🎃 Days Until Halloween
There are
days until Halloween (October 31)
Related holidays
About Halloween
Halloween is celebrated on October 31st with costumes, trick-or-treating, carved pumpkins (jack-o'-lanterns), haunted houses, and horror-themed entertainment. The holiday has origins in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people lit bonfires and wore costumes to ward off ghosts. Today it is one of the most commercially successful holidays in the United States, with billions spent annually on costumes, candy, and decorations.
How to prepare for Halloween
Start planning costumes in September to avoid last-minute scrambles and sold-out sizes. Buy candy in bulk early — popular varieties sell out closer to Halloween. For pumpkin carving, pick pumpkins a week before and carve them no more than 3 days ahead so they stay fresh. If you're hosting a party, send invitations by early October. Check your neighborhood's trick-or-treat hours and stock up on glow sticks for safety.
Traditions and customs
Halloween traces to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people lit bonfires and wore disguises to ward off wandering spirits at the turn of the darker half of the year. Irish and Scottish immigrants carried the customs to North America in the 19th century, where turnip lanterns became carved pumpkins. Trick-or-treating, costume parties, haunted attractions, and horror films define the modern night, and Americans now spend billions annually on candy, costumes, and decorations.
Frequently asked questions
- When is Halloween?
- Halloween falls on October 31st every year, the eve of the Christian feast of All Saints' Day (November 1st).
- Where does Halloween come from?
- It evolved from the Celtic festival of Samhain, marking the end of harvest and the start of winter, later blended with the Christian observances of All Hallows' Eve.
- Why do we carve pumpkins?
- The jack-o'-lantern comes from an Irish folk tale about "Stingy Jack." Immigrants originally carved turnips and potatoes; pumpkins, native and plentiful in America, proved easier to carve and became the standard.