Published 14:56 IST, October 30th 2020
When is Halloween 2020 being celebrated this year?
When is Halloween 2020? Halloween falls on October 31 every year. People celebrate the festival wearing Halloween costumes, carve pumpkins & follow customs.
Halloween is a celebration that is observed in many countries of the world. Each year, Halloween is celebrated on the day before the Saints Day which falls on November 1, each year. The tradition is believed to have originated from the Celtic festival that was called Samhain. This was when people would gather together to light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. Later when Pope Gregory III decided that November 1 will be designated as the day to honour all Saints, soon the Saints Day incorporated some of the traditions of the Samhain festival, and the evening before the day was called as Hallows Eve, which was later popularly called as Halloween. As years passed by, Halloween evolved into a day where children would go for trick or treating, all of them would carve pumpkins to make jack-o-lanterns, attend Halloween themed parties, and wear Halloween costumes. Read on to know: When is Halloween 2020?
When is Halloween 2020?
Halloween falls on October 31st every year. This year, it is a Saturday on October 31st. The day is also believed to mark the end of Summer and harvest and the beginning of dark and cold winters. Some also believed that on this day, the boundary between the living world and the dead becomes blurred, according to History portal. This is why, on the night of October 31, people celebrate Samhain, as it is the believed to be the time when the ghosts of the dead return back to Earth.
The festival is observed in parts of the UK, Hong Kong, Tokyo, the US and Canada. People dress up in their scariest costumes, so as to ward off the evil spirits. The history of this festival dates back to 2000 years ago when the Celtics observed the festival on the last day of harvest in European countries. Some Christians also refrain from meat on this day and eat various kinds of vegetarian foods including apples, apple pies, potato pancakes etc. People also attend church services and light candles on the graves of the ones who passed away. This year the celebration would be a little different due to the coronavirus pandemic, and thus many families would refrain from large gatherings during this year. Happy Halloween!
Updated 14:56 IST, October 30th 2020