Halloween 2021: Date, History, Significance, Best Wishes, Quotes, HD images and more

Every year, Halloween is celebrated on October 31. Historians believe that the tradition of Halloween originated with an ancient Celtic festival where people lit bonfires and don costumes to keep off ghosts. The evening before was known as All Hallows Eve and later known as Halloween. 'Halloween' means holy evening or All Saints Day. The festival is being observed since 2,000 years and in some European countries it is celebrated on the last day of harvest. Usually the celebration includes, carving pumkins, watching horror movies, dressing up in spooky costumes etc. But with time, Halloween involved certain activities like festive gatherings or planning meals to commemorate the day.

Halloween: Date and History

Halloween is celebrated on 31 October. It is celebrated to mark the difference between summer and winter, living and dead. In some places, people pray for the dead by visiting church and lighting candles. There are different believes on Halloween’s origin. Many historians think that it is linked with Samhain, which is the harvest festival. The meaning of Samhain is Summer’s End. Many people also believe that it is celebrated as dead comes back to life and may destroy the crops. Therefore, in order to save the crops for winters, people please the holy spirits, by lighting bonfires and they also wear masks.

Halloween: Significance

The common ritual of knocking people’s door and saying ‘trick or treat’ started in 16th century in some European countries. There, it was believed that people who were dressed in various costumes were saving themselves from the holy spirits by looking like them.