What is Springoween?

A Pinterest photo of a purple basket with two Halloween peeps inside.

CHICAGO — If you’ve been in the Halloween community long enough, you’ve definitely heard someone mention Springoween, as well as its little brother Easterween. But what exactly are these mashup holidays all about?

Let’s take a look at these two Halloween twists on the classics.

Springoween is a spooky twist on the spring season. It’s not held on one specific day and instead, celebrates an entire season. Springoween, which is sometimes spelled Spring-o-Ween, is a mashup of spring and Halloween, just like the name implies.

Spring is the season most similar to fall (rainy days, chilly temps) so the community puts a big emphasis on the March-May months by Halloweenifying the entire season. Jack-o-lantern succulents, pastel pumpkins and spooky daisies are just a few of the things you’ll see used to celebrate Springoween. Basically, it combines the cuter parts of Halloween and blends them with the aesthetics of spring.

Every Halloween fanatic has a classic pumpkin pail in their home. So an easy way to decorate for Springoween is to fill it up with flowers. | Photo by @valleyghoul_

…So then what is Easterween?

Easterween happens during Springoween. It’s a mashup of Easter and Halloween. So while Springoween celebrates an entire three month span, Easterween is on one day. You’ll typically see people posting a lot of photos of bunnies with pumpkins and of course, the ever popular spooky Peeps.

A photo of a purple basket with two Halloween peeps inside. — Some ghouls give out Easterween baskets — a twist on the classic Easter basket. This one has the ever popular spooky Peeps. | Photo by @pumpkinbayb

A common decor piece for Springoween and Easterween is a plastic pumpkin pail with bunny ears. | Photo by @HalloweenieChristina

When does the spooky community celebrate these holidays?

While the first day of spring officially begins on March 19, 20 or 21, you’ll typically see people bring out their succulent pumpkins shortly after Valloween (which is on Feb. 14). While technically spring goes on until June, you’ll see less Springoween content once May hits because that’s when the community begins its transition into Half-o-Ween (or Halfway to Halloween) celebrations.

Easterween follows the same guidelines (since many people blend them together), except that any Easter-specific traditions (like giving baskets or coloring eggs) are usually celebrated on whatever Sunday in April the holiday falls on.

But of course, because these holidays are creations of the spooky community and not something on any official calendars, either of these celebrations can take place whenever makes the most sense.

How do you celebrate Springoween and Easterween?

Mashup holidays don’t have strict rules mainly because they’re a creation of the fandom and have only recently started to creep into the mainstream. The Halloween community is big on incorporating spooky aesthetics throughout the year (not just in October) so these mashups are a bit of a free-for-all for those of us who want to (as Mandy Spooks says) keep the spook alive all year.

All you really have to do is combine things that make both holidays special. For example, this year, I’m tossing in some pumpkin eggs into my son’s “regular” Easter eggs for a Halloween twist. Some people do spooky Easter baskets. Some find pumpkin planters to plant their succulents. Others simply enjoy the season by sharing and reposting tons of Springoween pics on Instagram.

There’s no wrong way to spookify your spring season!