When Is Halloween?

Halloween is on Oct. 31 this year — the same as it is every year. It falls on a Thursday in 2019. In 2020, it lands on Saturday, Oct. 31. In 2021, it’ll be on Sunday, Oct. 31. That’s because it is always on October 31st. Some people are upset the holiday often falls on a weekday, as it does this year. In 2018, a petition was created calling for Halloween to always be celebrated on the last Saturday of October.

“It’s time for a Safer, Longer, Stress-Free Celebration! Let’s ADD a Halloween celebration to the last Saturday of October!” the petition reads. “3,800 Halloween-related injuries each year… 82 percent of parents don’t use high visibility aids on their costume… 63 percent of children don’t carry a flashlight while they are trick-or-treating.”

Although it received over 100,000 signatures, the creators of the movement have changed their objective. “While we still believe an end-of-October Saturday observance will promote safety and increase the fun, this year we will be launching a national initiative designed to enhance the Halloween that we all know and love,” the petition now reads.

“Instead of changing the date that American’s celebrate Halloween, we will be adding an additional day of festivities in partnership with Party City and other brands. National Trick or Treat Day will take place annually on the last Saturday of October so families across the country can participate in community parades, throw neighborhood parties and opt for daytime Trick or Treating.”

The holiday’s roots go back to the ancient Gaelic festival called Samhain. It marked the end of the harvest season and the start of the “darker half” of the year as the amount of daylight grew shorter. They believed that during Samhain, the barrier between this world and the Otherworld was at its thinnest, so spirits could more easily pass into the living world. Souls were believed to visit their old homes during this time, so feasts were prepared and kin asked their deceased relatives to join them.

As time went on, Irish began carving demon faces in turnips and illuminating them from the inside to keep evil spirits away. When they immigrated to America, they couldn’t find turnips so they carved pumpkins instead, which remains a Halloween tradition to this day. The name of the holiday itself is from All Hallows’ Eve, which is the day before All Saints Day (Nov. 1) in the Catholic Church.

Other Halloween traditions have ancient roots, as well. During Samhain, people would sometimes disguise themselves by wearing animal skins and masks made from sailcloth or linen to hide from evil spirits. They would then go outside and yell and make noise in an effort to scare the spirits away.

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