Halloween is a holiday that has been celebrated for over 2,000 years, with origins tracing back to Celtic clans in Ireland. Here in America, we celebrate this ancient tradition by dressing up and going door-to-door, threatening people to give out candy or have their pants pulled down; However, in other parts of the world, people celebrate Halloween a little differently.
To begin with its place of origin, Halloween was first celebrated in Ireland in the form of a Celtic festival called Samhain. During this festival, the Celts would light bonfires and dress up in costumes to ward off ghosts. Over time, the festival has evolved into what we now know as Halloween where everyone is wearing costumes and running around in search of candy; however, the Irish still have some special traditions for the October 31st celebration. They bake a cake-like bread called barmbrack, in which is a ring, and it is believed that whoever finds the ring inside will marry within the year. Colcannon is the go-to dish for dinner, and once you are finished with that, it’s time for games. The most popular Halloween games to play include Snap Apple, where an apple is hung from the ceiling and players have to try and take bites out of it; Floury Grape, where a grape is placed on a mount of flour and contestants take turns slicing away bits of flour to get the grape to the table; and fortune telling, using objects like hazelnuts, coins, and cards to read players futures. All of these games are in preparation for children and adults alike to go out and walk the crowded streets, socializing and getting bags full of candy.
In Mexico, they celebrate Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, on November 2nd. This tradition is closely related to Halloween, having participants celebrate the spirits of their loved ones with various spiritual rituals. Altars, or ofrendas, are made for the souls of loved ones each family has lost; they contain not only Campasúchitl, a golden flower that grows abundantly in Mexico, but also the four elements, earth, wind, water, and fire, in different forms. Water is represented in a pitcher, made so spirits can quench their thirst; earth is shown in the form of food, most commonly bread; wind is exemplified by papel picados, traditional paper banners; and fire is represented by candles, which symbolize the cardinal directions and help spirits find their way home. The altars are most commonly three levels, representing the Underworld, Earth, and Heaven, but they could contain more levels depending on the family building the structure. Pan de Muerto, or bread of the dead, is a commonly baked item during this time; the exact recipe varies from place to place, but it is often dunked in coffee or hot chocolate before being eaten.
Some other interesting Halloween traditions around the world include Germans hiding knives on Halloween night to ensure no spirits get hurt while visiting, and Slovakians placing chairs for all family members, dead or alive, in a room with a fireplace. Many Austrians leave food and drink out on a table with lanterns to welcome ghostly relatives and friends home, while in Italy the celebration of Ognissanti is held from the 31st of October to the 1st of November, encouraging people to feast in honor and remembrance of the saints.
There are so many exciting celebrations during this small slice of the year, when the spirit realm is suspected to be closest to our own reality, and the countless traditions and routines for these celebrations work to add a layer of variation among nations around the world. It is essential for people to grow their curiosity for the world around them, and what better way to do that than by diving into the diverse traditions of one internationally beloved holiday?
