# Halloween Traditions



## Poetic Device

I have come to learn that not all countries find Halloween to be a time of festivities.  I was told that some find it to be a holiday of the damned and whatnot.  What is Halloween to you and your culture?  How do you celebrate/recognize the day?


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## GenJen54

Hi Poetic,

Perhaps THIS thread will shed some light on your query.


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## Poetic Device

Sorry...  I *DID *do a search.  I swear.....  :-(


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## Insider

I don't find anything interesting in celebrating Halloween. Actually, in some clubs parties which special clothes exist, but just... I'd like to say another capacity to drind beer or meet people or friends there. 

Halloween have nothing similar with Ukrainian customs, therefore people don't consider it like a holiday. 

Insider


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## ireney

By the way we don't celebrate Halloween at all. We have Apokries instead  (this is a quite good link with a little info on the side)

I guess garryknight wasn't exactly right when he wrote:


garryknight said:


> Like many American customs, it seems to have spread everywhere.


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## Chazzwozzer

Poetic Device said:


> What is Halloween to you and your culture?


I find Halloween very special and wish everyday was Halloween... Well... Okay, that's because they air The Simpsons Halloween Special Episode on this day. 



Poetic Device said:


> How do you celebrate/recognize the day?



Anyway, in Turkey, I see every year it's getting more and more popular. Many nightclubs organize "Halloween parties" as well as some kindergartens, which arrange special Halloween parties for kids in costumes where they can have fun.

Well, I've never seen any house with pumpkin in front of it or haven't heard my American and British neighbours celebrating anything on this day. 

I just wish it keeps getting more common. Well, we need more "fun" days.  
I've seen on a party in Istanbul where one guy dressed up like a drummer shaman. I think it's a perfect idea. We simply Turkificate Halloween with our old traditions which any Turks can't call it Americanizing or Anglicizing.

I believe it will become a part of Turkish culture in the future. Just like Christmas did.


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## Hakro

In Finland we know about Halloween as we've seen it in the American TV shows but we don't celebrate it - not yet.


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## Etcetera

We don't celebrate Halloween, although Samhain, the ancient Irish holiday from which Halloween originated, is very popular among people who are fond of Irish culture.
The main reason for that seems to be that Halloween, or All Saints' Eve, has originated in Catholic countries and is associated in Russia with Catholic culture (that's rather strange, but nevertheless), and Russia used to be a strong Orthodox country for a major part of its history.


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## ireney

Etcetera we are Orthodox too but we managed to incorporate our heathen traditions in our christian culture with Apokries (although the Church still fumes about it-silently usually, since beeing too vociferous about it will cost her(?) a great deal)


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## Etcetera

ireney said:


> Etcetera we are Orthodox too but we managed to incorporate our heathen traditions in our christian culture with Apokries (although the Church still fumes about it-silently usually, since beeing too vociferous about it will cost her(?) a great deal)


We, too, still celebrate some festivities which used to be pagan. 
There was once thread about "Pagan roots of Christianity", where a lot was said about various festivities.


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## luis masci

In Argentina it was unknown at all in past times. Nothing to do with our culture.
Although last years there are celebrations done mostly by young people.
(influences from the northern empire I guess  )


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## Poetic Device

Now, is there any other country other than the United States that has a "Mischief Night" (the night before Halloween)?


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## GenJen54

Poetic Device said:
			
		

> Now, is there any other country other than the United States that has a "Mischief Night" (the night before Halloween)?


 I don't know that even all of the states in the U.S. have "Mischief" night.  I may be mistaken, but it seems that whenever I hear of this, it is predominately in large cities back East, Philadelphia (or is it Pittsburgh) being a notable place where these "pranks" have gone grossly awry.


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## Poetic Device

GenJen54 said:


> I don't know that even all of the states in the U.S. have "Mischief" night. I may be mistaken, but it seems that whenever I hear of this, it is predominately in large cities back East, Philadelphia (or is it Pittsburgh) being a notable place where these "pranks" have gone grossly awry.


 

Now that you say that, I think that you are right for the most part.  Although.....  The town that i live in is NYC wannabe (maybe they don't count because of that) and they always have mischief night.


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## waspsmakejam

Mischief Night or "Miggy Night" is alive and well in Yorkshire.  But it's moved to 4th November, the night before Bonfire Night.   Typical events include cars being tipped over, paint thrown over houses, smashed windows, random acts of arson, and general mayhem.  

Its unknown in the London, where I'm originally from.  Thankfully on my first 4th November York a kind local warned me to be safe at home before dark.

Halloween is mostly celebrated by children, although in York we do get huge crowds of American tourists on the ghostwalks.  One year a group of us dressed up and joined in, it was great fun and we got the walk for free because the Americans loved our costumes.  (I was Lizzie Borden, complete with blood and axe.)  Also various varieties of pagans openly celebrate Samhain without anyone noticing.


