What are the colors that are most commonly connected to Halloween, and why? This article looks into the meanings of these colors and what they represent.
Halloween originates from the festival of Samhain. During the festival, in order to repel spirits and ghosts, people would traditionally wear strange costumes and light bonfires.
The two most common colors associated with Halloween are orange and black. However, there are a few others which I will include below.
Halloween Colors & Meanings
Orange & Black
These two are the colors that are the most associated with Halloween. Both colors have links to the origins of Halloween itself. During the Samhain festival, which has close links to Halloween, people would burn bonfires, believing that they would provide protection from dark forces. Orange is the color of fire, which in part explains the color connection.
Orange is also connected with Pumpkins (Jack-o-Lanterns), the Autumn, or Fall season (bringer of darkness) and it’s the color of leaves as they die and fall off.
Black is widely associated with darkness and death. Supernatural creatures often come out at night. Black cats, for example, are associated with witches. Other examples include black bats, shadows, spiders and the Grim Reaper himself. In Christianity, God was believed to bring light to the dark universe. Black is nothingness, the absence of light and life.
White is the classic color of ghosts and other entities, it also represents lifelessness, emptiness and loneliness. Some evil creatures are depicted as having white skin, which suggests a lack of blood, therefore life. Also, skulls are often displayed during Halloween, which, of course, are white.
White is also the color of Egyptian mummies, fog or mist and the moon. The moon is strongly connected to the supernatural beast, The Werewolf.
Red is often associated with evil, evil creatures displaying red eyes, such as vampires, plus they often wear red. The classic vampire would often wear a cloak with a certain amount of red in it. It’s also the color of blood, which also closely links to vampires and generally death.
Demons and the Devil himself are also often depicted as having red skin, and/or red eyes. Other red and evil connections, blood potions, contracts signed with blood (evil contracts), blood red moon. Some believe that a blood red moon is a sign of the upcoming apocalypse.
Purple is a color that is often worn by Wizards, Witches, Fairies, and occasionally Vampires, often a part of the color of their cloaks. Purple is largely connected to mystery, mysticism, magic, high status, royalty and the wealthy.
While green has many positive associations, the appearance of green skin is connected to ill health. It’s certainly unhealthy for a person to have green skin. Many supernatural creatures are often depicted having green skin, including Witches, Trolls, Goblins, Zombies, Frankenstein and Aliens.
