For thousands of years in England the people were pagans. They were dirt poor (literally) peasant subsistence farmers. I know "pagan" is a dirty word amongst religious modern Americans but that was the plain truth. The pagans celebrated Samhain, an ancient Celtic festival that is Gaelic for “summer’s end,” a day to bid good-bye to warmth and light. It marks the end of the harvest season and the start of winter (the darker “half” of the year).

Samhain was marked by bonfires and loud noises to cheer people up in the suddenly cold dark nights. Or to frighten away the evil spirits if you prefer. It is same all over the world for example the Spanish have their Día de los Muertos.

When England was Christianised it was by force and the new Christians wisely understood that retaining the pagan festivals but sanitising them was the path of least resistance. Samhain became "celebrating November 5th" and everything carried on as before. As before an effigy was burnt but now it was "Guy Fawkes."

In America it became "Hallowe'en" and we have re-imported this event back to England where it now means buying orange and black Chinese plastic stuff.