templates

Free Halloween background wallpapers, decorations and costumes, 40+ examples

What is Halloween background wallpaper?

Halloween or Halloweens a day on which celebration is observed in various part of the world where a number of countries on 31 October is brightly lit up. It is also referred as the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows’ Day and the Reformation Day. It marks the beginning of the three-day observance of All Hallow tide, which in the time of the liturgical year is dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints (hallows), martyrs, and all the faithful departed.

It is widely believed that many Halloween traditions originated from Celtic harvest festivals particularly the Gaelic festival Samantha, and that this festival was Christianize as Halloween. However, some people are still of the view that it is a Christian festival and also support the view that Halloween began independently as a solely Christian holiday.

p12

Halloween activities include trick-or-treating, Halloween costume parties, carving pumpkins into jack-o’-lanterns, lighting bonfires, apple bobbing, divination games, playing pranks, visiting haunted attractions, telling scary stories and watching horror films.

In many parts of the world, the Christian religious various activities are seen on the All Hallows’ Eve which includes attending church services, lighting candles on the graves of the dead although elsewhere it is a more commercial and secular celebration. Historically, some Christians abstained from meat on All Hallows’ Eve. It was believed to be a tradition that reflected to avoid eating certain foods on this vigil day, including apples, potato pancakes, and soul cakes.

Modern Halloween has become more of ghosts and ghouls and more about costumes and candy. This day is said to have been evolved from the ancient Celtic holiday of Samantha, marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. It was also, believed to bring out the transition between the seasons and bridge to the world of the dead.  Over the years this day has been declared a holiday worldwide and has been looked upon as marking the transition from a mere ritual to a day of merriment and sweet treats for children and adults.

Halloween is that time of the year when almost everyone indulges themselves in activities which are spooky or eerie in kind. It is thus that time of the year when all get excited and hyperactive and get into their creepy attires and pledges to scare everyone with their outlooks. And in order to make the atmosphere and ambiance graver and spookier, people make sure to use and set high-resolution wallpapers to bring in the effect more nicely. The Halloween wallpapers are put up to lift the spirits of people, enhance the moods of creepiness to a higher extent and act as a theme for your party.

Halloween wallpapers are a great way to instantly add ambiance to a room, making it more lively and interesting. They really can be thought of as a free decoration you can get in just a few minutes of time.

What is Halloween Costumes?

Traditionally, Halloween costumes are inspired and modeled after the famous, imaginary supernatural figures such as vampires, monsters, ghosts, skeletons, witches, and devils. In the United States, the costume selection has extended over the time to include popular characters from fiction, celebrities, and generic archetypes such as ninjas and princesses and many are a caricature of the characters in the novels.

p18

In the late 19th century in Ireland and Scotland, it was prevalent to dress up in eerie costumes and go “guising” around at Halloween. But the concept of Costuming became popular for Halloween parties in the US in the early 20th century, as often for adults as for children. It was in the year 1930s when the first mass-produced Halloween costumes party appeared in stores, and at the same time in the United States, the trick-or-treating was becoming popular.

The yearly New York Halloween Parade, begun in 1974 by puppeteer and mask maker Ralph Lee of Greenwich Village, is the world’s largest Halloween parade and one of America’s only major nighttime parades (along with Portland’s Starlight Parade), attracting more than 60,000 costumed participants, two million spectators, and a worldwide television audience of over 100 million.

p19

Eddie J. Smith, in his book Halloween, “Hallowed is Thy Name”, offers a religious perspective to the wearing of costumes on All Hallows’ Eve, suggesting that by dressing up as creatures “who at one time caused us to fear and tremble”, people are able to poke fun at Satan “whose kingdom has been plundered by our Savior”. Images of skeletons and the dead are traditional decorations used as memento e.

“Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF” is a fundraising program to support UNICEF,a United Nations Programme that provides humanitarian aid to children in developing countries. In 1950, the UNICEF started a local event in the Northeast Philadelphia neighborhood and expanded nationally in 1952. The program involved the distribution of small boxes by schools, or we can say it in the modern times, the corporate sponsors like Hallmark, send in the boxes from their licensed stores to trick-or-treaters, in which they can solicit small-change donations from the houses they visit. It was then estimated that children have managed to collect more than $118 million for UNICEF since its inception.

It was in Canada, in 2006, when the UNICEF decided to discontinue their Halloween collection boxes, citing safety and administrative concerns; after consultation with schools, and instead of shutting and ending the concept they redesigned the program.

