False-face witches and pillow-case ghosts cavort on Halloween. Jack-o'-lanterns gleam in windows. There are shouts of "Trick or treat" at the door and gay parties with fortune tellers and apple-bobbing. Halloween is a time of magic and fun and shivery excitement.

Helen Borten's sprightly story describes these familiar customs and their origin in Celtic and Roman and Christian holidays. The Druids' end-of-summer festival of Samhain and the Romans' harvest tribute to Pomona were the predecessors of All Hallow's Even, and the magic and superstition of many countries have combined with these celebrations to make our modern Halloween. Here is a lively and high-spirited account of a very favorite holiday. 

From the dust jacket