the United States but aspects of it attached themselves to the Catholic holidays of October, especially vandalism, only now it was indiscriminate: anyone's home or business could be vandalized around October 31st."

"Does that mean our hotel as well?" Mavis asked, with me shaking my head.

"No, because no one would be stupid enough to do that, it's a crime now. In the village of Hiawatha, Kansas, the morning after Halloween in 1912, a woman named Elizabeth Krebs grew tired of having her garden – and entire town – vandalized once a year by marauding children wearing masks and, initially using her own resources, organized a party in 1913 for the young people where, she hoped, she would tire them out enough that they would have no energy for destruction. She underestimated their determination, however, and the community was vandalized as usual. In 1914, she involved the entire town, brought in a band, held a costume contest, and put on a parade - and her plan worked. People of all ages enjoyed a festive, rather than disruptive. News of her success traveled outside of Kansas to other towns and cities which adopted the same course and established parties which included costume contests, parades, music, food, dancing, and sweet treats accompanied by frightening decorations of ghosts and goblins."

"Who is she, because she sounds cool!" Frank said, with me nodding.

"Mrs. Krebs is sometimes cited as the "mother of modern this day", this is not entirely true as she did not institute the practice of going door-to-door asking for treats. This tradition was a few centuries old by the time she put on her first event. Mrs. Krebs' original vision definitely did impact how people in America celebrate this day, however, and the Frolic of Hiawatha, Kansas continues to be observed annually along with the many similar festivals it inspired."

"Were there any other parties like that?" Pedro asked, with me nodding as it was common around America.

"The party-as-distraction from destruction, however, did not catch on nationwide and, by the 1920's, so-called "mischief night" had become a serious problem, not only in the United States but also in Canada. How, exactly, the practice of destroying people's property on the night of October 31st morphed into going door-to-door asking for candy in return for leaving a home in one piece is unclear, but it was already established in Canada by 1927 when a newspaper article from Blackie, Alberta, Canada featured a story about children going door-to-door in this way and is the first known appearance in print of the phrase "trick or treat". The children were given the candy and the homeowner was left in peace. And that is the Start of the phrase Trick or Treat."

"Oh, like a warning!" Mavis said, with me nodding.

"Yes, a warning that if you didn't, then your house would be attacked. I said, with her nodding as she got it. This tradition continued in North America throughout the 1930s, was interrupted by World War II owing to the sugar ration which dramatically cut the candy supply and reemerged in the late 1940s. The familiar tradition of the present-day dates to the 1950s and has steadily become popular in other countries, following the same basic paradigm. Today, Halloween is not generally associated with any particular religion or tradition and is commonly viewed as a secular community holiday, primarily focused on the young, and a boon for businesses offering candy and decorations as well as the entertainment industry which releases films, TV specials, and books on paranormal themes." I said, with them clapping as I was done.

"So, what about the monster form of this day, what is it that makes monsters want to lock themselves up?" Mavis asked, with me leaning back on my hands.

"Oh, that's because when Monsters Trick or Treat on this day they resurrect some pumpkin king guy who eats them." I said, shocking all of them. "Yeah, and the last sighting of him was a LONG time ago, because some child vampire wanted to trick or treat." I said, looking away from them. 'Dracula was that kid, I just know it.' I thought with a smug look on my face at the thought of it.

"So... us monsters going out is bad?" Pedro asked, with me thinking about it.

"Yes, that's right." I said, looking back at him.

"But not for humans!" He said, with me getting an image of what he was getting at.

"Oh, you want me to go out and get everyone candy?" I asked, with them nodding. "Sure, but I will need a costume!" I said, actually excited about the idea of going out for candy.

"I'm on it!" Mavis said, grabbing everyone and tossing them out of the room, where she looked at me with a devilish look.

"Mavis?" I asked, backing away from her as she creeped up to me, a large grin on her face. "Mercy?" I asked, holding my hands up as she held up some make up.

"Sorry, all out!" She yelled, jumping at me, with me screaming as I didn't want to wear make up!