5 haunting Halloween traditions from around the world
The US customs of dressing up and trick-and-treating at Halloween have since spread globally, but similar, centuries-old traditions are to be found all over the world.
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As the nights begin to draw in and the mercury sinks in our thermometers, it can only mean one thing – Halloween is on the horizon once more. It’s time to dust off those jack-o’-lanterns, knock together your scariest costume and petition friends and strangers alike for sweet treats for your children.
The modern-day festival celebrated across much of the western world has its roots in pagan Britain, but the UK is far from the only culture to have developed its unique traditions at this time of year. We’ll take a look at some of the more interesting and idiosyncratic ones below.
1. Samhain – Ireland/Scotland
The millennia-old Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced ‘sow-win’) is where many of the Americanised customs of today originate. As a celebration of the end of summer (the name literally translates to ‘summer’s end’), the festival was associated with the dead and recognised as a time to honour them.
Ancient Celts believed Samhain marked the point of the year at which the boundaries between our world and the afterlife were at their thinnest, and so set places at the table for dearly departed souls. The excess food would then be given to the poor, who would beg for it – thus forming the precursor to the modern-day practice of trick-or-treating.
While Samhain has largely been usurped by Halloween in much of Ireland and Scotland, some traditions are still maintained to this day, including pagan fire festivals and musical celebrations.
2. El día de los muertos - Mexico
Outside of the US interpretation of Halloween, the Mexican Day of the Dead (‘El día de los muertos’) is undoubtedly the most famous festival from around the world.
While the huge parade taking place in Mexico City is a relatively modern phenomenon popularised by Hollywood films such as the 2015 James Bond caper Spectre, the festival is believed to be centuries old and dates back to the time of the Aztec civilisation.
These days, it is characterised by offerings to the dead, people dressing up as skeletons and much singing, dancing and feasting. At heart, however, it is a time for remembering those who have passed away and paying respects to them.
3. La festa di Ognissanti - Italy
La festa di Ognissanti is a Christian holiday which spans November 1st and November 2nd – All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, respectively. While popular throughout the Catholic world, it is perhaps most keenly observed in Italy.
In the days leading up to the holiday, it is customary for Italians to visit graveyards across the country and lay symbolically important chrysanthemums on the tombs of loved ones and even strangers, thus transforming these places of burial into bright explosions of colour and fragrance.
Meanwhile, candles are placed in windows, bonfires are lit and towns are decorated with pumpkins to symbolise the lost souls returning to Earth. Interestingly, parts of the country have developed their own tradition of gift-giving and sweet-giving to children, which has evolved separately but similarly to the Americanised holiday.
4. The Hungry Ghost Festival – China
Although not strictly a Halloween equivalent, the Hungry Ghost Festival is celebrated throughout China and many other parts of East and Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.
Variously known as the Yulanpen Festival (in Buddhist culture) and the Zhongyuan Festival (in Taoist culture), the event takes place on the 15th day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, which normally means it falls in August or September.
On this day, the dead are thought to revisit the land of the living and offerings are made to honour them, in the form of ritualistic food preparation, the burning of incense and the floating of boats and lanterns on rivers and streams.
5. Kekri - Finland
Sometimes referred to as Finland’s answer to the Day of the Dead, Kekri is believed to take its name from the Finnish word for wheel. As the seasons changed from summer to autumn and the harvest was reaped, the wheel was thought to turn.
Originally, the festival did not have a specific date, since every farmer would reap their harvest whenever they felt most suitable. However, the creeping incursion of Christianity meant that Kekri began to be tied down to Michaelmas (on 29th September) and All Saints’ Day (on 1st November).
Feasting formed a big part of Kekri, since it was believed to be important that no one went hungry during the celebrations. If they did, the next season’s harvest would suffer. Kekri is another example of where people would dress up and visit houses to ask for food and drink, growing up alongside but distinct from today’s trick-or-treating traditions.
