What day is Halloween on this year?

Halloween is annually celebrated on October 31, and this year, the event falls on a Saturday.

How did Halloween begin?

Halloween began as the festival of Samhain and its origins date back thousands of years to pagan times.

During this time, Celtic people lived across England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland and as they were essentially farming and agricultural people, they would hold a festival around the end of October which would mark the end of summer and the harvest, and the beginning of the dark and cold winter.

People believed that, at this time of year, the spirits of dead people could come alive and would revisit the mortal world and so the pagans threw huge parties, lit bonfires and wore costumes to ward off evil spirits.

Decades later, Christianity became more prominent and Halloween became known as All Hallows' Eve, the day before All Saints Day, on November 1.

It was America who made Halloween the event that it is today

But it was America who made Halloween the event that it is today. Irish immigrants flooded America after fleeing Ireland's potato famine in 1846, and the Americans took inspiration from English and Irish traditions and began to dress up in costumes and go from house to house asking for food or money. This became today's trick or treat tradition.

From then on, Halloween became more about celebrations as America transformed the event into a holiday more about community. They held parties for children and adults and focused more on food, games and festive costumes.

Parents were encouraged to take anything frightening out of Halloween, and so it lost most of its superstition and religious meaning.

During the 20th century, Halloween became more popular with traditions that we know today, such as pumpkin carving and trick or treating, at the centre of the celebration.

How did pumpkins become popular?

Formerly known as the Jack O' Lantern, carved pumpkins came from old Irish folk telling tales of Jack, a lazy farmer who used a cross to trap the Devil, and said he would only set it free if it did not take his soul.

But Jack's life had been too sinful for him to go to heaven, but because the Devil had promised not to take his soul, he was also barred from hell, and so he had nowhere to go.

After asking how he would see where to go because he had no light, Jack was given an ember that would never burn out. He carved one of his turnips and put the ember inside it and wandered the Earth for a resting place. That is how he got the name Jack O' Lantern.

How do other countries celebrate Halloween?

  • Mexico, Latin America and Spain all celebrate All Souls Day which takes place on November 2, and is a three day celebrate that begins on October 31. The celebration honours the dead, who they believe return to their earthly homes on Halloween. Many families make an altar in their homes to pay their respects to their dead relatives or people they know, and decorate it with sweets, flowers and photographs, and the deceased's favourite foods and drinks, and fresh water.

  • Austria's traditional celebration involves bread, water and a lit up lamp as they welcome dead souls back to earth.

  • Belgium light candles in memory of dead relatives.

  • Canada is the same as America and UK now with carved pumpkins and treat or treating a normal part of celebrations.

  • In China, Halloween is known as Teng Chieg. Food and water are placed in front of family members who have left, and bonfires and lanterns are lit to light the paths of the spirits as they travel on earth on Halloween night.

  • France doesn't celebrate Halloween to honour the dead, but because of their love of parties and costume events, there has been more acknowledgement of the event in more recent years.

  • Germany put their knives away on Halloween night to not risk harm to or from returning spirits.

  • Hong Kong calls their Halloween celebration Yue Lan and they believe that spirits wander around the world for 24 hours.

  • Sweden's Halloween is known as Alla Helgons Dag and it is celebrated from October 31 to November 6.

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