Stop Halloween - Americanization towards simple depiction of violence and horror
It's origin: Wild dances against disaster by Celtic people in e.g. Bavaria and the Alps vicinity - "Percht"
A traditional saying goes: "As high as the Percht jumps, so high grows the corn!" Since the 17th century, the term "Percht" has stood for masks made of wood or fur. They instilled a lot of fear and were supposed to banish demons, diseases and crop failures.