Halloween traditions around the world

Halloween is one of the oldest pagan celebrations in the world. Its roots date back 2,000 years to a pre-Christian Celtic festival held at the beginning of November, called Samhain. This special day was an annual meeting organized at the end of the harvest to collect a food supply for the winter. The tradition of wearing costumes started during the Samhain Festival, when people dressed themselves up and went door-to-door to ask for food.

Nowadays, Halloween is celebrated by millions of people in the world but nowhere is it celebrated as much as in Ireland, where for 5 days there are events across the entire island and the biggest Halloween parade attracts more than 50,000 people from all over the world.

In the U.S., where Halloween arrived in the 17th century, introduced by Irish immigrants, children celebrate by dressing up and trick-or-treating door-to-door in the hope of receiving candies and sweets. The same scenario happens in London, where houses are decorated with carved pumpkins, kids door-to-door calling on neighbours, and Halloween parties are organized by clubs.

In the Asian continent and in the Spanish-speaking parts of the world Halloween is celebrated differently. In Mexico for example, there are different festivals where people can eat snacks and sweets and honour the dead, who are believed to return to their homes on Día de los Muertos. In Japan, Halloween is not a very famous festival although at Disneyland in Tokyo it is celebrated.