When Is Halloween 2025? Check Date, History, Significance And More About This Spooky Festival

It is officially Halloween season. The festival, which is an annual holiday in many countries, is known for its eerie decor, spooky costumes, and trick-or-treating tradition.

Though Halloween has its roots in 16th-century Ireland, Scotland and England, Americans and Canadians adopted Halloween in a big way.

Halloween is now a global festival that is observed not only in Western countries, but also in some regions of Asia and Latin America.

In India, Halloween has gained in popularity among the younger generation in metro cities.

Every year, pop culture references—from horror films to fantasy characters—influence costume trends, and schools, workplaces, and shopping centres host themed events.

Here is a look at Halloween's history, cultural significance, and when it will be observed in 2025.

Halloween will be celebrated on Friday, October 31. People of all ages will dress up in imaginative costumes, carve pumpkins and embrace the eerie atmosphere of Halloween across the US, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland and many other countries, including India.

Halloween is said to have originated more than 2,000 years ago when the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced "sow-in") was observed at the end of the harvest season in what is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France.

The Celts believed ghosts may return to Earth on the night of October 31, and that the line between the living and the dead will become obscure. People dressed in animal costumes to fend off evil spirits and built bonfires to ward off these wandering souls.

When the Romans overran the Celtic territories, they combined two of their own celebrations with Samhain, Feralia, a day to remember the dead, and a festival for Pomona, the goddess of fruit and trees. Bobbing for apples and other apple-related games developed into a Halloween custom because the apple was Pomona's symbol.

Additionally, Pope Gregory III celebrated saints in the 8th century by declaring November 1 as All Saints' Day, also known as All Hallows' Day. All Hallows' Eve—later abbreviated to Halloween—was the name given to the previous evening, October 31. Christian and Celtic traditions gradually merged to form the modern celebration.

These days, Halloween is a community-driven and cultural event that is celebrated with pumpkin carving, trick-or-treating, costume parties, and haunted home tours. Beyond the fun and festivities, Halloween holds deeper significance for many people. It is a moment to reflect on the life-death cycle and honour departed loved ones.

Some people enjoy Halloween because of its creativity. Based on an Irish legend about "Stingy Jack," a man destined to roam the planet with only a carved turnip for illumination, the jack-o'-lantern was created by hollowing out pumpkins and carving eerie faces.

Trick-or-Treating originated in Europe during the Middle Ages, when impoverished people would go door-to-door and be provided food in exchange for prayers for the deceased. It developed into children collecting sweets on Halloween in the US.

The occasion falls on the same day as Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), a celebration in Mexico dedicated to paying respect to departed relatives. Large-scale Halloween celebrations with parades and other festivities are held in Australia, Canada, and Japan.

Over the past few years, Halloween has become popular with young people in India too.