Halloween, Hallowe’en

On this page

• General information on Halloween
• Origin of the word “Halloween”
• Spelling of “Halloween”
• Use of capitals with “Halloween”
• Additional information

General information on Halloween

Halloween is a secular holiday celebrated every year on October 31. On the evening of that day, it’s the custom for children to dress up in costumes and go door to door to collect treats.

Origin of the word “Halloween”

The name of the holiday comes from the Old English word hallow (holy person, saint).

All Saints Day (a Christian festival celebrated on November 1) was formerly known as All Hallows Day; and the day before was called All Hallow Even. Eventually, this name for October 31 was contracted to Hallowe’en, or simply Halloween.

Spelling of “Halloween”

Canadians recognize two spellings for the name of this holiday.

The simplified spelling Halloween has become the more widespread spelling and is the first form listed in modern Canadian, British and American dictionaries.

• Children enjoy collecting treats on Halloween.

Hallowe’en is the traditional form once taught in schools. This older spelling is also correct and is preferred by some writers.

• When we were children, Hallowe’en evenings were a time of freedom.

Use of capitals with “Halloween”

As the official name of a holiday, the word Halloween is a proper noun and is therefore always capitalized in English.

However, in the greeting happy Halloween, the word happy isn’t capitalized unless it’s the first word in a sentence:

• Have a happy Halloween!
• Happy Halloween, everyone!

Additional information

• Jack-o’-lantern
• Cauldron, caldron

Blog posts

• Celebrate Halloween with a twist!
• How to capitalize holiday greetings

Quizzes

• History of Halloween: From its beginnings to today
• Halloween fun!