Halloween
Halloween is an annual holiday observed on October 31, associated with costumes, haunted imagery, pumpkin carving, and trick-or-treating.
Samhain: An ancient Gaelic festival marking the end of harvest and beginning of winter, traditionally observed around November 1. Halloween is often linked to Samhain, though the holiday’s development was not a simple continuation.
Trick-or-treating: A Halloween custom in which children visit homes for candy, often after asking, “trick or treat?” It is the holiday’s best-known neighborhood ritual.
Halloween in the United States: The large-scale American observance of Halloween, marked by trick-or-treating, costumes, parties, and decorations. Many internationally familiar Halloween practices took their modern form in the United States.
Memento mori: An artistic or cultural reminder that human life is mortal. Halloween’s skulls, ghosts, and graveyard imagery turn mortality into seasonal spectacle.
All Saints' Day: A Christian feast honoring all saints, observed on November 1 in many Western churches. Halloween falls on the eve of this feast, whose observance helped shape its name and calendar setting.
Jack-o'-lantern: A carved lantern, traditionally made from a turnip or pumpkin, associated with Halloween. Carved pumpkins provide the holiday’s most recognizable seasonal decoration.
Halloween in Mexico: Halloween observances in Mexico, practiced alongside the distinct traditions of Día de los Muertos. The neighboring holidays are sometimes blended or confused, despite different histories and meanings.
Carnivalesque: A mode of culture that temporarily reverses ordinary rules and social expectations through play and spectacle. Costumes and nighttime mischief loosen everyday norms for a limited period.
All Souls' Day: A Christian observance on November 2 commemorating the faithful departed. Its prayers for the dead formed part of the medieval season surrounding Halloween.
Halloween costume: Clothing worn for Halloween, often depicting supernatural beings, fictional characters, or humorous disguises. Costumes turn the holiday into a public occasion for disguise and role-play.