>>216343047
Halloween and St Martins, though similar, are diferent and develop from different histories. Halloween evolved out of Samhain, an Irish festival---variations of it were also celebrated by the Welsh, Scots & Bretons. As the U.S was settled by many Welsh, Irish, Scots etc, the holiday became a thing here in the late 1700s/early 1800s and reached commercial/national levels by about the Civil War/just after.
Its the second biggest holiday here outside of Christmas. Far bigger than, say, easter. Though sadly the kind of Halloween I grew up with in Kentucky; bobbing for apples, bonfires, all the costumes just being ghosts/creepy things, has rapidly faded. The Mexilards/asian we've let in don't understand Halloween and just take it as an opportunity to dress up as whatever dumb superhero their corn syrup addled third world brains worship.