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## Miguelillo 87

Well here on Mexico, we have "El día de muertos" The dead's day.
Which it's celebrated November the 1st and 2nd, the 1st it's for the dead children and the second for the grow-ups, In these days, people usually go to the cementary and the clean-up the tumb and some take mariachis with them in order to sing to their deads, even ones have a "piv-nic2 on the cementary. Also in our homes we have to make an "ofrenda" offering, to them who consist in the blood of one children...No no it's not true, it consist on fruit, food, beverages and all the thing whick liked to the person you are offering to. also you can put some tequila or cigarrtes, pioctures of the person who is dead and obviusli a "calaverita" candy skull.
with the name of the dead, and obviusly Zempasuchil flower, which it's the flower who giuded the dead to his/her home. and back to the heaven


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## Poetic Device

What is "piv-nic2?  Don't you also put a plate out for them on the dinner table?


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## Bettie

Miguelillo 87 said:


> Well here on Mexico, we have "El día de muertos" The dead's day.
> Which it's celebrated November the 1st and 2nd, the 1st it's for the dead children and the second for the grow-ups, In these days, people usually go to the cementary and the clean-up the tumb and some take mariachis with them in order to sing to their deads, even ones have a "piv-nic2 on the cementary. Also in our homes we have to make an "ofrenda" offering, to them who consist in the blood of one children...No no it's not true, it consist on fruit, food, beverages and all the thing whick liked to the person you are offering to. also you can put some tequila or cigarrtes, pioctures of the person who is dead and obviusli a "calaverita" candy skull.
> with the name of the dead, and obviusly Zempasuchil flower, which it's the flower who giuded the dead to his/her home. and back to the heaven


 
I think Miguelillo that Octuber 31st is for children, November 1st is for adults and 2nd is All Saints.
In Yucatan we have this altar with pictures of the loved ones who died and put some of their favorites foods and drinks and flowers and books and we eat everything the next day, and the food is suposed to be tasteless because the Death came and ate.
We have too a mucbipollo which is a huge tamal especially for this season.


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## Brno79

I would just confirm what waspsmakejam said about mischief night in the north of England. In the North East of England where I grew up Halloween was celebrated with lots of games usually involving apples hanging on string or floating in water that you had to grab with your teeth. In fact we used to call in 'ducky apple night'. In the last few years the American idea of 'trick or treat' has caught on! Sadly!


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## marygg

I live near the US, for that reason, here is common tu celebrate Halloween, the kids go out in the night asking for candies, some pubs make costume contests... but I don't like to celebrate it, I stay in my home and I don't open the door when the kids come, because I always forget to buy candies.
And sometimes I go to the graveyard to visit my grandfather but in November 2nd. My familiy don't have the tradition of setting the altar...


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## Miguelillo 87

Bettie said:


> I think Miguelillo that Octuber 31st is for children, November 1st is for adults and 2nd is All Saints.
> In Yucatan we have this altar with pictures of the loved ones who died and put some of their favorites foods and drinks and flowers and books and we eat everything the next day, and the food is suposed to be tasteless because the Death came and ate.
> We have too a mucbipollo which is a huge tamal especially for this season.


Bettie, Hallowen it's not a mexiacn tradition, if you refer about children in 31st maybe, bacaues in some homes they do a praty and they give candies and TV makes shows for chikldren.
But in Mexican tradition 1st is whwen the children come and 2 the grew-ups


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## maxiogee

caoim said:


> I think that in England, Halloween and Guy Fawkes Night (also known as Bonfire Night, celebrated on November 5th) kind of blend in together,



Ah yes, Guy Fawkes Night — when the English get to celebrate their most renowned anti-Catholic sting operation  

England's anti-Catholicism ran riot after that little 'event'…
New laws were passed preventing them from practising law, serving as officers in the Army or Navy, or voting in local or Parliamentary elections. Furthermore, as a community they would be blackened for the rest of the century, blamed for the Great Fire of London and unfairly fingered in the Popish Plot of 1678.​ (http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/civil_war_revolution/gunpowder_robinson_04.shtml)


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## Frank06

Hi,

I guess over here in Belgium, the introduction of Halloween is even part of a kind of chain reaction, imho:

Christmas here has been Americanised by the introduction of Santa Claus and the rather phoney Coca-Cola type of commercialisation. All this at the expense of local Sinterklaas/Sint Nicholaas tradition on December 5/6 (who once was the model for Coca-Cola's Santa, btw).
So, the commercial gap is filled by yet another import, viz. Halloween.

Nevertheless, it's popular, shopkeepers (who introduced Halloween) make an extra buck, so people are happy... One can see a lot of pumpkins in the streets, a lot of shops have a Halloween theme window, and a lot of fancy dress parties (and not only in Irish pubs anymore). I never saw anybody 'trick-or-treating' in the streets (yet).
Imho, it's yet another attempt to attract customers...

