Because there’s more to October 31st than jump scares and candy highs.

So here we are again - pumpkins on porches, skeletons dangling from balconies, and that faint smell of cinnamon (and possibly burnt caramel popcorn) floating in the air. Halloween lands on a Friday this year, which basically means double trouble for parents, party-lovers, and sugar-sensitive dentists alike. But beyond the haunted houses and banana costumes, this centuries-old festival carries stories that are way more fascinating - and sometimes weirder - than anything you’ll stream on Netflix this weekend.

Once Upon a Time in Ancient Ireland

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Long before Freddy Krueger or fun-sized candy bars entered the chat, Halloween started as Samhain, a Celtic festival marking the end of harvest and the start of winter. Imagine ancient Irish villages gathering around roaring bonfires, dressed in animal skins (primitive cosplay, really), believing the boundary between the living and the dead had gone all fuzzy for one night.

Samhain offerings to the spirit.

(@credit - History.com)

Bonfires weren’t about aesthetics - they were thought to ward off spirits wandering too close for comfort. There’s something oddly poetic about lighting a flame to keep the chill of the unknown at bay.

Carved turnips at Dover Castle in Kent

(Credit - The Guardian)

And get this: pumpkins weren’t even part of the deal then. People used turnips! Yes, turnips. Jack-o’-lanterns only turned orange and Instagrammable when Irish immigrants in America found pumpkins worked better - and frankly, looked much less tragic.

The Trick-or-Treat Origin Story (No, It’s Not American)

Trick-or-treating, the very thing that fuels half the world’s sugar economy every October, actually began as “souling” in medieval England. Kids went door-to-door praying for departed souls and got food in return. Flash-forward a few centuries, mix in American suburban exuberance, and boom - the candy-for-costume barter was born. By the 1950s, the idea exploded across the U.S., making doorbells buzz with tiny ghosts, superheroes, and witches that look suspiciously cheerful for supposed emissaries of the underworld.

Ghosts, Ghouls, and… Good Fortune?

Here’s a twist - Halloween wasn’t always all doom and gloom. In Celtic folklore, it was believed that the spirits visiting on Samhain could bring blessings and hints about the future, not just frights. That’s how fortune games like “bob for apples” or watching candle wax drip for omens existed. A bit whimsical? Sure. But maybe that’s the charm - half superstition, half social event, and completely human. After all, who doesn’t love a little hint of the mysterious wrapped in cozy festivity?

Ireland’s Halloween Celebration

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Across the pond, Ireland still holds Samhain Night gatherings with bonfires and ghost tours. Meanwhile, in Tokyo, Halloween 2025 is taking a totally different route - K-pop demon hunter costumes, neon face paint, and anime-style parades light up Shibuya streets. Somewhere between ghosts and glow sticks, the world’s most theatrical festival found its global identity.

Friday Night Frights & Feel-Good Chills

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Because Halloween falls on a Friday this year, expect “Halloweekend” chaos - three whole days of parties, pumpkin patches, and perhaps that one coworker who just won’t stop humming “Monster Mash.” Cities like Salem, Derry, and Edinburgh are bracing for record footfall at haunted tours and costumed parades. But here’s an underreported fact: the holiday’s economic ripple is monstrous. Americans alone spend nearly $12 billion annually on candies, costumes, and décor. A single night now drives traditions, tourism, and TikTok trends alike.

(Credit - Investopedia)

Yet strangely, Halloween remains charming because of its contradictions. It’s spooky, sure - but also cozy. It’s about masks, but in a way, it strips them off too. There’s something raw in the shared joy of pretending, in confronting fears (even fake ones) together.

So when October 31 slides in, whether you’re out scaring kids with animatronic spiders or staying in with a horror marathon and hot cocoa, remember - this curious festival began with ancient fires in Irish fields and grew into a global celebration of imagination itself.

And maybe that’s the least spooky truth of all: ghosts fade, candies melt, costumes tear - but the stories we tell each October? They linger. Always have. Always will.