October brings one of the most fun and spooky times of the year-Halloween. This holiday is celebrated in many unique ways around the world.
In Mexico, Halloween falls right in the middle of the famous Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrations, which last from October 31 to November 2. Some people probably think it’s just Halloween but Día de los Muertos isn’t about spooky costumes or trick or treatlike in the US It’s a beautiful, colorful celebration to honor people who have passed away. People build altars decorated with flowers, candles, photos, and the favorite foods and drinks to the dead and decorating family gravesites to commune with the dead.
You will see these calaveras (it means “skull” in Spanish but that has come to mean the entire skeleton) everywhere.They organize parades filled with music and color – they are singing , dancing, dress up in colorful costumes and paint their faces in skeleton makeup. That holiday have to remind them that death is not the end it’s just another part of the journey.
In the United States, Halloween is celebrated on a massive scale – every year, people really go all out for this holiday. Homes transform into spooky wonderlands with giant skeletons, glowing lights, inflatable figures, and just about any creepy decor you can imagine. Americans are incredibly creative with their decorations. I think it’s a bit of an exaggeration, but they love it-for them it’s never too much. Every year they try to make decorations bigger and flashier – it’s a similar vibe to Christmas.
And it’s not just the decorations! Most of people dress up as anything and everything, from spooky ghosts to famous superheroes. And in the evening children dressed up go from house to house and collect candy- it is called „trick or treat”(We know this tradition from Europe).
In Japan they also celebrate Halloween, but mainly in large cities like Tokyo. On Halloween Shibuya Crossing- one of the busiest places in the world fills with people dressed in creative and sometimes spooky costumes. It feels like a huge street party, where everyone comes to show off their costumes, take photos, and have fun. In Japan they don’t go trick-or-treating, for them halloween is a time for people to dress up and enjoy the festive atmosphere.
From trick or treat, amazing and colorful Día de los Muertos to street party in Shibuya- every tradition is unique, but every different, so no matter where you are, you can celebrate Halloween in your own way. Do you celebrate Halloween?- share in the comments.
Happy Halloween and see you in the next post!
