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Halloween: History, Traditions, and How It’s Celebrated Today

Halloween’s roots combine seasonal and Christian traditions, while trick-or-treating, costumes and pumpkin carving took shape over time. Here’s what the holiday means and how it’s celebrated today.
Opened Runtime3 min Written byDocumentaryTube Team
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Halloween is observed on October 31, the eve of All Saints’ Day. Its history blends seasonal customs associated with the Gaelic festival of Samhain with Christian observances, while familiar traditions such as trick-or-treating and pumpkin carving developed over time rather than from one proven origin.

Why is Halloween on October 31?

The name Halloween comes from “All Hallows’ Eve,” the evening before All Saints’ Day on November 1. The Library of Congress describes the holiday’s development as a mingling of pre-Christian seasonal customs associated with Samhain and Christian observances around All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days.

Samhain is a Gaelic festival associated with the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter. Historical accounts connect that seasonal boundary with beliefs about the dead and the supernatural. That context helps explain Halloween’s association with ghosts and other uncanny themes, but it does not establish that every modern custom began as a Samhain rite.

Where did Halloween traditions come from?

Jack-o’-lanterns

Irish tradition included carving turnips. The story of Stingy Jack, a figure said to have wandered with a glowing ember, is folklore—not a verified account of a real person or the documented origin of the practice. In North America, pumpkins became the familiar carving material.

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Trick-or-treating

There is no single uncontested origin for trick-or-treating. The Library of Congress describes several possible influences, including Samhain-era offerings, Scottish guising and medieval souling. Irish and other immigrants brought Halloween customs to the United States in the mid-19th century, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, but that does not prove a direct line from any one earlier practice to today’s door-to-door visits.

Parties, pranks and changing customs

Halloween has not always centered on children collecting candy. The National Museum of American History describes early-20th-century celebrations built around home parties, decorations, games, invitations and socializing. Trick-or-treating became more popular later, particularly after the postwar baby boom. Historical newspaper materials collected by the Library of Congress also show practices such as pranks and fortune-telling, underscoring how celebrations varied across time and place.

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What do people do for Halloween today?

In the United States, common activities include handing out candy, wearing costumes, decorating homes or yards, carving pumpkins and watching scary movies. The National Retail Federation’s 2026 consumer survey, conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics, asked 7,889 consumers about their Halloween plans. It found that 74% planned to celebrate; 61% planned to hand out candy, 50% to wear a costume, and 42% each to decorate, carve pumpkins and watch scary movies. These are reported plans, not an audit of what people ultimately did.

The same survey forecast $13.5 billion in U.S. Halloween spending and average planned spending of $115.14 per person. Those are NRF’s 2026 survey estimates, not confirmed final spending figures. NRF Vice President of Industry and Consumer Insights Allison Zeller said, “Consumers continue to make Halloween a spending priority, but they are also approaching the season with affordability in mind.”

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For a sense of the scale of potential trick-or-treat destinations, the Census Bureau counted 133.2 million occupied U.S. housing units in 2023. It describes them as potential stops; the figure is not a count of homes taking part in trick-or-treating.

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How can families plan a safer Halloween?

The Consumer Product Safety Commission’s cited Halloween release is historical, not new 2026 guidance. Its long-standing practical advice is to make costumes visible to motorists, prevent tripping, and avoid blocking vision or breathing. For a child’s outfit and route, check:

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