Summary

• Halloween in Canada has become one of the fastest-growing retail times in recent years.
• Halloween also has its roots in pre-Christianity pagan traditions.
• The popularity of Halloween in Canada and the business activity that it generates is only second to Christmas.
• In 2024, about 47% of Canadians did shopping 2 to 4 weeks before Halloween compared to just 34% in 2023.
• In 1886, the first public report in North America of a pumpkin-carved jack-o’-lantern was made in Kingston, Ontario.
• In 1898, the first record of people dressing up for Halloween was made in Vancouver.
• The term “trick-or-treat” was first used in Lethbridge, Alberta, in 1927.

Halloween in Canada and its Origins

The origins of Halloween in Canada go back to the 1800s when Scottish and Irish immigrants came to Canada in large numbers. They brought their old Halloween traditions with them.

If you further go down in history, then you will determine that the origins of Halloween were in Celtic culture. Celts were a collection of Indo-Europeans who were spread from modern-day Turkey to the UK for over three thousand years.

Celts believed that October 31st marked the boundary between the light and dark portions of the year. According to them, this was the period when the powers of good and evil came into close proximity.

Those people thought that terrible spirits and souls of the dead visited the living during this time. Moreover, to fend them off, people would make offerings, cook meals, and disguise themselves.

Some used to hang scary objects outside their homes to scare the bad spirits so that they would stay away from them.

Some experts believe that early Christians appropriated these pagan rituals in order to convert pagan people to Christianity.

Moreover, Samhain was an ancient Celtic holiday celebrated on November 1st in Britain and Ireland to commemorate the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter.

Therefore, it makes sense why modern-day Halloween in the UK and Ireland and their immigrants to Canada continued these traditions to the present day.

Different cities in Canada recorded different kinds of Halloween-related events in history. For instance, the first public report in North America of a pumpkin-carved jack-o’-lantern was made in Kingston, Ontario in 1886.

Meanwhile, the first record of people dressing up for Halloween was made in Vancouver in 1898. Similarly, the term “trick-or-treat” was first used in Lethbridge, Alberta, in 1927.

From Indigenous Celebrations to Modern Festivities

Today, Halloween in Canada is one of the most popular festivals. Its impact is also increasing with every passing year.

It is not just about candies for children anymore. Halloween has significantly expanded its reach to home décor, fancy seasonal recipes, themed clothing, and special beverages, all of which are making it a more visible festival.

Canadians spent more than $1.8 billion on retail purchases of Halloween candies in 2023. This number should be much higher now considering the rise in Halloween sales.

The retail industry is also taking note of these changes because Canadians are increasingly spending more on Halloween.

In 2024, about 47% of Canadians did shopping 2 to 4 weeks before Halloween compared to just 34% in 2023, according to the Retail Insider.

This shows that more and more people are now planning for Halloween ahead of time, just like Christmas. Unlike Christmas, Halloween is not a statutory holiday in Canada, yet it is drawing significant attention every year.

Canadian Halloween: Why is it a Significant Festival?

Halloween in Canada is a popular festival. Canadians visit their friends and families, wear Halloween dresses, arrange parties, make special recipes, and prepare drinks to celebrate this time.

Large grocery stores and other vendors start keeping Halloween items about one month before Halloween, such as pumpkins, paint colours, costumes, candies, chocolates, and seasonal nuts. The idea is to attract more customers and benefit from the seasonal sales.

Many Canadians spend a lot of money to decorate their houses, front yards, gardens, and boundary walls before Halloween.

Some try to make it the ‘best Halloween attraction in the area’ so that more and more people come to watch their creative decorations. They mostly use ghosts, ghouls, spiders and webs, black cats, skeletons, witches, jack-o’-lanterns, and vampires.

Children have some of the best times of the year as they go door to door to do ‘trick or treat.’ People often keep candies, chocolates, and small gifts at home to treat children when they knock on their door.

Interestingly, those who do not want to celebrate Halloween just turn off the lights on their front porch. These people make sure that their house appears dark from the outside so that children do not expect to collect candies from such houses.

Conclusion

Halloween is a distinctive part of the Canadian culture today. More Canadians are celebrating Halloween than in the past, and it is evident from the rise in advertising, marketing, and sales of Halloween products.

Edison College wishes you a happy Halloween! We hope you have a howling good time.

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