Halloween, observed on October 31, takes place the evening before All Saints’ (or All Hallows’) Day. (Photo credit: Pexels)
New Delhi: Today (October 31, 2023), the Google Doodle celebrates Halloween. In the GIF doodle, Google has several illustrations and poems by Emily Barrera. The poem states: “Boo! Did we scare you?”… It’s the scariest day in Fall — Happy Halloween to all”. It also points Halloween has come, so don’t be looking glum. Click through today’s slideshow Doodle to trick-or-treat with a vampire, a witch, and a ghost.
👻 Boo! Did we scare you?
Click through ➡️ today’s #GoogleDoodle slideshow to celebrate the scariest day of fall. Happy Halloween to all! —> https://t.co/P7l4Q8bKzI pic.twitter.com/GEgsjINQYu
— Google Doodles (@GoogleDoodles) October 31, 2023
Date
Halloween, observed on October 31, occurs the evening before All Saints’ (or All Hallows’) Day.
While Halloween Day marks the day before the Western Christian feast of All Saints and initiates the season of Allhallowtide, which lasts for three days, it is a non-religious festival celebrated in Europe and North America.
Also Read: ‘Hallowratri’: People dressed as ‘The Nun’ perform garba in viral video
History
The history of Halloween dates back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain in Britain and Ireland. It is said that Halloween was celebrated on a day equivalent to November 1 in modern calendars, believed to be the beginning of the new year. However, the date marked the onset of the winter season, when herds were brought back from pastures and land agreements were renewed.
Also Read: Happy Halloween Day: Wishes, quotes, images to share on WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook
Activities
It should be mentioned Halloween has been associated with several activities. These include wearing masks, pulling pranks and costumes for parties (for trick-or-treating). It is said that the practice of trick-or-treating is believed to have been derived from the British practice of allowing the poor to beg for food called “soul cakes.”
Interestingly, trick-or-treaters involve mostly children (who visit houses and threaten to pull a trick if they do not receive a candy or treat. This apart, Halloween parties include games (like bobbing for apples, which is derived from the Roman celebration of Pomona). The celebrations include scary beings such as witches, vampires, skeletons, black cats and ghosts.
Earlier draft of Google Doodle for Halloween
