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When we think of Halloween, we think of ghosts, witches, broomsticks and pumpkins to name a few. We can't wait to dress up in our scary costumes and go to a Halloween party! For the kids, it's always about the candy... and for some adults too. It's the one night we get to embrace the mysticism of the day.
Halloween is a mixture of Celtic, Gaelic, Roman, Catholic, and European folklore and traditions. It is the day that the veil is unmasked and two worlds can be crossed.. Where mother nature goes into hibernation and we await her rebirth.
All Saints Day, Samhain, All Souls Day, and the Festival of Feralia have all contributed to this modern holiday. In Europe, where the traditions started it was believed that ghosts were able to return to earth. The Celts and Druids would wear costumes, light bon fires and the people would gather before going in for the winter. When the Romans came into power they combine their traditions of two Roman festivals to the Celts Samhain.
It reached the United States by way of European immigrants and by the 19th Century the holiday became more the focus for a community gathering. It's religious meaning waned as it became more of a child's holiday getting sweets and candies.
How other cultures celebrate Halloween
Mexico, Latin America and Spain
Halloween also known as the Day of the Dead starts on October 31st and ends November 2nd. It is a three day festival where family members celebrate their ancestors by constructing an alter. On the alter they partake in their loved ones favorite food and drink as they sit around and reminisce.Candles and incense are burned so they can fins their way back home. On the last day, the grave site is decorated with flowers and wreaths before they leave.
Korea
Known as Chusok. It is when family members thank their ancestors for the fruits of their labor by making offerings.
China
The Halloween festival is known as Teng Chieh. Food and water are placed in front of photographs of family members who have departed while bonfires and lanterns are lit in order to light the paths of the spirits as they travel the earth on Halloween night. Worshippers in Buddhist temples fashion "boats of the law" from paper, some of which are very large, which are then burned in the evening hours. The purpose of this custom is twofold: as a remembrance of the dead and in order to free the spirits of the "pretas" in order that they might ascend to heaven. "Pretas" are the spirits of those who died as a result of an accident or drowning and whose bodies were consequently never buried. The presence of "pretas" among the living is thought by the Chinese to be dangerous. Under the guidance of Buddhist temples, societies are formed to carry out ceremonies for the "pretas," which includes the lighting of lanterns. Monks are invited to recite sacred verses and offerings of fruit are presented.
Austria
Some people will leave bread, water and a lighted lamp on the table before retiring on Halloween night. It was once believed that these would welcome the dead souls back to earth on a night that Austrians considered to be magical.
France
Unlike most nations of the world, Halloween is not celebrated by the French in order to honor the dead and departed ancestors. It is regarded as an "American" holiday in France and was virtually unknown in the country until around 1996. A combination of the French love of parties, fete's and costume events, and some simple crass commercialism has led to the rapid rise of the holiday in France.
The French had been hearing about Halloween from foreign residents and tourists and in their English classes for years before the holiday ever showed its (masked) face in France. In 1982, the American Dream bar/restaurant in Paris began celebrating Halloween. At first it had to explain the holiday to each customer, but since about 1995, French customers have tended to be more and more familiar with Halloween.
The Mask Museum in Saint-Hilaire-Saint Florent was opened by Cesar group in 1992, and the owners started working to expand Halloween in France the following year.
In 1996, the village of Saint Germain-en-Laye held a Halloween party on 24 October in the middle of the day, to give locals an idea of what it was all about.
Meanwhile, companies like France Télécom, McDonald's, Disney, and Coca Cola began using pumpkins and other Halloween images and ideas in publicity campaigns. This simultaneously increased French people's knowledge about Halloween and made it seem like another imposition of American culture.
Ed Obert, LMT
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