7 Halloween Colors and What They Represent

It's not just about orange and black these days.

When Halloween rolls around each year, there are many different theme ideas that you can focus your parties and costumes around—superheroes, popular TV shows (Bridgerton, anyone?) specific decades, etc. But there are also a variety of Halloween colors you can hone in on for party decor or your overall holiday aesthetic—aka your Halloween color palette!

Traditionally, we have been accustomed to orange and black as the go-to Halloween colors but there are actually quite a few others (like purple and green) that have snuck in and become the norm for our holiday traditions and decorations. We take a look at seven different colors, how they relate to Halloween and what they represent.

Halloween Colors and Their Meaning

1. Black

Black can be associated with many things—the night, elegance and mourning to name a few—which makes it the ideal Halloween color. If we go back to the origins of Halloween, we’d start with the Gaelic festival of Samhain which was generally held on November 1 to celebrate the end of the harvest season. It was also used to prepare for the “dark half of the year” which makes black the perfect color for this occasion. While some use black as a sign of fear and death, it can also be associated with sadness. You’ll see black all throughout Halloween decor whether it’s spiders, window coverings, hats, capes and much more.

Related: The History of Halloween

2. Orange

Orange is probably the most obvious color for Halloween. With the pumpkins being one of the biggest symbols for the celebration, we understand why orange is the main color for this holiday. Orange also represents harvest and the fires that used to burn during the Gaelic festival. Those fires were used to light the town and ward off evil spirits that were thought to be lingering around.

Related: 13 Pumpkin Colors and Their Meaning

3. Purple

Purple is a newer color that has emerged for the Halloween tradition. Purples are often found in witch costumes and cauldrons of the crazy potions they’re thought to be creating. Purple is also a color that corresponds with intuition and knowledge often tied to psychic ability and power—much like what you’d see when you look into a crystal ball.

Related: DIY Witch Costumes

4. Green

Green can be associated with vines and nature, but green is also the hue of the aliens and monsters we’ve seen depicted in movies and other artwork. Green can be brought into your Halloween traditions with slime, or anything gooey. This eerie-hued glow can definitely add some spookiness to the holiday.

5. White

Like the color of eyeballs, white can be used in a million different ways during this holiday. White is also the color of skeletons and bones which we see all over the country when celebrating Halloween. When decorating or creating costumes, you can use white alongside any of the other colors to make them pop—or stick with all things white to give your holiday decor a clean, chic farmhouse feel!

6. Red

Red is not a commonly used color in Halloween decor but you may see red letters on top of a black sign to create a sense of danger. Red may be found in decorations and costumes to show blood—like from the mouth of a vampire!

Related: Halloween Monsters and Their Origins

7. Yellow

Yellow, brown and golds are symbolic of the harvest. They are also representations of the seasons changing from fall to winter. These colors are found in the leaves that fall from the trees, letting us know it’s time to break out our sweaters and sweatpants. You can also see yellow inside jack-o'-lanterns lit by candlelight. These colors can be used in decor to portray royalty or to add a sparkle to your sign.

Next up, the best Halloween activities and traditions to start with your friends and family!