Birthday
HydrangeasHalloween is celebrated on 31 October, the eve of All Saints' Day. It grew out of Celtic and Christian traditions and took its familiar form — costumes, jack-o'-lanterns and trick-or-treating — in the United States. Here is where Halloween came from, how it is celebrated around the world, how it differs from Mexico's Day of the Dead and which flowers are linked to these autumn dates.
Autumn bouquets in warm tones can be found among our chrysanthemums and flower baskets.
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Where Halloween came from
The festival is traced back to the Celtic Samhain, marking the end of the harvest and the start of the "dark half of the year", when the boundary between the living and the dead was believed to grow thin. Later the church set 1 November as All Saints' Day (All Hallows), and the evening before became All Hallows' Eve — hence "Halloween". Irish and Scottish emigrants brought the customs to America in the 19th century, where the holiday became mainstream.
How different countries celebrate
- USA and Canada — costumes, trick-or-treating, decorated houses, jack-o'-lanterns and themed parties.
- Ireland — home of many customs: bonfires, fortune-telling games and barmbrack bread with a "surprise" inside.
- United Kingdom — Halloween sits next to Guy Fawkes Night on 5 November; they are separate events, but autumn celebrations often blend.
- Mexico — Día de Muertos on 1–2 November: families decorate altars with photos, candles and orange marigolds (cempasúchil) to remember loved ones. It is not a "Mexican Halloween" but a distinct remembrance festival listed by UNESCO as intangible heritage.
- Japan — costume parades in cities, especially Tokyo.
- Europe — on 1 November, All Saints' Day, people in Catholic countries visit cemeteries with chrysanthemums.
Halloween in Ukraine
Halloween is not a traditional Ukrainian holiday; it is mostly celebrated as a costume party in cafés, language schools or at home with children. Ukraine's own autumn remembrance customs are different — memorial days and "parents' Saturdays".
Flowers and Halloween
- Orange and burgundy flowers — roses, gerberas, chrysanthemums, dahlias — plus pumpkins, physalis and berries for festive arrangements.
- Marigolds — the symbol of Mexico's Day of the Dead.
- Chrysanthemums — the flowers of All Saints' Day in Europe, which is why they are not given for happy occasions in France, Italy and Belgium.
- "Dark" varieties — burgundy roses, callas and near-black flowers for gothic decor; see black flowers.
FAQ
What date is Halloween?
31 October, the eve of All Saints' Day (1 November).
Are Halloween and the Day of the Dead the same?
No. The Day of the Dead (1–2 November) is a Mexican remembrance festival with altars and marigolds, with different roots and meaning.
Why is the pumpkin the symbol of Halloween?
In Ireland lanterns were carved from turnips; in America the pumpkin — large and easy to carve — took their place.
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Author: Maria Svitlovir
Graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Institute of Biology and Medicine (2001). BSc in Biology, MSc in Horticulture. Writes about plants, works at a garden centre selecting and repotting plants, and contributes to plant reference guides.
