Halloween, the spookiest day of the year

A very scary Halloween in Italy: visiting the darkest places in Rome. As in the case of Spain, the main tradition during this period of the year is Ognissanti (November 1st) and Giorno dei morti (November 2nd.) During those days, families go to cemeteries to visit and clean their relatives’ tombs. They also bring them flowers. However, because of the American and Irish influence, the popularity of Halloween is increasing. Kids love dolcetto-scherzetto (trick-or-treating) and dressing up. But disguises are not only for children! There are also parties for adults, such as the one at Devil’s Bridge, in Borgo a Mozzano, said to be the first and biggest Halloween celebration in Italy. Would you like to do some other activities? If you are in Rome on October 31st, go and pay a visit to the Cripta dei Cappuccini. It’s a crypt that is decorated with the bones of over 4000 friars, spooky! But this is not the only frightening place you can visit. Explore Rome’s catacombs, the frescoes by Santo Stefano Rotondo (blood and gore everywhere!) or the Museo delle Anime del Purgatorio. It’s extremely creepy!

The origins of a Celtic tradition, Halloween. Halloween is related to Samhain, an Irish festival from centuries ago. Naturally, Halloween is very important in Ireland! Trick-or-treating is an essential activity during this spooky day and kids get a lot of candy, chocolate and other treats. Needless to say, you’ll also find terrifying (or funny!) jack-o’-lanterns. People disguise themselves, go to parties and decorate their homes with ghouls, ghosts, witches, black cats… In Derry, Northern Ireland, there is a great tradition, the Banks of the Foyle Halloween Carnival. And what do the Irish do to enjoy this festivity? They dress up with costumes of witches, skeletons, zombies and so on and they dance to live music. In addition, you can also see fireworks at the end of it! In Dublin they prefer Samhain, and they commemorate it with an impressive parade.

Día de todos los santos, queimadas and Fiesta de tosantos: Halloween-like traditions in Spain. In Spain, there are three important days related to Halloween: Día de las brujas (Witches’ Day, October 31st), Día de todos los santos (All Saints’ Day, November 1st) and Día de los muertos (Day of the dead, November 2nd.) Depending on the autonomous community, people follow different traditions. Galicia adds a Celtic twist to the festivity, because of its own history. Noite dos Calacús (Night of the pumpkins) is very similar to Halloween. Parties, costumes or jack-o’-lanterns are key elements. People use to drink queimada while they recite a spell, esconxuro. In Barcelona (Catalonia), on All Saints’ Day, people eat chestnuts, panellets, wine and they go to cemeteries, like the one in Montjuïc. Another option is visiting Sant Feliu Sasserra (in Bages) to attend the Witch Festival. In Cádiz, they celebrate Fiesta de tosantos or Fiesta de los mercados. There are street performances, live music and they made fun of politics, social events and trending topics by means of humorous displays.

Discover the Canadian Halloween! There are a lot of social celebrations in Canada! There are not many differences between the Halloween traditions in the United States and the Canadian ones, but let’s learn a little bit more about them. Naturally, kids go trick-or-treating and they get free candy! Get a brand new Halloween bag and get some chocolate bars, gummies… And maple cream cookies too, yummy! You’ll also have the opportunity to attend some parties, watch a lot of series and movies on witches, zombies and other undead entities. Jack-o’-lanterns are very important for Canadians too. There are numerous contests to choose the best carved pumpkin. Create an innovative design and win a prize! In the same fashion, disguising is a top entertainment–even if you want to dress up as a zombie hockey player.

Catrinas, songs, and Noche de Brujas: different ways of celebrating Halloween in Latin America. As in many other parts of the World, Halloween is growing quickly. The way of celebrating really depends on the country. Peru, Argentina, Chile, Panama, Mexico or Colombia follow the traditions of the United States: carving pumpkins, jack-o’-lanterns, disguising, partying and trick-or-treating are very common there. Yet, Halloween is usually referred to as “Noche de brujas”. Nevertheless, each country adds its own touch to it! In Peru, both Halloween and “Día de la canción criolla” happen on October 31st. During this día, Creole music is used to celebrate life itself. Mexicans, for their part, prefer Día de los muertos over Halloween. They go to graveyards, create altars and pay homage to the dead with tons of food, music and catrinas. In Colombia there is also a sweet tradition related to kids, although they celebrate it on November 1st. In Cartagena de Indias they sing a song, “Ángeles somos” and people give them some coins in return. It is based on the belief that children are angels.

Halloween in Japan: cosplay, skeletons and more! The “Halloween fever” began in Japan because of Tokyo Disneyland. They hosted the very first Halloween festival in 2000 and, thanks to it, the popularity rates of Halloween increased every year. The Japanese version of this festival doesn’t really copy the American pattern, it rather suits the Nipponese peculiarities. There is no trick-or-treat, but they merge the typical costumes of ghosts, witches and skeletons with cosplay. One good example of this is the Ikebukuro Halloween Cosplay festival in Tokyo. Apart from Tokyo, the main cities that host events are Osaka and Kanagawa. You’ll find plenty of street parties, parades, live music performances, costume contests and many other activities. Theme parks are also a very good option if you want to have a frightening Halloween night.