40 Best Halloween Websites of 2021

With the spookiest night of the year right around the corner, the team at Priority Pixels have been working hard to help you prepare with our list of the very best Halloween websites to get you in the spirit of Samhain.

Where does Halloween come from?

An autumn nip in the air and leaves fading from green to amber. The streets are quiet and there’s a cool breeze in the east like something is brewing. The days are getting shorter, and the nights are growing longer… it must be Halloween! But where does the infamous celebration come from?

The festival of Samhain (pronounced som-win) dates back 2000 years. A celebration marked by the Celts as the division between Summer and Winter, it represents the end of the harvest season and is one of four seasonal Celtic holidays. It is said on Samhain the barrier between living mortals and the spirit world became so thin the dead could pass through it. Traditionally family hearths were left to burn out while communities’ lit bonfires, practised ancient traditions and divination and held contests and competitions. At the end of the celebrations, the villagers would take a flame home to relight the family hearths.

People also wore costumes to ward off spirits, a tradition that continues to this day! However, it isn’t just spirits who walk among us on Samhain. Travellers should watch out for The Lady Gwyn. She’s a forlorn-looking, headless spirit appearing dressed all in white with her black sow. Legend has it she pretends to be a lost soul. Be wary though traveller! She will lure or chase anyone she catches wandering at night. There’s also the legend of Stingy Jack, a lazy drunkard stuck in purgatory. You should also watch out for the nefarious creature called the Púca. Púca translates to spirit or goblin in Irish Gaelic.

Is Samhain celebrated today?

Eventually, the tradition of Samhain was brought to America by Irish immigrants. Some say the celebration would become what we know today as Halloween. Samhain is traditionally celebrated from late October into early November, whereas Halloween is strictly an October 31st activity. Other names for Halloween are Allhalloween, All Hallows’ Eve, or All Saints’ Eve – some historians believe Halloween is actually a Christianised Samhain and a result of early pagan festivities and traditions dying out as Christianity spread to Europe and Great Britain. Others say the festivities have always been separate. One thing is for sure, Samhain has always been shrouded in mystery.

Halloween these days is very much a family affair. In fact, it is the second biggest holiday celebrated in the USA after Christmas. In some parts of the world, the pagan festival of Samhain is still celebrated, particularly in Ireland where it is said the festival originated. Local festivities are also celebrated in Dartmoor close to Priority Pixels HQ. This is unsurprising considering Dartmoor is the centre of many myths and legends about ghouls, ghosts, witches and spirits.

The Best Halloween Websites 2021 with Priority Pixels

Whichever way you’re getting into the spirit this year, be sure to check out our list of the very best Halloween websites of 2021 below. From family festivities to Horror movies, we’ve done our best to include a variety of different spooky sites to get you in the mood for a frightful night.