How an ancient seasonal festival, ghost stories and centuries of changing traditions became one of the world's best-known celebrations.
Explore the story ↓Halloween is celebrated on 31 October, but its roots reach much further back than modern trick-or-treating. Historians connect part of its story to Samhain, a seasonal festival in Gaelic Celtic communities, especially Ireland and Scotland. It marked the transition from the harvest season towards winter, a moment associated in folklore with spirits, fairies and a thinning boundary between worlds.
Stories about protective disguises, fires and supernatural visitors formed part of a much richer set of regional beliefs and customs. We should be careful, though: no single ancient ritual can be shown to have turned directly into every modern Halloween activity.
Christian traditions later shaped the occasion too. All Saints' Day is observed on 1 November in many Western Christian calendars, and the evening before became known as All Hallows' Eve—the name from which “Halloween” developed. All Souls' Day on 2 November added another remembrance tradition. Halloween grew through the mixing and reinvention of customs, rather than being invented in one year.
One famous story tells of Stingy Jack, a trickster condemned to wander with a glowing ember inside a carved vegetable. Versions of the legend helped inspire the jack-o'-lantern. In Ireland and Scotland people carved turnips and other root vegetables; pumpkins became the familiar choice in North America, where they were plentiful and easier to carve.
Folklore linked this turning point in the year with encounters between the living and the supernatural. Dressing up and disguising oneself are connected to different European customs, including guising. Today's witches, monsters and superheroes reflect centuries of storytelling and entertainment, not a single fixed ancient dress code.
Earlier traditions included souling (visiting households and receiving food in connection with prayers for the dead) and guising (costumed visitors performing songs, rhymes or tricks in exchange for treats). Modern American-style trick-or-treating emerged much later through the blending of customs.
In Celtic-speaking regions, seasonal change was marked by celebrations and stories about the otherworld. Much of the precise practice is difficult to reconstruct today.
Christian remembrance days and local traditions developed alongside door-to-door visiting, prayers and disguise traditions.
Migration, notably during and after the Irish Great Famine, brought and popularised Halloween customs in North America.
Halloween mischief was an issue in some communities. Neighbourhood events and supervised celebrations increasingly offered alternative ways to join in.
Post-war neighbourhoods, easier access to packaged lollies, children's entertainment and commercial costumes helped trick-or-treating become a mainstream American childhood tradition.
Films, television, retail, social media and shared celebrations helped spread Halloween imagery abroad, where it mixes with local customs and sometimes meets resistance.
Halloween did not begin in America. The modern American version, however, became extraordinarily influential for several overlapping reasons.
Irish and Scottish communities carried Halloween customs across the Atlantic. As immigrant communities grew, celebrations spread and changed.
Post-war suburban streets provided a ready-made setting for children to visit nearby homes, with households participating together.
Communities increasingly encouraged organised, child-centred celebrations rather than destructive mischief. Packaged confectionery made small treats easy to distribute.
Comics, cartoons, horror films and later television helped make costumes, pumpkins and trick-or-treating immediately recognisable.
Mass-produced costumes, decorations, sweets and seasonal promotions turned a single evening into weeks of activity and shopping.
A decorated doorstep, a costume, a neighbourhood walk, a party or a scary film are all ways to join in, so Halloween reaches beyond families with young children.
planned to celebrate Halloween in 2026.
in the US during the 2026 Halloween season.
according to the same 2026 US survey.
Source: National Retail Federation / Prosper Insights & Analytics 2026 US consumer survey. These are US estimates, not Aotearoa figures.
The recognisable American-style Halloween travelled through entertainment, international brands, the internet, tourism and migration. A costume, a carved pumpkin or a themed event is easy to share through photos and film. Retailers and event organisers also made participation more visible and accessible.
Yet global popularity doesn't mean a single global tradition. In Ireland and Scotland, Halloween has its own long history. Elsewhere, people may prefer costume parties, public events, shop displays or neighbourhood trick-or-treating. Some communities embrace it enthusiastically; others see it as commercial, unfamiliar or culturally imported.
Important: Mexico's Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) has distinct Indigenous and Catholic roots and its own meaning. It should not be described as simply “Mexican Halloween”.
Halloween is familiar to many people in Aotearoa through international film, television, shops and social media. Its visibility and local participation have grown in some communities, but participation is uneven: one street may have plenty of decorations and welcoming households while the next has almost none.
Because 31 October falls in spring here, the atmosphere is different from the dark autumn evenings often shown in American films. Families may begin trick-or-treating in daylight, and not everyone who decorates intends to give out lollies.
That's exactly why clear community information matters. Halloween works best when participants can opt in, share their plans and respect neighbours who choose not to take part.
No. Its roots lie in European folklore and Christian calendar traditions. The United States played a major role in shaping and exporting the modern version.
No. Modern trick-or-treating combines a variety of earlier practices, with its recognisable mass American form emerging in the 20th century.
No. Turnips and other vegetables were carved in Ireland and Britain. Pumpkins became associated with the tradition in North America.
No. Some places emphasise parties, some trick-or-treating, and some scarcely celebrate it. Local customs and attitudes differ widely.
For readers who want to explore the history beyond the legends:
Historical customs changed over time and surviving evidence is incomplete. Folklore is labelled as folklore; interpretations of ancient beliefs are not presented as certain fact. Last content review: 24 October 2026.