HAUNTED CELEBRATION
Unmasking Halloween: the origins behind our spookiest traditions!
Image: Łukasz Nieścioruk
It’s that time of the year when all things spooky reunite to provide everyone with a fair dose of fun and jump-scares. Halloween in the U.S. is full of quirky traditions—from trick-or-treating to carving pumpkins and stuffing ourselves with candy. Above all, it’s a magical time of the year. But do you know where these traditions come from? Why do we use black and orange? Or why do children dress up? Join us as we go through 10 Halloween traditions and their origins. Are you ready?
1
Choose a villain
Image: Paige Cody
If reason were to govern our thoughts on the matter, no one could deny that seeing people of all ages dressed up as their favorite villains is a weird thing. We’ll discuss the treating part later, but let’s get into the costumes first.
This tradition has deep roots, and it goes all the way back to the Middle Ages and the ancient festival of Samhain. Now what was the purpose of the costumes? People used to believe that spirits roamed the earth on this particular night so, dressing up in costumes was the way to ward off these phantoms. Quite original, don’t you think?
2
Apple bobbing
Image: Nathan Dumlao
Among the spooky traditions, there is also one that relates to romance and love: bobbing for apples, and we’ve got Great Britain to thank for it.
In this game, an apple represented a potential husband, and, faith for young women who wished to marry was settled by how many attempts it took her to retrieve an apple. One bite meant jolly matrimony. Two bites, a not-so-long-lasting courtship. And three… Well, that relationship was doomed altogether.
Samhain was celebrated at the end of the harvest, and when Irish immigrants brought their costumes to America, this game fit fall festivities to perfection becoming a beloved Halloween game.
3
Jack-o’-lanterns
Image: Szabó János
Who is Jack, and why was he immortalized in a Halloween lantern? Well, it is all, of course, part of a curious legend. As the story goes, Jack tricked the devil twice. The first time, he tricked the Devil into becoming a coin and then, by making him promise not to claim his soul. However, all these tricks only brought nasty consequences—neither hell nor heaven wanted him.
So what happened? He was left to wander the earth with only a burning coal inspiring a carved-out turnip to light his way.
Turnips were just the start for the Scottish and Irish, soon they turned to beets and potatoes, and the tradition took the shape of pumpkins for Americans.
4
Trick or treat yourself!
Image: Nick Fewings
We’ve discussed the costumes, so let’s dive into the sweets. What’s the origin of knocking on doors and asking for candy?
When the Catholic Church established All Souls’ Day, in the Middle Ages, the costume tradition remained and a new one was added: knocking on doors and offering prayers for the dead in exchange for food. This was a practice called "souling."
But souling also suffered some changes and, in modern times, it evolved into what we know as "trick-or-treating," an activity in which children go door-to-door promising mischief if they don’t receive candy. Now you know this, we bet you’ll always give treats away!
5
Black cats, good or bad?
Image: Adél Grőber
In some cultures, spotting a black cat is a one-way ticket to destruction. In others, a black cat is a good luck omen, a sign that you’ll even find love. However, in America, black cats are part of the first group and have become a key symbol in Halloween celebrations and decorations.
Why is that? Because, in the Middle Ages, these poor animals were associated with witches and witchcraft. They were believed to have powers and to be connected to the evil spirits roaming the earth. True or not, they certainly add to the eerie atmosphere of Halloween, don’t you think?
6
Black and orange
Image: Bee Felten-Leidel
Have you ever wondered why we use these particular colors during the Halloween season? Well, the choice was not random at all, it has to do with the meaning behind orange and black.
For one, orange is related to the autumn season, and the end of the harvest (the original time of the Celtic celebration).
Black, on the other hand, brings in the spookiness and the mystery that we all love about Halloween night. It represents the color of the night sky, the shadows, and all things that add to the eerie atmosphere of the evening.
7
Haunted houses
Image: Bee Felten-Leidel
This tradition reveals the true essence of the Halloween spirit: to get as many scares as one can in a single night. All across America, on October 31st, families get their houses ready to invite people over for a thrilling experience.
Haunted houses aim to evoke tension and fear through ghostly figures, spooky decorations, dimmed lights, and chilling sounds with special effects. Have you ever visited one?
8
Bonfires
Image: henry perks
Bonfires, another tradition inherited from the Celtic celebration, are less common but they are still a Halloween tradition. As you can imagine, the original intention of the bonfires was to ward off evil spirits and to honor the Gods.
In the more modern Irish and Scottish traditions, the bonfires were part of a protective and communal custom that later made its way to America. In turn, this tradition has only remained to add warmth and a sense of togetherness to the holiday.
9
Candy Frenzy
Image: Mary Jane Duford
If you ask any child, candy is the best reason to celebrate Halloween. And we can’t blame them— they get to dress up, knock on doors, and get dozens of candies they will later exchange and eat in the company of their loved ones.
In our country, it’s not just the children or the houses who get ready for Halloween—the Marketing industry does too! Every year, countless candy brands (any brand really) adapt their products to make them Halloween-themed. The season kicks off when your local supermarket hangs those spiderwebs up and you start spotting black and orange packaging all over!
10
Scary stories
Image: Nika Benedictova
After collecting all the candies that were rightfully theirs for dressing up, children and young adults all over the country get together to end the night devouring their treats and immersing themselves one last time in the eerie atmosphere: It’s time for the spine-tingling tales.
No Halloween celebration is complete without a good dose of scary stories, fables of ancient times with mysterious characters and details that send shivers down the listeners’ spines. Why? For the sake of fear, after all, Halloween night is all about the supernatural!