Groetjes,

Frank


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## Bettie

Miguelillo 87 said:


> Bettie, Hallowen it's not a mexiacn tradition, if you refer about children in 31st maybe, bacaues in some homes they do a praty and they give candies and TV makes shows for chikldren.
> But in Mexican tradition 1st is whwen the children come and 2 the grew-ups


 
No Miguelillo, that's not wha I am referring of... because I am sure that november 2nd is All Saints so the night before has to be grown ups and the night before that dead children.

I don't find anything and I don't have a mexican calendar, can you check it, please??

Ok, I am checking and it says what you say, but in Merida is somehow different.


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## Span_glish

I get surprised by how much candy kids collect here in the US during Halloween.  
When I was young and still living in Guatemala, my friends and I used to dress up and "trick or treat" (Dulces o travesuras!!!).  My sister, who still lives down there, told me that it's not as popular among children any more (it would be if they got as much candy as they do here... haha), except for Halloween parties mainly for adults.
We also celebrate "All Saints Day" in Guatemala on Nov 1, people also visit their relatives grave.  A kite festival is held in a small town outside the city, where huge kits are flown over the cemetary.


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## Poetic Device

Are these kites just any kite that you have or are they of a specific type?


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## angelabonora

Poetic Device said:


> Are these kites just any kite that you have or are they of a specific type?


Poichè questa discussione presenta la caratteristica di essere _multilingual _scrivo in italiano e prego chi conosce l'inglese e l'italiano bene di farne una traduzione per tutti.
1° per me è importante Halloween, che viene festeggiato il 31 ottobre, perchè sono nata in tale data...ma a nessuno interessa ciò...
2° la festa di Halloween è la trasformazione cristiana di una festa celtica dedicata al ritorno dei morti a salutare i vivi rimasti, ne parlano vari scrittori antichi e lo stesso Giulio Cesare ne scrive nel raccontare i costumi delle popolazioni delle isole del Nord .
3° la evangelizzazione dei paesi del Nord da parte della Cristianità impose di non eliminare una festa molto importante per quelle popolazioni, ma eventualmente di sostituirla con una analoga : Veglia di Tutti i Santi = 31 ottobre e Tutti i Santi il 1° di Novembre, mentre i Morti venivano ricordati il 2 di Novembre. Sono due millenni circa che è avvenuta tale trasformazione.

La festa pagana è proprio invece quella di tipo commerciale che avviene con vendita di gadgets e dolciumi per i bambini e che è stata rispolverata in America e poco alla volta, come la Coca Cola, ha invaso tutti i paesi....

Ah dimenticavo la festa di Halloween è stata considerata anche la festa delle streghe e si dice che chi nasce in tale giorno abbia proprietà  magiche,...attenzione a parlar male di Halloween  o  Samain.  Comunque se cercate su un  dizionario di mitologia Celtica vedete che molti popoli del Nord  Europa la festeggiavano... 

Ciao 
Angela


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## Span_glish

_Ma dispiace, ma io non parli_ _italiano, leggo piu' migliore_ 

Poetic,
I found this site if you'd like to look at the pictures:

"These are not normal kites. While they are constructed simply out of bamboo, cloth, paper and wire, they are amazingly durable even in strong winds. These kites are designed in a circular shape and usually with a religious or folkloric theme. They are also gigantic -- most of them are with a diameter of 24 to 30 meters."​"In Santiago Sacatepéquez people use kites to communicate with the spirits of the deceased, who speak through the whistle of the wind and the fluctuations and tiny movements of the kites..."

http://www.google.com/notebook/public/02472320670770118951/BDTbFIgoQoay7y7Uh


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## MariadeManila

We Filipinos basically celebrate it almost the same with what the mexicans has written here. It's like a family get together to visit the dead and have a little picnic. If you can't visit, u'll offer flowers & lighted candles to ur altar for ur departed loved ones. 
Trick or treat is also practice by some.


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## lechatbleu

There's no festival in Thailand
but some of people dress up for some competitions


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## Maja

We don't celebrate it in Serbia.


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## argentina84

Hi people..I am quite confused. There are some magazines which state that *Halloween* is celebrated on *October the 31st*, and others that it is celebrated on *October the 30th*, that is to say, today.

Which is correct? Both? Thanks a lot in advance.


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## angelabonora

The correct date is 31 of octobre the last day of the year for the celtic people. The confusion is because the festivals were for 2 weeks, but with the begin in 31.
Love  Angela


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## Sepia

I find it a bit sad that nobody so  far cared to mention what this date was originally really about and I am wondering why this became the night where all kinds of scary creatures are crowding the streets.