Trick-or-treating and guising

p1

Trick-or-treating is the most customary celebration for children that you would see all over the world on the Halloween. Children go in that fancy costume from house to house, asking for treats from the house owners such as candy or sometimes money, with the question, “Trick or treat?”

The word “trick” implies a “threat” to perform mischief on the homeowners or their property if no treat is given.The practice is said to have roots in the medieval practice of mumming, which is closely related to souling.

John Pymm has rightly said that “many of the feast days associated with the presentation of mumming plays were celebrated by the Christian Church.”These feast days included All Hallows’ Eve, Christmas, Twelfth Night and Shrove Tuesday. Mumming practiced in Germany, Scandinavia and other parts of Europe, involved masked persons in fancy dress who “paraded the streets and entered houses to dance or play dice in silence.”

In England, from the medieval period, up until the 1930s, people practiced the Christian custom of souling on Halloween, which involved groups of souls, both Protestant and Catholic,going from parish to parish, begging the rich for soul cakes, in exchange for praying for the souls of the givers and their friends. It is a traditional Halloween custom in Scotland and Ireland where children and adults of all ages are seen disguised in costume and go from door to door for food or coins. It was also recorded in 1895 that in Scotland on the Halloween day all the masqueraders are disguised carrying lanterns made out of scooped out turnips, visit homes to be rewarded with cakes, fruit, and money. The practice of guising at Halloween in North America is first recorded in 1911, where a newspaper in Kingston, Ontario reported children going “guising” around the neighborhood.

p2

Souling was a Christian practice that was carried out in many English towns on the Halloween and Christmas Eve.

Ruth Edna Kelley of Massachusetts, the American historian and author who wrote the first book “The Book of Halloween” in 1919 on the history of Halloween in the US, and in that she had also put references of the souling in the chapter “Halloween in America.” Kelley even touches on the customs that arrived from across the Atlantic in her book. She says that “Americans have fostered them, and are making this an occasion something like what it must have been in its best days overseas. All Halloween customs in the United States are borrowed directly or adapted from those of other countries.”

The first reference to “guising” in North America happened to occur in 1911. There only another reference is found – a ritual of begging on Halloween appears, place unknown, in 1915, with the third reference in Chicago in 1920.The earliest known use in print of the term “trick or treat” appears in 1927, in the Blackie Herald Alberta, Canada.

In the later days of the 20th century and the early days of the 1920s, thousands of Halloween postcards were produced in which it is commonly shown that how the children are celebrating but not trick-or-treating.Trick-or-treating does not seem to have become a widespread practice until the 1930s, with the first U.S. appearances of the term in 1934, and the first use in a national publication occurring in 1939.

p3

A popular variant of trick-or-treating was introduced which came to be known as trunk-or-treating (or in a literal fashion we can explain it as Halloween tailgaiting), occurs when “children are offered treats from the trunks of cars parked in a church parking lot”, or sometimes, a school parking lot.In a trunk-or-treat event, the trunk (boot) of each automobile is decorated with a certain theme, such as those of children’s literature, movies, scripture, and job roles.

Trunk-or-treating had grown in popularity due to its perception as being safer than going door to door, a point that resonates well with parents, as well as the fact that it “solves the rural conundrum in which homes [are] built a half-mile apart”.

 Halloween –The Real Meaning

The Real Meaning of Halloween: Ghosts and goblins, witches on broomsticks, pumpkins, candy and spider webs…it’s that time of the year again. Halloween is probably every child’s favorite holiday, combining the irresistible attractions of dressing up in costume and gorging on candy.

There is a spiritual meaning underlying the holiday that is marked on the Halloween day, for those who follow the traditions of the Goddess of Earth that predates Christianity. As we the people staying in the northern hemisphere celebrate our New Year when we move into the time of cold and the dark winter, we honor both the death and the regeneration.

In Northern Europe, Samhain (the Celtic term for Halloween) was the time when the cattle were moved from the summer pastures to the winter shelter. It marked the end of the growing season, the end of harvest, a time of thanksgiving, and the time when the ancestors and the spirits of the beloved dead would return home to share in the feast. Death did not sever one’s connections with the community. People would leave offerings of food and drink for their loved ones, and set out candles to light their way home. Those traditions gave us many of our present-day customs. Now we set out jack-o-lanterns and give offerings of candy to children—who are, after all, the ancestors returning in new forms.

