The first evidence of a day of celebration on 1 November dates to the reign of Pope Gregory III (731–741). All Saints’ Day was an extension of All Martyrs’ Day, which had been established on 13 May, 609 AD by Pope St Boniface IV. All Saints’ Day was designed to commemorate all saints, as well as all martyrs, who had attained heaven. The date was fixed as 1 November. The festival was also known as All Hallows’ Day or Hallowmas, and in 837, Pope Gregory IV ordered its general observance. In medieval England, the festival became known as All Hallows, hence the previous day became All Hallows’ Eve, or Halloween.

The tradition of carving 'jack-o-lanterns' is said to have originated in Gaelic-speaking communities in Ireland and Scotland, where turnip lanterns were carved and lit to ward off the evil spirits that wandered the earth on Halloween. Irish immigrants brought the practice to America, where they found the native pumpkin a better alternative. The term 'pumpkin' dates back to the 17th century, but was originally a local name for will-o-the-wisp, or marsh lights. It first appears in American English, meaning a pumpkin lantern, in the early 19th century.

From the 11th century onwards, 2 November was designated as All Souls’ Day in the Christian calendar – a day to commemorate the dead. During the festivities, the poor would beg for food and were given ‘soul cakes’ – pastries flavoured with spices and dried fruit – in return for a promise to pray for the souls of the dead. This practice, known as ‘going a-souling’, was taken up by children who would visit neighbouring houses to beg for food and money. It’s widely believed that Irish and British immigrants brought this tradition to America, where it eventually became 'trick-or-treating', though that particular term doesn’t appear until the 20th century.

It was a widely held medieval belief that witches could steal a man’s genitals. There are several accounts of cases involving young men convinced their private parts had vanished, despite reassurances otherwise. The authorities believed that the woman accused had bewitched her victim into believing their body parts had been removed, and would inflict all manner of violence and torture upon her, until she admitted her wrongdoing and agreed to restore the manhood in question. It seems that this worked – in the recorded cases, the victims’ genitalia was returned.

Coffin paths were routes that connected remote communities to burial grounds. In the Middle Ages, burial rights were only granted to certain churches, so families were often forced to transport their dead over long distances to bury them in sanctified ground. The poorest would have had to carry the coffin by hand, sometimes over rugged terrain. Over time, these places became associated with the souls of the dead, and stories of haunting are common. You can find coffin paths (or some variation on the term) all over the UK, with famous examples in Scotland, the Lake District and Yorkshire.

The tradition of dressing up at Halloween may go back as far as the Celtic festival of Samhain, when people believed that the boundaries between worlds was at its most precarious and that all kinds of supernatural creatures roamed the earth. Communities would light bonfires and dress up in costumes to scare off any predatory evil spirits. Impersonating these spirits was a form of protection; there was a belief that the spirits would recognise you as one of their own and keep away. 'Fancy dress' continued to be part of Christian festivities on All Saints’ Day and is recorded in many forms and in many places from at least the 16th century.

As Halloween was said to be the time when the veil between worlds was thin, and perhaps because it originally ushered in the New Year, it was also a time to look to the future. Many people, especially young women, used the opportunity to predict matters of the heart. Common methods of identifying a future husband or lover included seeking reflections in candlelit mirrors, tossing nuts into the fire and trying to read portents in a bowl of egg yolks. Some say that apple bobbing also had romantic possibilities. Girls would secretly mark the apples and romances were secured or foretold by the man who caught them. Another belief was that, if you peeled an apple in a single strip and tossed the skin over your shoulder, it would land in the shape of your future love's initial.

Written in 1785, Burns’s poem tells of the folklore and tradition of a Scottish Halloween. Written in English and Scots, he references many of the superstitions and activities that we would recognise today, including building bonfires, fortune telling and reading spooky stories. He even included footnotes to explain some of the more obscure terms. The first stanza reads:  Upon that night, when fairies light On Cassilis Downans dance, Or owre the lays, in splendid blaze, On sprightly coursers prance; Or for Colean the route is ta’en, Beneath the moon’s pale beams; There, up the cove, to stray an’ rove, Amang the rocks and streams To sport that night.