10 Halloween traditions from around the world

• The Day of the Dead is a culturally rich tradition akin to Halloween that takes place on November 1 and 2.
• The Day of the Dead is all about celebrating life, joy, and color. Its essence is to demonstrate love and respect for the spirits of departed family members.
• The celebrations include activities like dressing in bright makeup and dazzling costumes, throwing parades, singing, and dancing.
• What marks this holiday as especially unique is the custom of making offerings to loved ones. Families build temporary altars as a tribute to deceased ancestors. The altars are laid with confections like sugar skulls and bottles of tequila, as well as marigolds and photographs of the lost.

• Halloween customs are rooted in ancient traditions like La Festa di Ognissanti, or Hallowmas, in Italy.
• November 1 is All Saints Day, the first day of Hallowmas, which celebrates the Catholic saints.
• On this holiday, Italians will spend time with their families and even exchange gifts.
• November 2 is All Souls Day, a commemoration of deceased loved ones. Families will leave chrysanthemums on loved ones’ graves, attend a requiem mass for the dead, and eat lots of food.
• It is believed that spirits share in the celebrations. Hence, cookies called Fave dei morti, or beans of the dead, are offered to the deceased. 

• The Festival of the Dead has all the verve of Halloween tradition, but with a completely different cultural backdrop.
• On November 1 and 2, Haitian practitioners of Voodoo, Vodouisants, pay their respects to Baron Samedi, father of the deceased spirits.
• Vodouisants dance in the streets to commune with their dead and walk through graveyards where they ‘feed’ their ancestors with food from their own tables.
• Fet Gede is occasionally described as the Voodoo equivalent of Mardi Gras, Día de Los Muertos, and Halloween because of its explosive celebratory atmosphere, vibrant cultural traditions, and commemoration of deceased family.

In France, Halloween is often outshone by La Toussaint, All Saints Day, on November 1. The tradition in France is marked by the laying of Chrysanthemums at the graves of relatives.

The French reserve little fanfare for Halloween as it is seen as an imported American tradition. All Saints Day, however, is a national public holiday following Halloween. On this day, the French visit special church services and cemeteries to lay flowers on deceased relatives’ graves.

• Hong Kong has gradually begun to embrace Halloween, despite its colonialist origins. For the whole American Halloween experience, Halloween Time in Hong Kong Disneyland is the place to go.
• The event includes an interactive performance by Disney Villains, who sing original songs crafted for the performance.
• For Halloween with local flavor, visit Hong Kong’s largest theme park, Ocean Park Hong Kong. This oceanarium and zoological attraction hold Asia’s biggest Halloween celebrations. The night’s roster of events includes haunted houses, street shows with gory costumes, etc.

• Halloween in Japan has taken on a life of its own since it was first celebrated at Tokyo Disneyland in 2000. The Japanese place little importance on American Halloween traditions like trick-or-treating.
• Where Americans might wear basic costumes from a party store, the Japanese will go all out with quality cosplay (costume play) that ranges from cute to terrifying.
• In Japan, Halloween celebrations burst out onto the streets in manic zombie runs, flash mobs, and street parties.

Halloween in The Netherlands is a small affair, seen as evidence of Americanisation and commercialism rather than as a cultural institution. Despite this, shades of Halloween can be seen in the wild parties dotted around Amsterdam.

• However, on November 11, the Dutch hold Sint-Maarten, a children’s feast day that resembles American Halloween yet is more widely practiced. On the evening of the 11th, children can be spotted on the streets, carrying lanterns that resemble sugar beet or turnips, reminiscent of the American jack o’lantern.
• As they wander the streets, the children will knock on doors and sing songs to their neighbors in the hope of receiving candies. 

• Dia das Bruxas, or Day of the Witches, is the equivalent of Halloween in Portugal. The holiday shares many of its traditional roots with Halloween.
• Trick-or-treating is a staple of Dia das Bruxas, but children ask for bread, fruits, or nuts instead of candy.
• Families also visit the graves of deceased relatives on the Day of the Witches. They adorn the graves with flowers and candles to honor their ancestors.