The witch's New Year begins on the great sabbat of Samhain, Oct. 31. This is also known as Allhallows Eve, or more commonly as Hallowe'en. Samhain is an old Celtic word meaning "summer's end", and the origins of this festival lie far back in pagan times when the passage of the dead was greatly revered. During the Samhain festivities, huge bonfires were constructed from all the rubbish in a village and lit for a week to mark the death of summer and the birth of winter. Since Samhain was the night of death it was also a time for people to honor those who had died during the year; among pagans, Samhain was also known as the Festival of the Dead. The people gave thanks to their dearly departed, who they believed still helped them from the spirit world. The bonfires of Samhain had a dual purpose; they not only marked the end of summer but also lit the way for the dead as they journeyed to higher realms. As a mark of respect, people would build altars and pile them high with apples as offerings of thanks. Apples were considered the fruits of immortality; they were often buried on Samhain so that those souls returning to the mortal world in the spring would have enough food during the cold winter months. Because of this custom, Samhain is also known as the Festival of Apples. The tradition of hollowing out pumpkins and turnips into dreadful-looking ghouls and ghosts stems from the belief that the night of Samhain is when the veil between the seen and unseen worlds is at its thinnest. The souls of the dead could walk abroad, and so could every other type of goblin and sprite. The lanterns that are created serve to frighten away those unwelcome spirits. The custom of trick-or-treat originates from the belief that such wicked beings could cause havoc at a moment's notice. Children dress up in black costumes and go banging on doors shouting "trick or treat," and sorry are those who are not forthcoming with a treat! The beautiful ceremony of Samhain, like so many of the pagan celebrations, was appropriated by the Christian Church. They made November 1 All Hallows or All Saints Day. However, this was to have no effect on the longstanding custom of celebrating Allhallows Eve in the traditional fashion, so they eventually removed All Hallows Day from their calendar, only restoring it in the 1920s when they believed the roots of Hallowe'en as a celebration of the dead had been forgotten. In England today, the bonfires that take place on Nov. 5 have replaced those of Samhain.