How Countries Around the World Celebrate Halloween

Mexico

Among Spanish-speaking nations, Halloween is known as "El Dia de los Muertos." It is a happy holiday in remembrance friends and family who have died. It is a three-day celebration that begins on the evening of October 31. There are a few activities that are performed on Halloween. Families construct an altar in their home with decorations of candy, flowers, photographs, fresh water, and samples of the deceased's favorite foods and drinks. They believe their dead relatives return to their homes on Halloween night. A basin and towel is left out in order for the spirit to clean up themselves before entering the feast. Incense candles are burned to help the deceased relatives find his or her way home. Flowers and decorations are included at their deceased family member's grave sites. A live person is placed inside a coffin that is being paraded through the streets. Vendors fill the casket with fruit, flowers, and candies.

Canada

Canadian's Halloween traditions began with the arrival of Scottish and Irish immigrants in the 1800s. Jack O'Lanterns are carved on Halloween night. Activities include parties, trick or treating, and decorations of homes. Homes are decorated with pumpkins and corn stalks.

England

English children made their own designed carvings called "punkies" out of large beetroots. They would carry their "punkies" through the streets while singing the "Punkie Night Song" as they knocked on doors and asked for money. The English stopped celebrating Halloween due to Martin Luther's Protestant Reformation. English people trick or treat from door to door and dress up in costumes like the American tradition.

France

Halloween is not celebrated by the French.

Czechoslovakia

In Czechoslovakia, chairs are placed by the fireside on Halloween night. There is one chair for each living family member and one for each family member's spirit.

Germany

In Germany, the people put away their knives on Halloween night. Their belief for doing this is to prevent harm of returning spirits.

Korea

In Korea, the festival similar to Halloween is known as "Chusok." and it takes place in the month of August.

Sweden

In Sweden, Halloween is known as "Alla Helgons Dag" and is celebrated from October 31 until November 6. "Alla Helgons Dag" has an eve which is either celebrated or becomes a shortened working day.

Ireland

Ireland is the birthplace of Halloween and celebrates Halloween as much as the United States. In rural areas, bonfires are lit as they were in the days of the Celts and children dress up in costumes to spend the evening "trick-or-treating" in their neighborhoods. After the visiting, most people attend parties with neighbors and friends. At these parties, many games are played, including "snap-apple," in which an apple on a string is tied to a doorframe or tree, and players attempt to take a bite out of the suspended apple.

Austria

People will leave bread, water and a lighted lamp on the table before they end work on Halloween night. These items allow the dead souls to enter back to Earth on a night with cosmic energies around them.

China

Teng Chieh is a Halloween festival that is celebrated in China. Food and water are placed in front of family member's pictures. These family members are members who are not a part of their lives any longer. Lanterns are lit for spirits to walk around paths on Earth on Halloween night.

Belgium

The Belgians believe that it is unlucky for a black cat to cross one's path and also unlucky if it should enter a home or travel on a ship. Belgians lit candles on Halloween night for their dead relatives.

Hong Kong

The Halloween celebration in Hong Kong is known as "Yue Lan" (Festival of the Hungry Ghosts) and is a time when it is believed that spirits travel the world for twenty-four hours. Some people burn pictures of fruit or money at this time to prevent these pictures from reaching the spirit world and bringing comfort to the ghosts.

Japan

The Japanese celebrate the "Obon Festival" (also known as "Matsuri" or "Urabon") which is similar to Halloween festivities in that it is dedicated to the spirits of ancestors. Families prepare special foods with bright red lanterns hung around the country. Candles are lit and placed into lanterns which are then set sailing on rivers and seas.