Where did the word "Halloween" come from?

Nadine

Oct 30, 2025

A long time ago, “Halloween” was spelled “All Hallows’ Even.” The word “even” meant “evening.” Later, people dropped the words “all” and the S, joined “hallows” and “even” together, and replaced the missing V with an apostrophe — that’s how “Hallowe’en” was made. Over time, it became the word we use today: “Halloween.”

If you want your party to feel old-fashioned, you can write “Hallowe’en” on your invitations.

We celebrate Halloween on October 31 because it started with the Celtic calendar, where November 1 was the new year. Later, the Catholic Church made November 1 All Saints’ Day, so October 31 became known as All Saints’ Eve. ??

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