Death and regeneration are always linked in Goddess theology. Birth, growth, death, and renewal are a cycle that plays over and over again through natural systems and human lives. Embracing this cycle, we don’t need to fear death but instead can see it as a stage of life and a gateway to some new form of being.

So, Samhain is a time to remember and honor those who have died, to celebrate their lives and appreciate their gifts, to tell stories about them to the next generation so their memory will not be lost. In Latino cultures, Diade Los Muertos, Day of the Dead on November 2, is a time to visit the graves of loved ones, to feast there and honor their memory with altars and prayers. We set up altars in our homes, with pictures and mementos, and in my house, we like to invite friends and family to an ancestor dinner, where we cook traditional foods and share our family stories.

Samhain is also a time when people get serious and enter the deep spiritual work. At this time of the year, it is believed that “the veil is thin that divides the worlds, the seen from the unseen, the day to day from the mysteries.”

The famous Reclaiming tradition of Wicca, San Francisco sponsors a very big public event and a ritual, where there is a celebration for the renewal and creativity that emerges from the dark. There are various events that take place including altars, dance, music, culminating in a spiral danced by more than a thousand people that are presented to honor the energies of rebirth and renewal.

This is that time of the year when you hand out candy or shepherd your children through the streets and remember the deeper meaning of the holiday: that death is no barrier to love, and every ending brings a new beginning.

Is it wrong to celebrate Halloween?

According to the Bible in Ephesians 5:11, “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.” This text means that the world is calling on us and warning us to not only have no association with any type of dark activity but also to shed, share light upon this topic to those around us.

Halloween was never exposed to the church or the Christians for what it was or has become, but rather it was incorporated into church holy days. Are Christians responding in the same way today?

As you think about Halloween—its origins and what it stands for—would it be best to spend time dwelling upon its themes or to shed light upon what lies below the surface of this holiday’s celebration. God is calling humanity to follow Him.

  Different costumes and decoration in Halloween wallpapers

Symbols

The process of development of artifacts and symbols associated with Halloween have been formed over a period of time. Jack-o’-lanterns is a famous symbol that has been traditionally carried out by the guisers on All Hallows’ Eve in order to frighten evil spirits.There is a popular Irish Christian folktale associated with the jack-o’-lantern, which in folklore is said to represent a “soul who has been denied entry into both heaven and hell.”

On the way, back home after a late-night drink party, Jack encountered the Devil and he managed to trick him to climb a tree. The intelligent fellow, Jack used his presence of mind and neatly etches the cross sign into the bark, thus trapping the Devil there. At the same time, Jack didn’t waste this moment and he stroked a bargain with the Satan that he can never claim his soul. After a life of sin, drink, and mendacity, Jack was refused entry to the Heaven when he died. The Devil kept the promise he made to Jack and refuses to let Jack into hell and he also meanwhile threw a live piece of coal straight from the fires of hell at him. As the night was cold, Jack placed that thrown piece of the coal in a hollowed-out turnip to stop it from going out, since that time it is believed that Jack and his lantern have been roaming looking for a place to rest.

In Ireland and Scotland, it is traditionally believed and followed that turnip is associated with Halloween and hence on this day, the turnip is carved out. Whereas the immigrants to North America use the native pumpkin, which is both much softer and much larger compared to the turnip that is used in Ireland and Scotland – making it easier to carve than a turnip. The American tradition of carving pumpkins is recorded in 1837 and was originally associated with harvest time in general, not becoming specifically associated with Halloween until the mid-to-late 19th century.

The Christian eschatology, national customs, works of Gothic and horror literature (such as the novels Frankenstein and Dracula) and classic horror films (such as Frankenstein and The Mummy) are the sources of the modern imagery of the Halloween. The imagery of the skull, a reference to Golgotha in the Christian tradition, serves as “a reminder of death and the transitory quality of human life” and is consequently found in memento moori and vanitas compositions; skulls have therefore been commonplace in Halloween, which touches on this theme.Traditionally, the back walls of churches are decorated with a wallpaper that depicts the final day often called as the Last Judgment which is completely surrounded with graves opening and the dead rising and also with a heaven filled with angels and a hell filled with devils.

In 1780 the Scottish poet, John Mayne noted the pranks that people performed on Halloween in his poem named “What fearful pranks ensue!” He even studied and noticed the supernatural behavior and movements that are associated with night and this he titled as “Bogies” (ghosts), influencing Robert Burns’ “Halloween” (1785). The references have also been made to the elements of the autumn season which are also believed to have the association with it such as pumpkins, corn husks, and scarecrows, are also prevalent.

