Halloween is traditionally enjoyed on October 31 and is fast becoming a popular occasion in Australia. Until recently Halloween was just an excuse for some scary movies on TV, the Halloween specials on The Simpsons, and maybe hiring Friday the Thirteenth at the video shop. Now there are halloween events, parades and parties, and lots of halloween decorations and costumes to help you have some creative fun.

Halloween is a contraction of the words “All Hallows Evening” or the evening before “All Hallows Day”. All Hallows Day is also known as All Saints Day, and occurs on the 1st November. It was a tradition Christian feast celebrating all Christian saints, especially those who had been martyred. At the same time of the year, in Celtic tradition there was autumn festival called Samhain, celebrating the end of summer with a fire festival or feast. It was believed that the dead would visit earth at this time, and bonfires were necessary to scare off evil spirits. Costumes and masks were also worn at the festivals in an attempt to copy the evil spirits or placate them.

The custom of “Trick-or-Treat” partly comes from the English medieval practice of “souling”, when poor people would go from door to door offering prayers for All Souls Day, in exchange for food. These days it has become accepted practice to have lollies available to hand out and to indicate that you have run out of lollies by taking down your decorations, otherwise you may expect the trick because you don’t have any treats.

Halloween is an observance that is becoming a growing trend in Australia. Some businesses and organizations organise Halloween-themed gatherings for staff and clients to interact with each other. Charity organizations may have fundraising activities that center on the Halloween theme.

Halloween parties involve people dressed in costume to reflect the Halloween theme. Some parties are held at venues that are supposedly haunted. Ghost tours, hunts and walks are popular during this time of the year. More Australians are also taking part in trick-or-treat adventures that involve organized groups of parents and children visiting neighbors to either receive a treat or present a trick to their neighbors.

Some homes are decorated to fit the Halloween theme during this period. Decorations include fake cobwebs, jack-o-lanterns and images of black cats or witches. Many stores sell Halloween themed decorations, activity books, or clothing around this time of the year. It is a profitable time of the year for costume shops, online stores, and other places that sell or rent Halloween theme items. Cinemas may also have special screenings or movie marathons featuring horror movies or films with a supernatural theme.