When is Halloween? Date, celebrations, history, costumes, and true meaning

Celebrated on October 31st every year, Halloween is also known as All Saint's Eve or All Hallow's eve as this day was traditionally celebrated to mark the end of the harvest season and the beginning of cold and harsh winters. However, over the period of time, the same day got different meanings as a section of people started to dedicate this to the dead and honour the land between the living and dead where spirits roam freely.

Halloween is basically a day to pretend and play dress-up nowadays. People on this day party and roam on streets wearing the spookiest costumes. Kids especially enjoy this day as they get heaps of candies while 'trick or treating'.

The ritual of knocking on people's doors and saying 'trick or treat' started in the 16th century in some European countries. There was a belief that people dressed in spooky costumes were saving themselves from evil spirits.

Halloween originated with the Celts, who lived two centuries ago in the areas now known as Ireland, England and northern France. On October 31, they celebrated the festival of Samhain to mark the end of summer before the new year started on November 1.

Did you know that Halloween is even older than Christanity itself? As per the tradition, it is believed to have started as pre-Christian Celtic festival called Samhain, which means ‘summer’s end’.

The tradition of taking candy from strangers on this night isn’t new. Infact, earlier, it was known as ‘guising’ in Scotland and Ireland. In mediaeval times, young people dressed up in costumes and went door-to-door looking for food or money in exchange for songs, poems or other ‘tricks.

Old English folklore about Halloween is full of superstition and fortune-telling that still lingers today, like bobbing for apples or avoiding black cats. One piece of folklore says that if a young unmarried person walks down the stairs backwards at midnight while holding a mirror, the face that appears in the mirror will be their next lover.

The night before Halloween, young children in Des Moines hit the streets for Beggars' Night. According to an article in the Des Moines Register, the event began around 1938 as a way to prevent vandalism and give younger children a safer way to enjoy Halloween.

According to the National Retail Federation, Halloween is the world’s second largest commercial holiday after Christmas.