Halloween 2021: History, Date and Significance

Halloween is celebrated to mark the difference between summer and winter and the living and the dead every year.

Photo: The Quint

Halloween, also known as All Hallows’ Eve, is a festival that is celebrated in the western parts of the globe on 31 October, 2021.

While all age groups celebrate Halloween, young children enjoy it the most. Halloween rituals generally include dressing up in unusual outfits, playing a game called trick or treat, carving jack-o-lanterns or drinking pumpkin spiced drinks.

The history of Halloween dates back all the way to the Celtic festival of Samhain which used to be a harvest festival. Halloween was generally celebrated as the day that marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the cold winter approaching.

The Celtic people believed that on the eve of Halloween, the boundaries between the living and the dead got blurred and the spirits could move freely through all lands. This is also why the Celtic people began to celebrate New Years on 1 November each year.

In olden times, Celtic priests created large bonfires that were considered sacred and people gathered around it to offer sacrifices to the Celtic deities.

However, in the present day scenario, rituals and traditions have evolved and Halloween has become more of an occasion to dress up in spooky outfits and decorating one's houses in an eerie manner. Many people also distribute candy as a symbol to ward off the evil.

Thus, while the festival originally used to be a solemn occasion limited to Ireland, the United Kingdom and Northern France, many people have begun to celebrate it in India too.

We at The Quint wish you a very Happy Halloween in advance.