Halloween
On the 1st of November, the Western Christian Church marks All Hallows' Day, a feast dedicated to remembering saints and martyrs. The evening before this holy day became known as All Hallows' Eve, later shortened to Halloween. This date anchors a three-day liturgical period called Allhallowtide, which also includes All Souls' Day on the 2nd of November. By the 4th century, Pope Boniface IV re-dedicated the Pantheon in Rome to honor all martyrs on the 13th of May, establishing a precedent for collective remembrance of the dead. In 835, the Frankish Empire officially adopted the 1st of November as the date for All Saints' Day, possibly influenced by Irish clerics or Alcuin of Northumbria at Charlemagne's court. Churches in Ireland and Northumbria were already holding feasts commemorating all saints on this date by 800. During the Middle Ages, Christians believed that souls wandered the earth until All Saints' Day, making the eve a final chance for the dead to seek vengeance. To avoid recognition by these vengeful spirits, people began wearing masks or costumes. Some churches too poor to display relics allowed parishioners to dress up as saints instead. In 19th-century Brittany, families poured libations of milk on graves or left food on dinner tables for returning souls. Candles protected by glass lanterns were placed around tombstones to be lit on All Hallows' Eve and burn through the night.
The Gaelic festival Samhain marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, celebrated on the 31st of October in Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. For Celtic peoples, the day ended at sunset, so the festival began the evening before the 1st of November by modern reckoning. This time was seen as liminal, when the boundary between the world and the Otherworld thinned. The Aos Sí, spirits or fairies, could more easily enter the human realm during Samhain. People appeased these beings with offerings of food and drink to ensure survival through the winter. Souls of the dead were also believed to revisit their homes seeking hospitality, requiring places set at the dinner table and by the fire. Special bonfires were lit across Ireland and Britain, their flames, smoke, and ashes deemed to have protective powers. Torches lit from these fires were carried sunwise around homes and fields to ward off evil. In parts of southern Ireland, a man dressed as a láir bhán led youths house-to-house reciting verses in exchange for food. If households donated food, they expected good fortune; refusal brought misfortune. Divination rituals involving apples and hazelnuts were common, foretelling future spouses or deaths. In Wales, men went about dressed as fearsome gwrachod, while in Glamorgan and Orkney, young people cross-dressed.
Mass Irish and Scottish immigration in the 19th century brought Halloween traditions to North America. Before this influx, almanacs of the late 18th and early 19th centuries showed no indication that Halloween was widely celebrated in the United States. Anglican colonists in the southern US and Catholic colonists in Maryland recognized All Hallows' Eve in their church calendars, but Puritans in New England strongly opposed the holiday. It was not until after mass immigration that Halloween became a major holiday in America. Most American traditions were inherited directly from Irish and Scots customs. In Cajun areas, nocturnal Masses were said in cemeteries on Halloween night, with families spending the entire night at gravesides. By the early 20th century, these customs had been assimilated into mainstream society and were celebrated coast to coast by people of all backgrounds. The first reference to guising in North America appeared in 1911 when a newspaper in Kingston, Ontario reported children going door-to-door. Another ritual begging reference appeared in 1915, followed by a third in Chicago in 1920. The earliest known print use of the term trick or treat came in 1917 from The Sault Daily Star in Ontario.
Hollowed-out turnips have traditionally been carved during Halloween in Ireland, Scotland, and Northern England since at least the 16th century. Immigrants to North America discovered native pumpkins were softer and larger, making them easier to carve than turnips. The American tradition of carving pumpkins is recorded as early as 1837 in Nathaniel Hawthorne's story The Great Carbuncle. Originally associated with general harvest time, pumpkin carving became specifically linked to Halloween only in the mid-to-late 19th century. As late as 1900, an article on Thanksgiving entertaining recommended lit jack-o'-lanterns as part of festivities. Modern Halloween imagery draws from Gothic literature like Frankenstein and Dracula, plus classic horror films such as Night of the Living Dead released in 1968. Skulls serve as memento mori reminders of death's transitory quality, appearing in church decorations depicting Last Judgment scenes. Black cats long associated with witches are common symbols alongside traditional colors black, orange, and sometimes purple. In 1952, a Scottish term described guisers wearing false faces while carrying turnip lanterns through Ayr streets.
Trick-or-treating evolved from medieval practices of souling and guising where groups went door-to-door collecting soul cakes or food in exchange for prayers or songs. The earliest known print use of trick or treat appeared in 1917 from The Sault Daily Star in Ontario. Widespread practice did not emerge until the 1930s, with first US appearances of the term recorded in 1934 newspapers from Oregon and Montana. By 1939, national publications began using the phrase regularly. Children go house to house asking for treats like candy or money, implying mischief if no treat is given. Trunk-or-treat variants emerged later when children receive treats from decorated car trunks in church parking lots. This safety-focused alternative gained popularity due to rural spacing challenges and parental concerns about door-to-door visits. Since its inception in 1950 as a local Philadelphia event, Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF has collected over $118 million for humanitarian aid before discontinuing collection boxes in Canada in 2006.
Halloween accounts for over ten billion dollars annually in the American economy. Projections for 2023 showed Americans spending twelve point two billion dollars on the holiday, up from ten point six billion in 2022. Home decorations accounted for three point nine billion of that total, while costumes cost four point three billion. Candy sales reached three point nine billion dollars, with greeting cards adding seven hundred million more. The National Retail Federation projects spending will rise to thirteen point one billion by 2025. In 2018 alone, thirty million Americans spent an estimated four hundred eighty million dollars on pet costumes, up from two hundred million in 2010. Popular pet outfits included pumpkins, hot dogs, and bumblebees. Theme parks like Six Flags Fright Fest began in 1986, while Universal Studios Florida launched Halloween Horror Nights in 1991. These commercial enterprises have globalized the holiday through events at Disney parks in Paris, Hong Kong, and Tokyo alongside American locations.
Common questions
When was Halloween officially established as All Hallows' Eve by the Western Christian Church?
The evening before the 1st of November became known as All Hallows' Eve after Pope Boniface IV re-dedicated the Pantheon in Rome on the 13th of May during the 4th century. The Frankish Empire officially adopted the 1st of November as All Saints' Day in 835, which anchored the date for All Hallows' Eve.
What is the origin of the Gaelic festival Samhain celebrated on 31 October?
Samhain marked the end of harvest season and beginning of winter for Celtic peoples in Ireland, Scotland, and Isle of Man. This festival began the evening before the 1st of November when the boundary between human world and Otherworld thinned allowing Aos Sí spirits to enter the realm.
How did trick-or-treating evolve from medieval practices into modern American tradition?
Trick-or-treating evolved from souling and guising where groups collected soul cakes or food in exchange for prayers or songs. The earliest print use of term trick or treat appeared in 1917 from The Sault Daily Star in Ontario with widespread practice emerging in 1930s through US newspapers from Oregon and Montana.
Why are pumpkins carved instead of turnips for Halloween celebrations today?
Hollowed-out turnips have been carved since at least 16th century in Ireland, Scotland, and Northern England until immigrants discovered native pumpkins were softer and easier to carve. American tradition of carving pumpkins was recorded as early as 1837 in Nathaniel Hawthorne's story The Great Carbuncle.
How much money do Americans spend on Halloween annually according to recent projections?
Halloween accounts for over ten billion dollars annually in American economy with projections showing twelve point two billion dollars spent in 2023. National Retail Federation projects spending will rise to thirteen point one billion by 2025 while thirty million Americans spent four hundred eighty million dollars on pet costumes alone in 2018.