These symbols are often used to decorate homes as these are symbols of Halloween being around. On the day of the Halloween, you will see themes of death, evil, and mythical monsters all around you. The black, orange, and sometimes purple colors are traditionally believed to have the association with Halloween.

  • Jack-o’-Lantern Halloween Wallpapers: As we have read the association that is made with the Jack and the Satan hence, it is one of the most enduring images of Halloween – the jack-o’-lantern. With the ability to carve any expression you want, watching them glow from the inside when you’re finished, there are few things better about the holiday than working on a great pumpkin.

p4

  •  Ghostly Halloween Desktop Wallpapers: Ever seen a ghost before? That chill down your neck, the uneasy feeling that you’re not alone – we’ve all felt it before, the notion that maybe, just maybe, there could be a ghost present. If you’re an otherworldly spirit aficionado, ghost-themed Halloween wallpaper is a perfect choice.

p5

  • Bewitched Halloween Desktop Wallpapers: Simply put, you don’t want to be on a witch’s bad side, what with the curses and hexes that can be placed on you. Do yourself a favor and deck out your computer with any of these Halloween background images to stay in the good graces of any witch you come across.

p6

  • Scary Halloween Wallpapers: When we hear the name Halloween, the whole body undergoes a shivering state as it’s all about being scared, isn’t it? Why not give yourself a little jolt every time you turn on your computer by downloading one of these scary Halloween wallpapers? Seems a nice idea, right?

p7

  • Fun Halloween Wallpaper Backgrounds: If you’re not one of those who likes to be scared, there are plenty of fun Halloween wallpapers also available to choose from as well. After all, whether people agree or not but it’s a fact that nobody likes being scared all the time, right?

p8



  • Happy Halloween Wallpaper: No matter what is the association and how scared you never forget to wish others a very Happy Halloween. Also, remember that with whatever Halloween wallpapers you download just: have a happy Halloween!

p9

40+ examples of Halloween background wallpaper

Halloween wallpapers are a great way to instantly add ambiance to a room, making it more lively and interesting. They really can be thought of as a free decoration you can get in just a few minutes of time.

Find below the list of the best examples of the Halloween wallpapers that are nothing short of stunning digital artwork. Whether you’re looking for spooky, funny, kid-friendly, scary, or quirky, you’re sure to find just the Halloween wallpaper you’re looking for in this list.

1. A Cheshire Kitten: A great Halloween wallpaper is this one which is featuring a happy/spooky Halloween kitty.This Cheshire Kitten Halloween wallpaper is available in lots of different sizes for single monitors, wide screen monitors, the iPhone and iPad, and a variety of other cell phone screen sizes.

  1. A Ghostly Happy Halloween: Four friendly ghosts wish you a happy Halloween in this cute as a button Halloween wallpaper.You can easily avail and download this Halloween wallpaper in the “normal resolution” sizes. There are also wide, HD, mobile, and cover photo (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) resolutions of this same wallpaper.

3.Halloween Ghosts: Three spooky Halloween ghosts are featured on this Halloween wallpaper and you won’t be able to shake the feeling that they’re always watching you.

4.Haunted House: A fun image of a haunted house that’s all lit up is waiting for you to enter in this widescreen Halloween wallpaper. This Halloween wallpaper is completed with a dash of moonlight, bats, dead trees, and tombstones.

5.Halloween Night: A royal blue background highlights the spooky profiles of haunted houses, dead trees, and bats in this spooky yet simple Halloween wallpaper.

6.The Two and The Nightmare Before Christmas: A quirky Halloween wallpaper that’s reminiscent of The Nightmare Before Christmas from Vlad studio and is available in various sizes.

7.Think Halloween: A simple Halloween wallpaper with a wonderful play on the Apple logo – Think Halloween. 8

8. Happy Happy Halloween: You’ll love this simple green tinted Halloween wallpaper wishing you a happy Halloween.This is available in just one size but can easily be resized in a graphics program.

9. Creepy night: A fun Halloween scene waits for you in this Halloween wallpaper. Pumpkins, crows, dead trees, bats, owls, a haunted house, spiders, black cats, and a full moon are packed into one spooky scene. You can save this Halloween wallpaper as your desktop background or, if you want it a different size, adjust it with any photo editing program.

