The name Halloween comes from the 1500’s, and is a variation on “All-Hallows-Even”, the night before All Saints Day, or All Hallows Day. As with many things, the Catholic Church had a holiday to coincide with a pagan celebration. To the Catholic’s credit, however, the Feast of All Saints was declared by Pope Gregory III (in the 700’s) and is talked about as early as 700 or 701. By 835 under the guidance of Louis the Pius, the festival actually became a reality, and November 1 is the reported date of the Feast of All Saints, though some scholar contend that the original Feast of All Saints took place in April, and that the church changed it to coincide with the festival of Samhain to try to win the Celts over to Catholicism.