Halloween or Hallowe'en, better known as Allhalloween, All Saint's Eve, or All Hallows' Eve, is a holiday observed in several countries on October 31. Western Christians celebrate the feast of All Hallows' Eve, also observed by many non-Christians across the world. Happy Halloween marks the beginning of the celebration of Allhallowtide, the time of the liturgical year dedicated to the memory of the dead, hallows (saints), martyrs, and all the dead.
Happy Halloween 2023 Date
Halloween is not just all about fear, dread, horror, or scary things; there’s so much more to it! Halloween is considered one of the most colorful occasions on earth. This year, Halloween Day will be celebrated on Tuesday, October 31, 2023, in many countries.
History of Halloween
One theory suggests that many Halloween traditions are influenced by Celtic harvest festivals, particularly the Gaelic festival of Samhain, which is believed to have pagan roots. Others go deep and suggest that Samhain may have been Christianised as All Hallow’s Day, along with that evening, as an early church practice. Other scholars believe that Halloween began simply as a Christian holiday, the vigil of All Hallow’s Day. Irish and Scottish immigrants carried many Halloween customs to North America in the 19th century, and then, with American influence, Halloween reached other countries in the late 20th and 21st centuries at the beginning of time.
Historian Nicholas Rogers, while exploring the origins of "Halloween", notes, "Some folklorists trace Halloween to the Roman feast of Pomona, dedicated to the goddess of fruit and seeds, or Parentalia, the festival of the dead; and these festivals are generally associated with the Celtic festival of Samhain".
According to many scholars, "Halloween" or "All Hallows' Eve" is an annual Christian festival primarily influenced by Celtic harvest festivals. According to other scholars, the festival has a distinct origin from Samhain and has a direct Christian influence at its core.
Night of the Dead and Spirits
Irish, UK, and Wales communities also believed that on the last night of the harvest season (October 31st) Samhain, God of Death, and Prince of the Darkness, calls out all souls. On this day, space and all things seem to halt and souls seek to join the living. They also believed that death caused them to live in a land of immortal youth and called "Tir nan Oge" with joy.
Highlanders believed that the dead sometimes accompanied the dead on small hills in Scotland and Ireland. There is a folklore that tells that all the dead come to the living planet on the night of October 31st to take up new bodies for the next year. Therefore, villagers make arrangements to escape from these evil spirits. The custom was to extinguish the sacred altar fire and light a new fire (symbolizing the arrival of winter or "dark season") at dawn.
Priests of the Irish and British Celts would meet at a dark oak (considered a sacred tree) on a small hill in the forest to light a new fire and offer seeds and animals. Danced and sang around the fire until dawn, marking the passage between the solar year and the dark season. At dawn, priests from the Irish, UK, and Celts carried burning coals from each household.
When and How Did the Word "Halloween" Come?
The concept of "Halloween" originated in the 18th century (possibly 1745 A.D.), largely from Christianity. At that time Pope Gregory III recognized November 1 as a day for the veneration of saints. The word "Halloween" means "purged evening" or "holy evening" which is derived from the Scottish word "All Hallows' Eve". The Scottish word "eve" means contracted or short "in". So the word "Hallow-in" changed over time to "Halloween". Although the word "All Hallows" was found in Old English, the word was not used after 1556.
Why Do We Celebrate Halloween?
This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of a dark, cold winter, a time often associated with human death. One night before New Year's Eve, the Celts believed that the boundary between the world of the living and the dead had blurred. On October 31, they celebrated Samhain, a time when the ghosts of the dead were believed to return to earth, especially their homes.
Halloween Celebrations
The major activities on Halloween Day include – Trick-or-treating, costume parties, lighting bonfires, making jack-o'-lanterns, apple bobbing, divination, pranks, watching Halloween-themed movies, telling scary, and visiting haunted attractions. Besides, some people follow the Christian religious observations of All Hallows' Eve attending Church services, prayer, fasting, vigil, and lighting candles on the graves. However, it is a secular celebration for others.
Irish and Scottish immigrants brought this tradition to North America in the 19th century. Later in the late 20th century, other Western countries also started celebrating Halloween. Halloween is currently celebrated in many countries in the Western world, such as the United States, Canada, Ireland, Puerto Rico, and the United Kingdom. Halloween is also celebrated in Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.
What is Trick-or-treating
Trick-or-treating is a traditional Halloween practice, in some countries a tradition for both children and adults. The evening before All Saints' Day (November 1), costumed children go from house to house begging for treats under the slogan "Trick or treat". The "treat" is usually a bit of candy, although in several cultures money is given instead. "Trick" means a threat, usually made in vain, to harm the homeowner(s) or property if no treatment is provided. Trick-or-treating takes place on the evening of October 31.
How to Celebrate Halloween 2022
Below we added the 10 Best Ways to Celebrate a safe and sound Halloween:
1. Make Jack-o'-Lanterns
2. Trick-or-treating
3. Visit haunted houses
4. Wearing spooky costumes
5. Telling scary stories.
6. Carve a pumpkin
7. Make pranks.
8. Watching Halloween-themed films
9. Light candles on relative's Graves
10. Attend church services.
Happy Halloween 2023 Costume Ideas
Passing a Halloween festival without wearing a costume is worthless. Many cannot decide what outfit should wear on Halloween. Therefore, we have created this post about Halloween spooky costume ideas for males, females, and children to help you out. Find out our best outfits for you and your family below –
1. SUPERMAN COSTUME
Superman is a classic male Halloween costume that never gets old. It’s also a great work good suit as well.
