Halloween is one of the oldest holidays in the world. It has roots in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, and later the Christian celebration of All Hallows Eve, the evening before All Saints’ Day, and it’s a holiday that’s celebrated in many countries.
I grew up in England and then moved to the USA. When I think of Halloween, the first things that come to mind are carving pumpkins, trick or treating and costume parties. But not all countries celebrate in the same way. So, I’ve put together a list of the different Halloween traditions you can find around the world.
Ireland and Scotland
Let’s start where Halloween started. Today, Ireland celebrates Halloween in the same ways as places like England, USA and many other English-speaking countries. People dress up in costumes and go trick or treating and many communities light large communal bonfires. Many people also eat Barnbrack, a type of fruitcake with a treat baked inside.
England
I can remember dressing up and going trick-or-treating as a kid. But, in England, Halloween is often overshadowed by Guy Fawkes Day, a much larger event that’s celebrated on November 5th.
USA and Canada
In both the US and Canada, Halloween involves costume parties, trick-or-treating, haunted houses, and carving pumpkins into Jack-o’-lanterns. The traditions were brought to America and Canada by Irish and Scottish immigrants.
Mexico
Mexico celebrates Dia de Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. It’s a three-day celebration that starts on October 31st and runs through November 2nd. It sounds morbid, but Dia de Los Muertos is a time to pay tribute to loved ones who are no longer with us. The entire three days are usually filled with food, music, colorful parades, and people wearing skull masks which are often decorated with flowers.
Japan
Celebrating Halloween is fairly new to Japan, but the country has embraced the holiday. The celebration is called “Cosplay Halloween” and is usually celebrated in the Shibuya district of Tokyo. It’s one of the busiest nights of the year for the area and thousands of people dress up as their favorite characters and roam the streets. Halloween costume parties are also fairly common.
Sweden
Halloween in Sweden is called Alla Helgons Dag, which translates to All Saints’ Day. It’s not celebrated on October 31st, but is celebrated on the first Saturday of November. People light candles to put on memorial sites or graves of their loved ones. They do not dress up in costume or go trick or treating, that is considered inappropriate and rude.
India
Traditionally, Halloween isn’t celebrated in India. But recently the holiday has caught on and some people celebrate it with kids dressing up and receiving candy. Others combine Western and cultural traditions and host themed parties and costume contests.
Italy
People rarely celebrate Halloween in Italy. But they celebrate Ognissanti on November 1st. It’s a religious festival that commemorates all the saints. How it’s celebrated varies by region. In Sardinia, children go door to door asking for offerings from the dead. In Sicily, the dead rise to bring gifts to children.
Portugal and Spain
Halloween is closely associated with All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, both Catholic traditions that are celebrated on November 1st and 2nd. Families honor their dead by cleaning and decorating graves in cemeteries. People in Galicia, a region in northern Spain, enjoy Halloween-like celebrations such as rituals to ward off evil spirits and communal bonfires.
Philippines
Halloween is part of a much larger celebration in the Philippines known as Undas. This celebration includes both All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day and families spend their time cleaning and decorating graves of their loved ones and lighting candles. In some areas, children take part in pangangaluluwa, a tradition that’s very similar to trick or treating. Children sing songs for ‘treats’ like money or food.
New Zealand and Australia
Neither New Zealand nor Australia traditionally celebrate Halloween. But, with American influences, it is gaining in popularity. While it’s still considered a minor holiday, children enjoy trick or treating and adults enjoy attending costume parties.
Austria
People in Austria don’t traditionally celebrate Halloween. But some people leave bread and water and a lighted lamp on a table before going to bed to feed the dead. They also celebrate Kurbisfest, a Pumpkin festival at the end of October. You can find pumpkin towers, pyramids and sculptures and food and beer made from pumpkins.
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