Okay, I love that story...<br/><br/>Fact is, the first colonists were idiots! You do not go off to start a new world without enough supplies to see you through until you can get a harvest in.<br/><br/>The idea that the Native Americans (who were later wiped out) taught these "pilgrim fathers" how to farm is really funny! <irony>I mean, let's face it no one in England ever did any farming up to that point, right?</irony><br/><br/>Seriously, though, they were a persecuted minority who fled England to get away from the authoritarian rule of the English King. They were mostly nobles who knew jack-shit about farming and probably expected their slaves to magically produce food out of nowhere!<br/><br/>That persecution complex is still kinda hanging around some, isn't it...? *giggles*<br/><br/>Oh and the harvest festival did not become Halloween.<br/><br/>All Saints day was a Christian feast supposedly to celebrate "All The Saints" - an saint, in the original meaning of the word, being one who is saved, i.e.<em><strong>all</strong></em>Christians. A saint is also referred to as a Hallowed one.<br/><br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallow</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">To hallow is "to make holy or sacred, to sanctify or consecrate, to venerate". The adjective form hallowed, as used in The Lord's Prayer, means holy, consecrated, sacred, or revered.</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br/>Thus All Saints Day became All Hallows Day. And the evening before it became All Hallows Evening. Shortened to "Hallow's E'en"<br/><br/>The thing with the ghosts and witches and such originates with the Mexican "Day of the dead" celebration.<br/><br/>And the reason it is where it is, is not to replace Harvest festival, which is still celebrated in early October by most Christian churches. It was actually to replace Samhain, which was a Pagan festival to celebrate the darkening of the year, part way between the Autumnal Equinox and the Winter Solstice.