Halloween is a tradition celebrated every year on 31 October, with costumes and horror-themed events. In Turkish it is called Cadılar Bayramı. The name means "All Hallows' Eve", the evening before All Saints' Day on 1 November.
What does Halloween mean?
Halloween is a shortened form of "All Hallows' Eve". "Hallow" is Old English for a saint, and All Hallows' Eve is the evening before All Saints' Day on 1 November. That is why it is celebrated every year on the night before 1 November, 31 October.
What is Cadılar Bayramı?
Cadılar Bayramı, literally "Witches' Festival", is the Turkish name for Halloween. It takes its name from the witch, one of Halloween's best-known figures, rather than translating the English name. In Turkey it is not a public holiday, and it is celebrated mostly through parties and events.
How do you pronounce Halloween?
Halloween is pronounced "hal-oh-WEEN", with the stress on the last syllable: /ˌhæləˈwiːn/. In Turkish it is usually written out as "helovin". The spellings "hallowen", "haloween" and "helloween" are common mistakes; the correct spelling has two Ls and two Es.
What is the history of Halloween?
Encyclopaedia Britannica traces Halloween to Samhain, a Celtic festival that marked the end of summer and the harvest and the start of the dark winter months. On that night the souls of the dead were believed to return, and people lit bonfires and wore costumes. With Christianity, 1 November became All Saints' Day and the night before came to be known as All Hallows' Eve.
In the 19th century Irish and Scottish immigrants carried the tradition to North America, where its modern form, with costumes and trick-or-treating, took shape.
What do people do on Halloween?
Halloween's best-known traditions are:
- Wearing costumes: horror figures such as witches, vampires and ghosts, and film characters.
- Trick-or-treating: children going door to door collecting sweets.
- Jack-o'-lanterns: hollowed-out pumpkins carved with a face and lit with a candle.
- Parties and horror films: costume parties for adults, horror film nights at home.
Trick-or-treating is not common in Turkey. Celebrations happen mostly at costume parties, and Istanbul's are listed in Halloween events in Istanbul 2026.
When is Halloween 2026?
Halloween 2026 is on Saturday 31 October 2026. The date is the same every year and only the weekday changes. The detail is in when is Halloween 2026, and how Istanbul marks it is in the Istanbul Halloween 2026 guide.
Sources: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Halloween and Encyclopaedia Britannica, Samhain.