10. Trick or Treat?: The ghosts in Pac-Man are trying to trick-or-treat with our hero. What’s next in this crazy world? You’ll love this fun retro Halloween wallpaper.

11.Spider Web: Step right into this spider’s web in this creepy Halloween wallpaper.

12.Disney: Download this fun Halloween wallpaper that features Mickey, Minnie, and Donald in a fun Halloween scene.

13.Halloween in the Midnight Forest: This top Halloween wallpaper with Halloween in the Midnight Forest and the spooky image of a forest features a jack o’lantern looming above.

14.  A Twisted Halloween: One scary Halloween wallpaper that features twisty landscape with little creatures prowling the night.

15. Ghostly Ghouls: These swirly ghosts will keep you up at night in this free Halloween wallpaper.

16. Trick or Treat Winnie the Pooh: Here’s another free Halloween wallpaper for the kids! They’re going to love this adorable Winnie the Pooh Halloween wallpaper.

17. Black Cat: This is a great looking digital Halloween wallpaper for widescreen monitors.

18. Candy Corn: Nothing says Halloween more like a big pile of candy corn.This Halloween wallpaper will make you drool as you sit in front of your computer.

19. Halloween on a Little Planet: This very imaginative Halloween wallpaper by Vlad Studio creates a whole new world of Halloween fun.

20.Bunny Manor: Don’t let the name of this haunted house trip you up, it is indeed not somewhere you’ll find cute little bunnies. There are many download options available, for HD resolutions, mobile phones, and social media cover photos.

21. Halloween Witches: A pair of witches stir a smoking cauldron in this illustrated Halloween wallpaper.

22.Hallow cat: This adorable black cat has nothing but love for you in this Halloween wallpaper.Get it for your normal resolution computer by simply downloading it.

23. Where Halloween Pumpkins are Born: This is a happy Halloween wallpaper that shows Halloween pumpkin parents with their kids out in the pumpkin patch.

24. Scary Presents: These sinister little pumpkins are just waiting for you to open your door in this colorful yet creepy Halloween wallpaper.

25. Halloween Moon: An owl, tree, bats, cemetery, and jack-o’-lanterns are silhouetted by the large Halloween moon.

26. The Gathering Storm: Just when you think that nature is in charge of that Halloween storm, you come to find out that it’s really some pesky ghosts.Get this fun and spooky Halloween wallpaper in whatever size you need for your computer or cell phone.

27. Black and White Halloween: Here’s a black and white Halloween wallpaper of a ghost who’s not afraid to try and scare you.This Halloween wallpaper can be used as your cover photos on websites like Facebook and Twitter.

28.  This Is Halloween: It truly is Halloween with this Halloween wallpaper featuring pumpkins, black cats, spider webs, skeletons, and candy.

29.Haunted Smile: Someone’s watching you in this creepy Halloween wallpaper.

30. Haunted Lantern Stairs: Climb up these spooky stairs that are lit only by the faces of jack o’ lanterns.

31. Halloween Pumpkins: A group of jack o’ lanterns greets you in this free Halloween wallpaper.

32.  Tattoo Pumpkins: Here’s a tamer Halloween wallpaper that features a couple of beautifully carved and decorated pumpkins.

33. Pumpkin Teeth: This artful Halloween wallpaper features a hungry and scary pumpkin.

34. A Hello Kitty Halloween: A cute Halloween wallpaper that features Hello Kitty all decked out for Halloween.One size fits all in this Halloween wallpaper but you can resize it in a graphics program if necessary.

35.All Hallows Eve Girl: This Halloween wallpaper features stunning artwork of a girl, a pumpkin, and a moonlit night.

36.Halloween Abstract: You’ll love this black and orange Halloween wallpaper with abstract swirls, tree branches, and bats.

37. Haunted: You’ll love this simple Halloween wallpaper that shows a haunted house surrounded by spooky, dead trees.

38. Halloween Jester: Halloween Jester by Halloween-Wallpapers is a unique wallpaper that will put a slight smile on your face.There’s only one size for this Halloween wallpaper, so you’ll have to either make it work or resize to make it more suitable for your screen.

39. Jack O’: This Halloween wallpaper has a very creepy vintage feel to it and would look great on your computer desktop. Available for normal, wide, and HD resolutions as well as mobile phones and cover photos.

How useful is this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

We are sorry that this post was not useful.

Let us improve this post!

Tell us how we can improve this post?

Categories



Web Analytics