We know Halloween as the one day a year when children and adults dress up in fun costumes and watch as kids go door to door collecting candy. For some, the best part of Halloween is the spooky activities such as haunted hayrides, haunted mazes, or haunted houses. For others, Halloween is a night full of handing out Halloween candy to trick-or-treaters or accompanying their children from street to street as they look for the “best houses”. However, Halloween is celebrated in different ways and even in totally different holidays in other parts of the world. It’s important to learn about how other cultures celebrate holidays similar to our own because you may find a new holiday or way to celebrate!
- Mexico: el Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead: Celebrated on November 1st and 2nd, historians believe the Day of the Dead dates back to about 3000 years ago. On the Day of the Dead, family and friends celebrate the lives of deceased loved ones and pay respects by preparing a feast of the deceased’s favorite foods. Family and friends leave gifts dedicated to the deceased, wear skull masks, and eat skull-shaped sweets. This holiday is celebrated all over Mexico.
- Japan: Japan has embraced some of the Western traditions of Halloween, yet they have adopted the primary participants in the holiday celebrations. Halloween in Japan focuses all on the costumes, and rarely trick-or-treating occurs. Mostly adults dress up and then take to parties and clubs to celebrate in costumes. Overall, in Japan, Halloween is a lot more about the grown-ups than the kids.
- Canada: Being our neighbors, Canada celebrates Halloween very similarly to us here in the US. Children dress up and take to the streets to go door-to-door trick or treating. Adults also participate in dressing up, and many go to parties or clubs to celebrate in costume. Many Canadians also participate in one of Americans’ favorite Halloween activities, carving pumpkins to make jack-o-lanterns.
- Ireland: The origin of Halloween actually lies in the pagan Celtic festival of ‘Samhain’, around 100 A.D in Ireland. The holiday and many traditions of Halloween made their way to America when the Irish immigrated to the United States. In Ireland today, children participate in trick or treating, as well as in dressing up. Since Ireland has been celebrating Halloween for so long, it has become a very popular and anticipated holiday every year.
- Costa Rica: Día Nacional de la Mascarada Costarricense: Dia de la Mascarada is celebrated every October 31st all throughout Costa Rica. Participants hand-make and wear large, extravagant masks as they dance through the streets to folk music. This is a 200-year-old tradition that can be traced all the way back to pre-Columbian customs. There are huge parades held all across the country, some of the most notable being Cartago, Escazu, and Barva de Heredia.
Clearly, there are so many ways to celebrate Halloween and even different holidays that share similar traditions with Halloween as we know it. Although there is nothing like haunted hayrides and trick or treating, it is a special experience to be able to participate in another culture’s celebration of Halloween.
