Halloween Colors and Their Meaning

Halloween is a vibrant celebration that blends imagination, creativity and mysticism. The Halloween colors and their meanings reflect this dynamic.

Traditionally, orange and black were the colors associated with Halloween and, together, they have a yin/yang type of relationship.

However, there are also several other colors that have become an important part of Halloween including white, red, purple and green.

The Meaning Behind the Colors

Black – Halloween Night

Black is the color of the night, and when the suns down, the Halloween festivities are at their fullest! Halloween is a time where the veil between the spirit world and the living is supposedly thin.

Historically, the Celts and Druids celebrated Samhain, a festival marking the end of harvest and the beginning of winter and the darker half of the year, where they welcomed the spirits of their ancestors.

At the same time of year in Mexico, Dia de los Muertos, the day of the dead is celebrated. This holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have passed on.

Halloween is celebrated at night so, naturally, it’s associated with the color black. There are many black creatures and items associated with Halloween as well: black cats, spiders, bats, witches, the grim reaper, a vampire’s cape, and cauldrons to name a few.

 Orange – The Vibration of Life

Orange is the polar opposite of black. It is a lively color that celebrates life and the bounty of the Autumn harvest.

Orange is the color of fire cutting through the darkness of night. It is warm and positive.

Many leaves turn orange during the Fall and pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns, popular Halloween symbols, are also in this color.

 Red – A Vampires Favorite Color

Red is another color that is often associated with Halloween, especially with the recent popularity of vampires.

 White – A Ghastly Color

Although white is typically associated with purity and light, on Halloween it takes a different role.

White is the color of a skeleton hand reaching out from a shallow grave. It is the color of ghosts that go bump in the night.

White is the color of moonlight glinting off a werewolf’s tooth. It is the color of lightning flashing though the sky or even the color of that mad scientist’s lab coat.

 Green – Monsters and Slime

Although not a traditional Halloween color, green has certainly earned its place among the spooky and scary.

Goblins, monsters and aliens are often green.

Green is the color of slime and, sometimes, ghostly ectoplasm (if you enjoy Ghostbusters).

Green is the color of glow-in-the-dark objects used for Halloween decorations.

An eerie green mist is a frightening phenomenon that lets you know that somehow everything is not as it seems.

 Purple – A Witches Brew

Purple has recently become a popular Halloween color representing the supernatural and all things mystical.

The color purple is often associated with witches. Throughout history, witches have been depicted all dressed in black but, in modern times, you will often find witch costumes with purple and black.

Witch hats may be solid purple or have a purple brim and sometimes witches have purple streaks through their hair as well as purple eye shadow and lipstick.