All Hallows' Day (aka All Saints' Day)

Yesterday was Halloween - also known as All Hallows' Eve - which is the precursor to All Hallows' Day (aka All Saints Day), which is a Christian feast day celebrated in honor of the saints of the Church and that takes place today. What I don't understand about this is why the night before this holiday, children go trick or treating, people wear costumes, and everyone carves pumpkins. I checked on the internet, which is always accurate, and found that the trick or treating custom began when poor people, often children, would go door to door asking for soul cakes in exchange for praying for the dead. Some of these cakes would also be laid on the graves. While "souling," they would carry lanterns made out of hollowed out turnips and later jack-o'-lanterns to ward off evil spirits. Thus, we carve pumpkins. As for wearing costumes, it was believed that the dead souls wandered the earth until All Saints' Day, and All Hallows' Eve was their last chance to take vengeance on their enemies. To avoid being recognized by one of these dead souls, people would wear masks or costumes to hide their identity. Which explains the costumes. And of course, the day after All Saint's Day is All Souls' Day, which is a day of prayer and remembrance for all the departed. And in Mexico and parts of Latin America, this day is known as the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) and is actually a joyous celebration of the departed. And what did I learn from all this? Mainly, that if I had gone to Catholic school, I would have gotten two additional days off in November. One more regret in life to deal with. Bummer.