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The first and most obvious aspect of [the joint legacy of Samhain and Hallowstide] is the keeping of All Hallows’ Eve as a feast, or time for socializing. In nineteenth-century Ireland, where most of the population had remained Catholic, the two traditions of origin were perfectly fused. Most families prepared an unusually good communal meal for the evening, the poor going about in the day ‘collecting money, bread-cake, butter, cheese, eggs, etc., etc’ from the wealthier homes, ‘repeating verses in honour of solemnity, demanding preparations for the festival in the name of St Columb Kill’. When all was ready, candles would be lit and prayers formally offered for the souls of the dead. After this the eating, drinking, and games would begin [P] In the Highlands of Scotland during the early part of the century, the night was regarded as ‘the most important occasion’ for family celebrations in the year. Household parties were also the rule in the Western and Northern Isles, with local variations such as separate suppers for boys and girls upon Lewis and a special ‘Hallowmas cake’ in the Shetlands.

Ronald Hutton; The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain (via liminalblessings)