It wax All Hallows’ night but it was not celebrated by people. It just happened. We celebrated all saints day. In other words, the triumph of good over bad. No one would have been allowed to honour begging for sweets. Just didn’t happen.
You're describing the observation of certain parts of England there. Not the whole UK.
And in places where Hallowe'en is celebrated people also go to church and celebrate the holy days. It's not a case of either /or.
You only have to go to the USA to see how it’s a big deal there. People can, of course, do what they want. However don’t pretend the modern version of Halloween is anything other than that. Modern. We have Guy Fawkes. The fireworks and bonfires actually mean something in a historical context. Maybe everyone could learn why?
Yes, it's a big deal in the US. This is because legions of people emigrated from Ireland and Scotland to the US and brought their customs with them.
Just as the Guy Fawkes celebrations have (hopefully) moved on from the days when effigies of the Pope were burned and the night was an open invitation for the expression of anti-Catholic sentiment, Hallowe'en has developed too. It would be a very good idea for people to learn something of the history of Guy Fawkes celebrations, and to reflect on what exactly it is that is being celebrated.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/oct/23/gunpowder-brutal-sickening-17th-century-britain-our-history
Not only was 17th-century Britain a place of brutal religious fundamentalism, it was also a place where violence – from duelling playwrights to women burned at the stake – was a part of people’s everyday lives, and it is only through recognising this that our own history begins to make sense.
From political parties and colonialism to banking and trade, much of what we recognise as our modern state was forged during the 17th century. Ours is a state erected on the blood of rebels, soldiers, religious dissidents, enslaved people and the countless victims of punitive laws. Britain has a history of industrialism, enlightenment, romance and ingenuity – but it is also a history of violence.