Over dinner at La Trattoria Restaurant & Pizzeria two people were debating whether Halloween was something celebrated all over the world.

One of the eaters tugged on a passing waiter's sleeve. "Excuse me waiter, do they celebrate Halloween in Italy?"

"I don't know," he said. "I am from Romania. But in Romania we have something similar."

It turns out that in Romania, along with countries such as Poland, Lithuania, Hungary, Croatia, and Ukraine, they celebrate All Saints Day on November 1, and All Souls Day on November 2.

These days are national holidays when shops, schools and businesses are closed. On All Saints Day, the faithful attend church to remember the saints. On All Souls Day, or the Day of Remembrance or the Day of the Dead, people attend a requiem Mass and travel long distances to place flowers on the graves of loved ones.

They also burn specially decorated candles to help the departed souls find their way to everlasting light.

A special day during the year to recognise the dead is a common practice amongst countries world-wide. In Mexico, for example, people welcome the spirits of the dead with open arms, from mid-October until the first week of November.

Many of the traditions that make up what we know today as "Halloween" actually predate Christianity and go back to ancient Celtic times.

The ancient Celts celebrated a holiday called Samhain on October 31, meaning summer's end. They believed that on this day, the membrane between this world and the next became permeable, and souls of the dead were able to come through. While they wanted to welcome their deceased loved ones, they did not want to welcome any evil spirits that might also come through. These evil spirits could cause crops to die and illness to spread.

So they dressed in scary costumes, to trick the evil spirits into thinking they were one of them.

Samhain was a time to take account of food supplies and kill livestock for the coming winter. The bones of newly slaughtered animals were often thrown onto bonfires. There was also a tradition of walking between two bonfires as a cleansing ritual for the family and its remaining livestock.

Hallowe'en or All Hallows Eve or All-Hallows-Even dates back to the 16th century, at least. At this time, poor people would go door to door on Hallowmas (November 1), receiving food in return for prayers for the dead on All Souls Day (November 2). It started in Ireland and Britain, but similar practices have been found as far south as Italy.

The practice of begging from door to door for treats dates back to the Middle Ages, but although dressing up has been common in the United States for a long time, the door to door part was not until recently. In the mid-1900s, it was seen by many people in the United States as begging, and something shameful. In fact, in 1948, members of one New York boys' club marched through the streets carrying a banner reading: "American Boys Don't Beg."