Halloween 2023 Celebrated Worldwide: Historical Context, Traditions and Google Doodle Highlighted
Origins traced back to ancient Celtic festival Samhain with present-day festivities involving dress-ups, trick or treating and Halloween-themed parties; Google Doodle celebrated the day with a special poem and illustrations by Emily Barrera.
- Halloween, celebrated annually on October 31, has its origins dating back over a thousand years to the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain; the holiday has become increasingly secular over the centuries, evolving into a celebration of dress-up and fun, especially for children.
- The tradition of Halloween was further shaped in the 7th and 8th centuries when Pope Boniface IV introduced All Saints Day, which later incorporated Samhain traditions and evolved into All Hallows Eve, and eventually Halloween.
- On Halloween, participants, particularly in the United States, engage in 'trick or treating', a custom popularized in the late 19th century by new immigrants from Ireland and Scotland; this tradition involves children in costumes visiting homes, performing tricks or jokes in exchange for treats.
- People celebrate Halloween by dressing up in costumes, decorating their homes with spooky themes, and attending Halloween-themed parties; some of the popular symbols associated with the festival include skeletons, black cats, ghosts, witches, vampires, and jack-o’-lanterns.
- In a nod to the holiday, Google Doodle celebrated Halloween 2023 with multiple illustrations and a poem by Emily Barrera, inviting users to explore the doodle and engage in the virtual festivities.
