Why do we celebrate Halloween? Understanding Halloween traditions

Happy family celebrating Halloween with pumpkins hiding their faces

You probably associate Halloween with pumpkins, sweets and scary costumes, but how much of the history behind these spooky celebrations do you really know? Shaped by a patchwork of traditions that has evolved over centuries, read on the discover why we celebrate Halloween and where all our strange and spooky rituals come from.

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Why do we celebrate Halloween?

We celebrate Halloween every year on 31 October. It's known as a night to embrace all things eerie and mysterious, but at its heart, Halloween is about much more than witches. The celebration is rooted in marking the transition from the long, golden days of harvest to the dark, chilly nights of winter. For centuries, people have gathered at this time of year to light fires, share food and ward off whatever might be lurking in the shadows.

Over time, Halloween has become a festival that blends the sacred and playful. It’s a night to remember the dead, protect ourselves from mischievous spirits and enjoy a bit of fun with friends and family. Whether you’re carving a pumpkin, donning a witch’s hat or heading out for a spot of trick-or-treating, you’re taking part in a celebration that’s been shaped by centuries of history and folklore.

Where does Halloween come from?

Tracing the origins of Halloween is difficult, but historians suggest it stems from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (meaning 'November'), which was celebrated in Ireland and Scotland to mark the end of the harvest and start of winter. Samhain was one of four great festivals in the Gaelic year, and was celebrated on 1 November to coincide with the first frosts of the season. With festivities spanning several days, precise celebrations are unknown, but almost certainly involved feasting, bonfires and gatherings of tribal groups.

During this time, people believed that the boundary between the living and dead was at its thinnest, allowing spirits to cross into our world. Throughout the medieval period, customs included lighting candles to guide spirits home. As Christianity spread across Europe, the church established All Saints’ Day on 1 November, moving it from its original date in May to coincide with Samhain. The evening before became known as All Hallows’ Eve, or Halloween.

Over the centuries, these Christian and Gaelic traditions merged, giving rise to the Halloween we know today. These customs infiltrated the US during the 19th century as a result of mass Irish emigration, and helped form modern celebrations.

Learn more about the history of Halloween from our friends at History Extra.

Halloween traditions and history explained

Carving pumpkins

No Halloween would be complete without the warm glow of a carved pumpkin on the doorstep. But, this tradition didn’t start with pumpkins at all: in 19th- and 20th-century Ireland, people carved turnips to create lanterns inspired by the folk tale of Stingy Jack, a man doomed to wander the earth with only a hollowed-out turnip and burning coal to light his way. When Irish communities emigrated to America, they discovered that pumpkins, native to the US, were much easier to carve than tough old turnips. Thus, the modern jack o’lantern was born.

Today, carving pumpkins is both a creative activity and way to keep unwanted spirits at bay. Whether you opt for a classic scary face or something a bit more playful, your glowing pumpkin is a nod to centuries of folklore and superstition.

Wearing costumes

The tradition of dressing up at Halloween has its roots in ancient beliefs about spirits roaming the earth. During Samhain, the Celts feared that malevolent beings might be lurking, so they donned disguises to confuse any wandering souls and avoid harm. These early costumes were intended to help people blend in with the supernatural crowd, making it harder for spirits to single them out.

As the centuries passed, the idea of wearing costumes evolved into a fun custom. Today, the tradition continues with children and adults alike transforming into witches, vampires or even pop culture characters for a night of spooky fun.

Boy dressed as a ghost at his front door

Trick or Treat

Trick-or-treating might seem like a thoroughly modern invention, but its origins stretch back to several older customs. There was the British practice known as 'souling,' where poorer members of the community would visit homes offering prayers for the dead in exchange for food – often, so-called soul cakes. In parts of Yorkshire, the night was even called 'Cake Night' due to the popularity of these treats.

Dating back to at least 16th century, the tradition of 'guising' in Scotland and Ireland also played a part, with people dressing up and performing tricks or songs in return for food or money. When these customs made their way to the US with Irish and Scottish immigrants, they gradually evolved into the trick-or-treating we know today. By the mid-20th century, the custom had become firmly established, with children going door-to-door in costume collecting sweets.