Published 28th Oct. 2022
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The only festival to induce a Marmite reaction, Halloween – love it or loathe it – can’t be knocked. Around since the Iron Age, the hallowed holiday can be traced all the way back to the Celtic festival of Samhain. A celebration of all things supernatural, from bewitching bonfires and mystifying mythology to mischievous spirits and sacrifices, it remains one of the most historic and haunted holidays. For much of the world, modern day Halloween is now more commonly associated with trick or treating, pumpkin picking and playing dress up. But that hasn’t stopped some countries from putting their own spin on the spooky season. While Japan and the USA celebrate loudly and proudly with vibrant parades and larger-than-life costumes, and Mexico with its beloved Day of the Dead, Italy chooses to commemorate the day in true Italian fashion – through food. Read on to discover our run down of Halloween traditions around the world…
Hollywood Horrors
The USA love to throw a party and Halloween is no different. Despite the celebrations’ origins, which date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, the USA has decidedly adopted the haunted holiday as its own. Think trick-or-treating around neighbourhoods adorned with life-like ghouls, drive-in scary movie marathons and more parades than you can shake a witch’s broom at and you have the quintessential American Halloween. From Greenwich Village’s legendary parade – the largest of its kind in the world may we add – to New Orleans’ ‘Krewe of BOO!’ Parade, which celebrates the city’s eccentric cemeteries and voodoo queens in a larger-than-life float procession, the USA is where Halloween traditions aren’t just celebrated, they’re gospel.
Day of the Dead
Mexico's Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) is arguably one of the most famous Halloween traditions around the world, but it’s not to be confused with the spooky Celtic festival. Traditionally celebrated after Halloween (2-3rd November), it chooses to honour the lives of deceased family members. Sure, the theme is death, but the rituals are nothing but an explosion of life-affirming joy. Colourful ofrendas (offerings) such as candles, flowers and possessions fill grave sites, marigolds drape over altars, their petals used to lead souls back to their resting place and images of Catrina calavera (an elegant skull etching) cover newspapers. Streets become papel picado (paper craft) paradises, complete with sugar skulls and colourful masks, and a smattering of pulque (think alcoholic agave) stalls. But if you’re after a festival fever that even James Bond couldn’t resist, a visit to Mexico City’s El Gran Desfile de Día de Muertos (The Great Day of the Dead Parade) is sure to get you in the deadly spirit – figuratively speaking, of course.
Ognissanti and All Souls’ Day
So, technically not a Halloween tradition – we know – but it falls so close that we couldn’t not include it. While Ognissanti, All Saints’ Day, falls on November 1st, it’s All Souls’ Day, the day after, that is seen as Italy’s central Halloween tradition. Beginning with a morning Mass where prayers and alms are offered to the deceased, it quickly becomes a foodie feast. In Trentino, churches toll and tables of food are left out for the departed to find, in Rome relatives eat around grave sites to keep them company, while in Sicily it is customary for the dead to bring back sweet gifts to their well-behaved children. Depending on which Italian region you’re in, you’ll be treated to a different sweet too. In Umbria it’s fave dei morti (almond macaroons), in Naples torrone dei morti (chocolate nougat) and balleti (boiled chestnuts) in Trentino… Really, we could go on and on.
Manga Mayhem
A festival fiend, celebrating between 100,000 and 200,000 festivals a year, Japan is well versed in the art of partying. So, it’s no surprise that it decided to hop on the Halloween bandwagon – just with its own cosplay twist. Watch as Tokyo's central streets become catwalks for meticulously made manga and anime costumes, while its quirky surrounding districts like Shibuya adopt an ‘Understated Halloween’ that recognises the everyday horrors of a bad haircut and missing house keys. If you’re after a more authentic and spiritual celebration however, timing a trip with the ancient Buddhist festival of Obon should do the trick. Like Mexico’s Día de Muertos, Obon is dedicated to the deceased. Homes become festooned with lanterns and offerings to guide ancestral spirits, and relatives return home to visit and clean grave sites.
Dia das Bruxas and Saci Day
In Brazil, Halloween has long borne a bone of contention. While American influences have secured the day (Dia das Bruxas or ‘Witches Day’ as it’s known) as a western celebration with all trimmings and traditions, federal government has continually been trying to make the day strictly Brazilian. Called Saci Day instead, they propose for the day to be dedicated to Brazilian folklore’s most infamous character – Saci. One legged, with a red cap and pipe in tow, he is considered the country’s biggest prankster and fraudster. If you trap him or his magical cap, however, you are granted a wish. Yet, while the characteristics are similar to the Halloween we know, Saci Day seems to only have travelled as far as São Paulo. They more than make up for it though with a two-week calendar filled with concerts, cultural events and workshops.
Practical advice and inspiration for your next trip
For those of us who don’t have to adhere to the constraints of the school holidays, we have a wide choice when it comes to choosing what season to travel in. Though the summer remains a top choice, thanks to the good weather across much of the Northern Hemisphere and the general societal norm of treating ourselves to a break at this time, the so-called ‘shoulder season’ is becoming ever-more popular.
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