For most of us, Halloween means horror movie marathons, way too much chocolate and splurging on a crappy costume. But not many of us know that Halloween is celebrated with some very unique and time-tested traditions across the globe. From sugar skulls to fortune-telling fruitcakes, there’s a lot more to the spooky night than you may think.
Mexico & Latin America
Dia de los Meurtos is a three-day festival starting October 31st. It’s believed that the gates of heaven are opened on Halloween, letting the dead return to their homes for a short while.
Candles are lit to help souls find their way, and altars are constructed in their memory. They’re usually decorated with photographs, flowers and candies alongside bowls of the person’s favourite food and drink. Calavera (skulls made of sugar or clay) are also a popular addition.
Ireland
Ireland is where Halloween first originated, so it’s no surprise some of its traditions are already familiar to us. These include pulling pranks, carving pumpkins, going trick-or-treating and lighting bonfires.
But there are some lesser known festivities which are still a favourite in Ireland. One of these is snap apple-a game in which have their arms tied behind their backs before trying to take a bite out of an apple suspended on a string. To make it even harder, players are sometimes blindfolded!
A popular Irish Halloween dish is a type of fruitcake called barmbrack. These are baked with little tokens inside, each of which foretell a different future for the person who gets the slice containing it. The ring, for example, is a sign of a new or continued romance, whereas the thimble means you’re never getting married (yikes!).
Japan
Halloween didn’t really take off in Japan until Tokyo Disneyland held a themed event back in 2000. And while trick-or-treating is still not much of a thing there, the opportunity to dress up is most definitely taken advantage of! Frequenters of the fashionable Harajuku district and anime fans cosplay as their favourite characters in some pretty amazing costumes to celebrate the night.
Halloween street parties and parades are also very common, and the streets of Shibuya are crowded every year with loads of people looking to let loose.
Another quirk of Japan is the sheer number of weird and wonderful foods that appear on menus for the festive period. From Pepsi to McDonalds, every company gets into the spooky spirit. Check out this truly terrifying black Halloween burger!
Image Sources
Information Sources
http://www.history.com/topics/halloween/halloween-around-the-world
https://www.mexicansugarskull.com/support/dodhistory.html