Actually it was originally the "Celtic New Years Eve". Not only the where a hopefully good harvest was celebrated and one prepared oneself for the coming "sleeping period" of nature. They did not exactly express it that way - the expression "sleeping period" comes from the Comanches, another people trying to live in balance with nature. But basically they meant the same thing. 

But the night that became "Halloween" is also said to be the night where border between the real world and the "Otherworld" is thinner than on any other night of the year. This means that all sorts of beings from the spiritual world may become visible to people who would not normally see them. Not only the bad scary ones but also the nice ones. What kind of beings to expect is probably just as diverse as the more than 300 known Celtic gods. (I would not count in "trolls" - you normally find them on the Internet all year long).

How such wonderful night/day to celebrate became modern day "Halloween", with monsters and stuff I cannot tell. But it seems to me that this fits very well into Roman-Catholic marketing strategy over the centuries, so I suppose they have a lot to do with that. Obviously this tradition could not be totally done away with in those parts of Europe where significant numbers of Celtic people survived the Romans and were able to keep some of the traditions despite being "saved" by the Christians.


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## argentina84

angelabonora said:


> The correct date is 31 of octobre the last day of the year for the celtic people. The confusion is because the festivals were for 2 weeks, but with the begin in 31.
> Love Angela


 
I read in Wikepedia that it's on October 31st. So there is a miskate in the WR forum also, because it says it's today.


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## alexacohen

Here in Northwest Spain, where pagan (Celtic) traditions were never given up, we celebrate the Samhain. But on November 01st.


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## jinti

argentina84 said:


> I read in Wikepedia that it's on October 31st. So there is a miskate in the WR forum also, because it says it's today.


Yes, definitely the 31st.  Heck, I haven't even bought candy for the kids yet....


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## argentina84

jinti said:


> Yes, definitely the 31st. Heck, I haven't even bought candy for the kids yet....


 

Then, *HAPPY* *HALLOWEEN**!*


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## OldAvatar

In Romania, traditionally speaking, Halloween doesn't mean anything. However, in recent times people found out that Halloween can be a very good marketing idea, especially if they connect it with Dracula. But it still doesn't mean much. It is still an "imported" custom...


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## Pedro y La Torre

Halloween originated as an Irish Celtic holiday. Irish immigrants brought it to the United States.

Here all the kids dress up and go trick or treating while the rest have bonfires and set off fireworks.


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## Jocaste

OldAvatar said:


> In Romania, traditionally speaking, Halloween doesn't mean anything. In recent times people found out that Halloween can be a very good marketing idea, especially if they connect it with Dracula. But it still doesn't mean much. It is still an "imported" custom...


Je ne sais pas si c'est le cas partout en France, mais pour ma part, je n'ai jamais fêté Hallow'een et pour moi, cette fête ne représente vraiment rien. D'ailleurs, j'avais complètement oublié son existence avant de voir ce fil 

Je sais que certains le fêtent ici (parce qu'ils sont venus frapper à la porte les petits gourmands ) mais je ne suis pas sûre qu'il y ait de grands rassemblements pour célébrer Hallow'een, à part dans les grandes villes peut-être.
Une de mes amies est à Londres, et elle hallucine complètement avec le dispositif mis en place : apparemment, depuis trois semaines, c'est la folie là-bas ! Organisation & co pour cet événement. Suis impatiente d'y être pour voir ça, mon premier Hallow'een, ça se fête


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## The Scrivener

It was all over in my village by 7.00 pm, thank God.  Nobody was able to ask me, "Trick or treat?" because I had the foresight to be at my friends' house.

One group of youngsters called there (unaccompanied by an adult) and were sent away with a flea in their ear.  No tricks were played.

I haven't seen a single carved pumpkin.

I heard on this morning's news that in the USA $5 billion are spent on this annual madness.

Bah!  Humbug.


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## Einstein

My childhood was spent in the South of England in the 1950s and I knew of Hallowe'en only because my schoolfriends of Scottish origin used to disappear on 31 October for their Hallowe'en party. However, my mother, who was born near Newcastle (North-East of England) remembered this celebration.
When I came to Italy 30 years ago no one knew about Hallowe'en, but then there was a film and it gradually took root. I "discovered" that Hallowe'en came... from America!

Originally it was not a pumpkin that was used. On an Italian quiz programme it came out that it used to be a turnip. Everyone was surprised because they thought it would be too small, but in reality it was that large kind of turnip known as a swede (not found in Italy).

I insist on writing Hallowe'en with an apostrophe! 31 October is the Eve (E'en in Scots dialect) of All Saints' Day (All Hallows' Day), although it was actually a pre-Christian Festival (like Christmas, for that matter!).


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## Paparaciii

In Latvia we know about Halloween only from American movies.
There isn't such festivity in Latvia.


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