Eastleigh, Hampshire -- (SBWIRE) -- 10/20/2011 -- Orange, purple and green. These are the colours of Halloween, but what is their significance and why are costumes, accessories and cake decorations always decked out in these vibrant shades? Cake Kraft decided to do a little digging into the archives of Halloween traditions and colour schemes.

Cake Kraft recently added some new lines of food colouring to their range and this made them think about the origin of Halloween colours. It is customary to use orange and black in decorations and costumes with green and purple taking leading roles in the Halloween festivities too, but why?

Orange is the most popular autumn colour and with Halloween falling in the autumn and also being the colour of pumpkins, it seems fitting that this bold and bright colour should take centre stage. Orange is also the colour of bonfires that many people light around Halloween time to ward off evil spirits as a bit of light-hearted fun. It’s becoming more and more popular in the UK to hold a Halloween party and this is when the traditional Halloween colours really come to life whether they are used as food colouring in baking or on costumes and Halloween decorations.

Halloween was once a festival of the dead, and still is in many areas of the world. Death is commonly associated with darkness, mourning and absence of light, all signified by the colour black. Witch’s hats, black cats, and cauldrons also rock the black theme so very well.

Neon purple and green are thrown into the mix to add a little garish fun! Green is usually used to represent monster slime and witch’s brew whilst purple seems to be taking the place of black as a brighter alternative that represents the fun of Halloween rather than the dark side of the holiday.

Cake Kraft has a huge selection of Halloween inspired food colouring ranges and edible decorations that will ensure any Halloween party is a total scream. From Wilton food colourings through to colour mists and edible pens, you can colour and create a huge range of spooky baked goods that will have your guests howling for more!