Five amazing Halloween traditions from across the world

Halloween, which is traditionally regarded as a classic American festival, is really much older than the United States of America! It is considered to have originated in Celtic-speaking countries like Scotland and Ireland from ancient folk and pagan festivals and feasts held around this time of year.

Halloween is a shortened version of the phrase All Hallows’ Evening.. It is also referred to as All Hallows’ Eve and All Saints’ Eve. This is the time in the Christian calendar when the dead, especially saints, are commemorated, sometimes known as hallows.

Here is  a look at some traditions followed around the globe

Ireland 

Many of the practices observed here are similar to those observed in the United Kingdom, the United States, and other English-speaking countries. Bonfires, historically used in festivities, can be found blazing all across the country, especially in rural areas.

Children and adults dress up as terrifying characters such as ghosts, witches and skeletons and go trick-or-treating. Barnbrack is a popular Halloween fruitcake in Ireland, with a muslin-wrapped gift baked inside that is claimed to reveal the eater’s fortune.

China

Teng Chieh is the name given to the Chinese Halloween event. Food and water are placed here, along with photos of friends and relatives who have died. At Buddhist temples, boats of the law are made of paper and burned late at night, while lanterns are lit across the country. These fire customs are thought to aid  dead spirits in finding their way home.

Mexico

Mexico is the best country on earth when it comes to Halloween celebrations.  Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is  celebrated  from October 31 to November 2, which is essentially a  commemoration of All Souls Day. People  remember and honour their lost loved ones. Family feasts, skull-shaped candies and gifts, parades of people dressed as ghouls and skeletons, and plenty of mariachi music, singing, dancing, and tequila are all part of the festivities.

Belgium

On Halloween, candles are lit in Belgium in memory of dead souls. On this day, people are also suspicious of black cats, believing that if one enters a home or crosses a path, it brings bad luck.

America

In America, the celebrations are very similar. They have activities and treasure hunts  in addition to trick-or-treating. One of the most popular games is bobbing for apples, in which some apples are placed in a large pot of water and youngsters take turns trying to catch one apple in their mouth without using their hands. Jack o’ lanterns are also used as decoration in the United States.