Halloween is celebrated in more countries than ever before due to the fun of changing your identity for the day, eating more candy then you’re proud to say, and another great reason to come together with friends and family. Here’s a glimpse into how Halloween is celebrated all around the world!
Ireland
Did you know Halloween actually originated in Ireland? It started with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. Today it is still celebrated much like it is in the U.S. Children go Trick-or-Treating, bonfires are popular, and people hosts parties where many Halloween filled festivities are held. Bobbing for apples is a fun activity also held in Ireland, along with candy-filled treasure hunts arranged by parents. A traditional holiday delicacy is associated with this holiday known as barnbrack, a type of fruitcake. It is said that if one finds a ring inside the cake, they are expected to be married within the year.
Mexico
El Dia de los Muertos, also known as the day of the dead, is a widespread Latino holiday where people from all over come together to celebrate their ancestors and close friends that have passed. It is a three-day celebration that begins on the evening of October 31, and continues until November 2, known as All Souls Day. The dead are believed to return to their homes on Halloween, so their family members honor them by creating an altar in their home that they fill with candy, favorite foods from their pastime, photographs, and flowers. Candles and incense are commonly lit as well to help loved ones find their way home. Then on All Souls Day, family members gather around the deceased grave sites and join together in picnics and feasting, reminiscing on the ones who have since passed on. The goal of this celebration is to recognize the cycle of life by interacting with the living and the dead.
France
Halloween was actually unknown to France until around 1996 when it went from being known as just an “American” holiday, to now a more increasingly celebrated holiday that locals have become attracted to through word of mouth. In 1982, the American Dream bar/restaurant in Paris began introducing the locals to Halloween by recognizing the holiday. People have now become more familiar with the holiday, but still consider it more American than apart of their culture.
England
Halloween originally started in England as Guy Fawkes Night, due to children carving “punkies” out of large beets. Then they would take their punkies and parade them around the streets while singing the “Punkie Night Song” as they went knocking on doors asking for money. In some of the more rural areas turnip lanterns would be placed on gates to ward off spirits that lingered around on Halloween night. Another common practice was to throw objects such as stones, vegetables and nuts into a bonfire in order to frighten away the spirits.Throughout the years, Halloween has stayed pretty uncommon in England, besides the little children who still hold out hopes.
Japan
In Japan Halloween is celebrated differently than the U.S. in the sense of costumes, parties, trick-or-treating, etc. They celebrate what is known as the “Obon Festival”. This holiday celebrates the spirits of passed ancestors and loved ones. People prepare special feasts and hang bright red lanterns everywhere to guide their beloved home to their birthplaces. During this festival a fire is lit every night in order to show the passed ancestors where their families are. In more rural areas it is tradition to clean the path from the loved one’s grave site to their home, and then set welcoming fires in the front of the house so their ancestors know where to go during the “Obon festival”.
All in all, Halloween is a fun tradition celebrated in many unique ways around the world.
Photos courtesy of Google Images.
For more great info about how this holiday is celebrated, visit the cite below!
http://www.pumpkinpatchesandmore.org/halloweenglobal.php