Why Do We Celebrate Halloween?

Halloween is one of the biggest holidays in the UK celebrated every year on October 31st. This long-running tradition dates back 2000 years ago to the ancient Celtic festival Samhain which was held on November 1st marking the end of the harvest season for farmers.

This day was believed to be the day that souls of the dead would return to walk among the living. People would dress in costumes and light bonfires to ward off spirits. These costumes consisted of animal heads and skins, so ghosts wouldn't be able to recognise and taunt them.

By the 1920's, Halloween had become more of a seasonal and social event rather than being about death, ghosts and witches. Instead people would host Halloween parties for dressing up, playing games and enjoy socialising with family and friends.

Did you know? The word "Halloween" comes from All Hallows Eve, which means "Hallowed Evening."

Trick or treating

Trick or treating only became popular in the early 20th century starting with kids asking for fruits, nuts and toys. By the 1950's candy manufacturers saw an opportunity and Halloween candy became widely popular as it was far easier and cheaper to hand out individually wrapped sweets.

Black Cats and Halloween

Long have we associated black cats with our superstitions, from being thought of as witch's familiars to devil advocates.

Back in medieval times, the Christian church told people cats were devilish animals that would bring bad luck and disease to any human they came near and sadly many cats were killed because of this.

Even today there's bad buzz about black cats with them often taking longer to be adopted than other cats. In modern Halloween celebrations black cats happen to be a popular costume to dress up as with their pointy ears and whiskers.

How to celebrate Halloween today

Decorate the house- fill your home with Halloween colours like orange and black, plus spooky decorations like cobwebs, spiders, pumpkins and candles.

Costume parties- invite your friends and family to dress up in scary costumes and enjoy a night filled with music and food.

Carve pumpkins- buy from your local supermarket or visit a pumpkin patch, for inspiration for your Pumpkin face check out templates online.

Play Halloween music- you'll find plenty of playlists on Spotify and Apple Music filled with spooky songs like Monster Mash and This Is Halloween.

Watch scary movies- like Halloween, Scream and Nightmare On Elm Street. Or more family friendly like Hocus Pocus and Nightmare Before Christmas.

FabFinds Halloween Decorations

To ensure your Halloween is one to remember, make sure you go all out on your Halloween party decorations for the best spooky experience. Browse the full range of Halloween Party Decorations here.