2. HAWAIIAN PUNCH COSTUME
Hawaiian Punch Costume is inexpensive to make, and fun to see at any event. Complete the outfit with a Hawaiian shirt and boxing gloves.
3. FARMER COSTUME
Farmer Halloween costume is the best fit for people of every age.
4. DISGUISE COSTUME
Disguise has long been at the forefront of the Halloween industry, creating innovative and trendy costumes and accessories. Create a clever disguise with a fake moustache, glasses and cape.
5. SKELETON COSTUME
The skeleton costume is a perfect Halloween outfit for both kids and adults. It is a way to scare someone funnily.
6. TREE HEADBAND
For a different look, simply wear your favourite tree-shaped outfit (green top and brown bottoms). To harvest a few branches outside the head, cut the branch stem to the desired length using pruning shears.
7. ADULT PLANT COSTUME
Adults are more easily domesticated to become a mature plants. You need just light and bright green crêpe paper, floral wire, glue, a green hat and safety pins.
8. KIDS PLANT COSTUME
Are you looking for a costume for your kids? The adorable plant look is a better idea for your kids.
9. BUTTERFLY COSTUME
This adorable costume doesn’t require many materials, it is an easy way to DIY with acrylic paint, silkscreen stencil, cardstock and black elastic.
10. UNICORN COSTUME
Make wings for the unicorn costume using paper plates and cardboard. Go drinking straw to make a horn.
11. WOODCUTTERS COSTUME
Here’s an idea that can easily make clothes out of your wardrobe. Don’t forget to try suspenders and fake axes!
12. MILKSHAKES COSTUME
Other than wearing ice cream-coloured clothes, make a cherry and whipped cream hat to complete the look.
13. ROBOTS COSTUME
"Beep, boop" to get into your Halloween bash in that robot costume. Simple cardboard boxes and colourful paint are all you need to make these semi-realistic mechanical adjustments.
14. ZOMBIE COSTUME
This costume is a spooky one to scare or prank someone on Halloween.
15. VAMPIRE COSTUME
This costume is the best Halloween fit for men, women, and children.
Happy Halloween 2023: Wishes, Messages
Halloween is celebrated across western countries on October 31st each year and it is said to have its roots in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. Wish your friends with these spooky messages –
- I hope you receive lots of trick-or-treaters this Halloween, and of course, you want to keep all the candy for yourself. Wishing you a spooktacular Halloween!
- Your favorite festival has come! Happy Halloween! I hope you get a bucket full of sweet candies and lots of gifts.
- I want Halloween full of treats and no tricks, enjoy candy and goodies! Happy Halloween 2022!
- Halloween is believed to be the time when the dead come back and visit us. Happy spooky Halloween!
- I want everyone who comes to visit you to put a smile on your face and joy in return. Happy Halloween!
Happy Halloween 2023 Status, Captions
Halloween is an old tradition that is celebrated with full vigor in and throughout the world. So we come up with the best statuses below to post on Facebook WhatsApp or Twitter –
- Tonight brings you an opportunity to make all your scary dreams come true. Turn into a devil and scare your friends because this is all about fun. Happy Halloween!
- Halloween is the occasion to disguise in creepy costumes and celebrate some awesome fun. Happy Halloween!
- I wish this Halloween brings out the goofy side so that you can enjoy the day with endless dancing and music. Happy Halloween!
- You’re the cutest pumpkin on this planet! Wishing you some scary good times. Happy Halloween!
- Tonight, you may have an adventurous Halloween filled with spooky memories and deadly experiences. Happy Halloween!
Happy Halloween 2023 SMS, Text
On this day, both kids and adults dressed in various spooky costumes, carve pumpkins, go trick-or-treating, and eat candy. Below is a collection of short messages (SMS) to text your loved ones –
- Let's have lots of candies and sweets to your heart’s content! Happy Halloween!
- The dead rises, bats fly, scream echos, and terror begins because it's Halloween tonight!
- When Halloween hits, the monsters appear, and the candies disappear. Happy Halloween!
- This Halloween should be a fun day and a scary night.
- Wishing you a fun Halloween full of magical surprises and plenty of nutritious foods!
Halloween Quotes
Below is a collection of Halloween quotes told by great people –
"There is a child in every one of us who is still a trick-or-treater looking for a brightly-lit front porch." — Robert Brault
"The world turned upside down–in a good way–for one black velvet night." – Karen Fortunati
"Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble." — William Shakespeare, Macbeth
"Nothing on Earth so beautiful as the final haul on Halloween night." — Steve Almond
"I love Halloween, and I love that feeling: the cold air, the spooky dangers lurking around the corner."— Evan Peters
"Some people are born for Halloween, and some are just counting the days until Christmas."— Stephen Graham Jones
In the concluding section of Halloween, we can say that Allhallowtide is an occasion to commemorate the dead, the martyrs, the saints, and all faithful dead Christians. Though a religious holiday, over the centuries the holiday became more secular, with the trappings of religion virtually gone. Today, Halloween is seen as a costume and fun holiday, especially for children.