Halloween Colors: Beyond Black and Orange
Halloween dates back to the ancient Celtic Festival of Samhain, where people would celebrate the end of harvest by dressing up and hosting large bonfires. Halloween evolved throughout the centuries to include traditions such as pumpkin carving, dressing up in scary costumes to ward off evil spirits, and trick-or-treating.
Many of Halloween’s colors come from these traditions, as well as colors of the fall, which include pumpkins and changing leaves.
1. White
White represents perfection, purity, and innocence but also supports the Halloween aesthetic by contrasting the dominant black and orange colors.
On Halloween, white is associated with ghosts, spirits, and other supernatural beings. Halloween decorations featuring white include candles, skeletons, cobwebs, and pumpkins. In ancient Celtic traditions, white animals were associated with magic and the supernatural.
2. Teal
Teal is linked to the Teal Pumpkin Project, a Halloween initiative for food allergy awareness. During Halloween, if a house has non-food items to offer children with allergies, they can display a teal pumpkin outside.
3. Red
Red represents love, passion, and celebration but also symbolizes danger and warning. On Halloween, red signifies horror, gore, and blood. In Halloween decorations, red is prominent in candles, fake blood splatter, bloody handprints, and more.
Red-themed costumes are also used to represent vampires, demons, and other sinister characters.
4. Black
Black represents power and mystery. On Halloween, it can symbolize death, the occult, the supernatural, and the unknown.
Black is the color of shadow and night, representing the mysterious nature of the night. Common black Halloween decorations include witches’ hats, silhouette cutouts, bats, and black cats.
5. Orange
Orange is the color of warmth, optimism, and confidence. It’s a primary Halloween color associated with autumn, harvest, and the changing colors of leaves.
Carved Jack-o’-lanterns with flickering orange lights are synonymous with the holiday.
6. Yellow
In color symbolism, yellow is a vibrant, luminous color representing happiness and intellectual energy. While not common in Halloween decorations, it’s associated with light, illumination, and warmth during the holiday.
Yellow represents the flickering glow of bonfires, lanterns, and candle flames.
7. Purple
Purple represents mystery, royalty, and magic. On Halloween, it’s linked to the supernatural, spirituality, and fantasy.
Purple is common in witch costumes and accessories. It’s also common in lights, banners, and fabrics.