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Halloween
[ hal-uh-ween, -oh-een, hol- ]
noun
- the evening of October 31; the eve of All Saints' Day; Allhallows Eve: observed especially by children in costumes who solicit treats, often by threatening minor pranks.
Halloween
/ ˳óƦ±ōÉŹĖ¾±Ė²Ō /
noun
- the eve of All Saints' Day celebrated on Oct 31 by masquerading; Allhallows Eve
51³Ō¹Ļ History and Origins
Origin of Halloween1
51³Ō¹Ļ History and Origins
Origin of Halloween1
Example Sentences
She treasured a set she purchased after the completion of the Disney Halloween Half Marathon last fall, her 200th such competition.
In a departure from Halloween Horror Nights, the āStar Trekā and āDungeons & Dragonsā areas are expected to last around 12 minutes, each featuring multiple rooms where actors will perform and interact with the guests.
This was not a mere friend dressed up for Halloween or a cast member at Disneyland but the actual actress who voiced the character in Disney's 1937 animated classic āSnow White and the Seven Dwarfs.ā
Brennan, who had bought the capsule used by Williams from a fancy dress shop in Clapham, claimed never to have seen them outside of a Halloween party.
During Halloween last year they went trick or treating in the Suffolk town and filled up a small bucket with sweets.
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More About Halloween
What isĢżHalloween?
Halloween is a holiday on October 31 thatās essentially a celebration of spooky and scary stuff, like ghosts, witches, monsters, and haunted houses.
Itās traditionally celebrated by dressing in costumes, decorating with things like Āį²¹³¦°ģ-“Ēā-±ō²¹²Ō³Ł±š°ł²Ō²õ (carved pumpkins) and fake spiderwebs, and trick or treatingāgoing door to door to collect candy or other treats from people who are giving it out. The trick part of trick or treat is a reference to the pranks that kids sometimes play on Halloween.
Halloween is especially celebrated by children, but teens and adults commonly celebrate it, too, such as by having parties (often costume parties), watching scary movies, giving out candy to kids, eating some of that candy, and then eating some of the candy that kids bring home.
Halloween is a secular (nonreligious) holiday, but its name has roots in the Christian holiday Allhallows, better known as All Saintsā Day. Another name for Halloween is Allhallows Eve (the night before Allhallows).
Halloween is commonly used as a modifier in phrases like Halloween costume, Halloween party, Halloween candy, and Halloween night.
Example: Donāt give me this trunk or treat stuffāI want a classic Halloween, with trick or treating and haunted houses and my neighbor disguising himself as a stuffed scarecrow so he can pop up and scare kids when they try to take more than one piece of candy from the bowl.
Where doesĢżHalloween come from?
The first records of the word Halloween come from around the 1550sāright around the same time as Allhallows Eve. Halloween is sometimes spelled ±į²¹±ō±ō“Ƿɱšāe²Ō, reflecting the fact that its name comes from a shortening ofĢżAllhallows Even, in which even means the same thing as eveāthe evening or day before a holiday (as in Christmas Eve). The word hallow is used in reference to the saints honored on All Saintsā Day (hallowed means āholyā).
Many of the traditions associated with Halloween are thought to originate in Samhain, a holiday celebrated by the ancient Celtic inhabitants of the British Isles. Samhain was celebrated during harvest time, on or around November 1, which was the first day of the Celtsā year. It was a time of year when it was believed that the threshold of the spirit world was opened for spirits to pass through and haunt the living. People marked the occasion by wearing costumes and lighting bonfires for protection. Under Christianity, some of these traditions were incorporated into All Saintsā Day. Many of these customs were brought by immigrants to the U.S., where Halloween has been influenced by and has incorporated elements from several cultures to become what it is today.
Halloween is often seen as a way to have fun with the macabreāscary things or things related to death, somewhat similar to traditions observed during DĆa de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead) in Mexico and other countries. However, most people just see it as a time to dress up, eat candy, and have fun with spooky stuff. Classic Halloween costumes include ghosts, skeletons, witches, monsters, mummies, vampires, zombies, werewolves, and other scary things, but people dress up in all kinds of costumes, especially characters from pop culture.
In many places in the U.S., the night before Halloween is unofficially known as mischief night, on which kids play pranks and cause other mischief, such as egging or toilet papering houses.
Did you know ... ?
What are some other forms related to Halloween?
- Halloweāen (alternate spelling)
What are some synonyms for Halloween?
What are some words that share a root or word element with Halloween?Ģż
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What are some words that often get used in discussing Halloween?
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How is Halloween used in real life?
Halloween is associated with fun stuff like wearing costumes, trick-or-treating, and eating candy.
I remember one Halloween where instead of getting candy, this old lady had us grab a SPOONFUL of PENNIES. No candy⦠just⦠pennies š
ā Jackie Hill Perry (@JackieHillPerry)
Best Halloween Iāve ever had. Special thank you to Mary Bridge Childrenās Hospital.
ā Cj Prosise (@Prosisely_22)
2020 will be the year i finally plan my halloween costume ahead of time
ā dylan bauld (@dylanwilliam23)
Try usingĢżHalloween!
True or False?
The word Halloween is a shortening of Allhallows Even.
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