Halloween

teenagers in Halloween costumes

October 31 is Halloween and it's celebrated in many countries around the world. What are the origins of this spooky day and how do people celebrate today? Read the article and find out.

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When you think of Halloween, you probably think of pumpkin lanterns, fancy-dress costumes and children asking for sweets. And if you think of a country that celebrates Halloween, you probably think of the United States first. Americans and Canadians have adopted Halloween in a big way, but did you know that Halloween traditions actually come from Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales?

The origins of Halloween

The Celts were people who lived in ancient Britain and Ireland from about 1000 BC and they celebrated a festival called 'Samhain'. Samhain was celebrated on 1 November because that was the end of summer and harvest time (which was associated with food and life) and the beginning of winter (which they associated with death). Have you ever wondered why Halloween colours are orange and black? Orange is related to harvests and black is related to death.

Samhain was the time for ghosts to return to earth for a day. People lit a big fire, wore special clothes made of animal skin and hoped to be safe from the ghosts and the winter. 

In early America, the Native Americans and the first Europeans celebrated the end of the harvest, but not Halloween. When many Irish people went to live in America in the 1800s, they brought their Halloween traditions with them and Halloween became popular throughout the country.

Pumpkin lanterns

Many people make pumpkin lanterns to decorate their homes at Halloween. They remove the inside of the pumpkin, cut shapes for the eyes, nose and mouth and place a candle in the empty pumpkin to make a scary face. This tradition came from the Celts, who carved faces into vegetables like turnips and potatoes to scare the ghosts and make them go away. Irish people who came to live in the United States found pumpkins much easier to carve, and the tradition became the one we see today.

Halloween costumes

People of all ages dress up on Halloween. In the UK some of the most popular costumes include witches, vampires, ghosts, skeletons, zombies and monsters. We can trace this tradition back to the Celts, who were afraid of the ghosts that came on Samhain. If they went outside after dark, they covered their faces with masks. They hoped any ghosts they met would think they were ghosts too and would leave them alone. 

North Americans wear all kinds of Halloween costumes and not just scary things like witches and ghosts. This is because in the late 19th century, people tried to make Halloween less about ghosts and more about celebrating the season with a party for neighbours and family. 

Trick-or-treating

On Halloween children knock on their neighbours' doors and ask for 'treats', like sweets or chocolates. In ancient Britain, Celtic people went from house to house dressed in costumes, asking for gifts and food for the Samhain festival. When Irish people went to live in America, they continued this tradition and it became trick-or-treating. Nowadays going trick-or-treating is so popular in the USA that a quarter of the sweets for the year are sold for this one day!

Around the world

Catholic people around the world celebrate All Saints Day on 1 November and All Souls Day on 2 November. On these days, people remember relatives, friends and other people who have died. In Mexico, people celebrate the Day of the Dead at this time and many dress up as skeletons, and paint skulls on their faces. Nowadays, more and more people around the world are celebrating both the Day of the Dead and Halloween. Will you celebrate this year?
 

Discussion

Do you celebrate Halloween or the Day of the Dead? 

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Comments

Profile picture for user Victor 5.b

Submitted by Victor 5.b on Wed, 10/30/2024 - 11:29

Hi i celeberate haloween and from denmark (Jennifer)

Submitted by Baazli on Mon, 11/06/2023 - 10:33

It is a very cool page

Submitted by kseniiasheva on Thu, 11/02/2023 - 09:02

Hi, i’m ksuscha i’m live in Ukraine, Kyiv. In Ukraine we don’t celebrate halloween like in USA( but some people celebrated it for example they watch films, dress up in costumes and some people go to party.We don’t go to houses to take sweets, i’m like halloween but in my city we don’t have this vibe)

Submitted by cr1stt on Tue, 10/31/2023 - 20:30

In Uruguay, we celebrate Halloween by making a party.

Submitted by MariMur on Fri, 10/27/2023 - 10:34

We rarely celebrate Halloween. It is not oficially recognised. But some people watch Halloween films, decorate their homes and make lanterns from pumpkins. Although, they celebrate Halloween in the family.

Profile picture for user FlowerQueen

Submitted by FlowerQueen on Tue, 11/15/2022 - 20:13

Hi!
Here, in Germany, we don't celebrate Day of the Death, but we do celebrate Halloween. We walk around the streets with friends or family and knock at the doors of our neighbours. Then we say "Süßes oder Saures" ("Sweet or Sour"). That means something like "give us something sweet, or we will do something bad (sour)"
We also wear costumes like in the UK. Witches, pirates, ghosts...
FlowerQueen ~♡

Profile picture for user Cfvdv

Submitted by Cfvdv on Wed, 06/09/2021 - 14:43

No, here in my country we don't celebrate Halloween. It's unpopular. And it's rare for someone here to say "Happy Halloween".

Submitted by hermione123 on Tue, 01/05/2021 - 03:38

we don't celebrate Halloween in my country.

Submitted by 12tynjcdnd0 on Thu, 10/31/2019 - 14:33

Good morning everybody, regarding the question I can comment that....... Of course, in Peru, it is celebrated on October 31, in addition that this has become a custom in my country, we also allude to the dead, where young people and children of my age disguise themselves as different characters of terror, walking the streets and houses.

Submitted by Adriana_I on Thu, 10/31/2019 - 14:14

Well, in my country Peru, children and young people celebrate Halloween, but adults celebrate "Creole song day". There is a discussion between Halloween and "the day of the Creole song", since both are celebrated on the same day however some people celebrate the two festivities. :)

Submitted by andrerodrigo on Thu, 10/31/2019 - 14:07

Hello, in the city where I live, which has the name tacna, celebrates halloween on October 31st, we celebrate it in the following way, in our youth, we disguise ourselves as the famous monsters of the movies and we go out to ask for sweets in the streets, some fans say trick or treat, waiting for them to give us sweets, but sometimes they perform something amazing like magic.
Profile picture for user gean123

Submitted by gean123 on Thu, 10/31/2019 - 13:58

I don't celebrate Halloween, because I'm not interested in going to order candy in the streets, I prefer to be in my house with my family

Submitted by Aldairisperfect on Thu, 10/31/2019 - 13:51

I didn't celebrate Halloween before, but two years ago I began to celebrate it as an intercultural activity

Submitted by Brandon on Thu, 10/31/2019 - 13:47

In my country, Hallowen is allow and very popular among children and teenagers, but also we have another celebration, it's called "Día de la canción criolla". In this festivity the "cultura criolla" is celebrated represented by its music, being realized dances and musical representations in the streets and is used to prepare Criolla's food, or to go to restaurants specialized in this gastronomy. I hope to all of you, Happy Halloween's Day and a Happy Canción Criolla's Day.
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