Americans love Halloween. It’s our second most popular holiday, and is known as the one night a year where people are encouraged to dress up in ridiculous garb and take candy from strangers. So, all the hoopla around All Hallows’ Eve got us in the SPI office wondering – how is Halloween celebrated in other countries?

Halloween, All Saint’s Day, Día de Muertos – regardless of what you call it, the end of October is celebrated across cultures (albeit mainly Christian cultures) as a time to connect with the souls of the departed. The origins of the celebration arose amongst the Celtics and dispersed throughout Christianity. Today, in mainland Europe, Halloween takes a back seat to the more solemn & religious All Saints’ Day, while in Costa Rica they’re all about Día de la Mascarada. Let’s go around the world in one holiday to see how Halloween is celebrated in our favorite countries — the ones we go to every summer with SPI Study Abroad!

France

Our French friends, like other Europeans, celebrate Le Toussaint (All Saints’ Day) on the 1st of November. This holiday is more of a serious reflection for loved ones that have passed rather than an excuse to dress up like SpongeBob, like here in the States. Halloween as we know it has only recently crept into France, and it’s still known as a decidedly American holiday.

One of our Biarritz Program Directors, Justine Harrington, had this to say about celebrating Halloween in France: “Eight years ago when I was studying abroad in Cannes, my fellow students and I decided we would put on costumes on Halloween, expecting the whole town to dress up as well. Alas, no one else did — and we ended up looking pretty silly.” In fact, Halloween is a bit controversial in France due to its being seen as yet another encroachment of Americanism on French culture — just like Lance Armstrong and le blue jeans.

Spain

Feliz Día de las Brujas! A typical Spaniard never misses an excuse for una fiesta and that has certainly been the case with how the country has adopted Halloween. Throughout Spain, it’s common to see children trick-or-treating (although here it’s more common to go from shop to shop than from home to home) on the evening of the 31st. Galician culture, in northwestern Spain, has a Celtic influence and celebrates the Noite dos Calacús (or Night of the Pumpkin). Still, the strong Catholic traditions in the country mean that All Saint’s Day reigns supreme. Spaniards will often go to mass multiple times before bringing an ofrenda (offering) to the graves of deceased family members. So there’s that.

Italy

Just like France, Spain, and even Costa Rica, the end of October and beginning of November is best known as All Saints’ Day in Italy. There’s one thing making Halloween more popular every year in the country: it’s fun (and Italians love fun). From niche beginnings in the early 90’s, the custom of celebrating Halloween is starting to take hold in many Italian cities. For example, every October 31st, the medieval town of Corinaldo turns into one big Halloween block party called La Festa delle Streghe (The Witches’ Party). Townspeople as well as tourists dress up and celebrate in the centuries-old streets and alleys.

Costa Rica

En Costa Rica, tenemos el Día de la Mascarada. Cities in la Meseta Central like Barva de Heredia, Escazú and Cartago are where this tradition is strongest. Translated into English as Masquerade Day (más o menos), this holiday has its origins in the country’s colonial period and has been a national holiday since 1997. A central part of the celebration is the “Running of the Giants”, where people dress up as giant paper mache heads and chase kids through the streets. Costa Ricans have recently heralded this holiday as a way to ward off encroachments of the American Halloween and the Mexican-style Día de Muertos.

China

This year, the police banned Halloween costumes on the Beijing Subway and (just like everything all the time) people on social media are in a tiff about it. The popularity of the holiday is rising amongst the youth, but it’s still uncommonly celebrated in this nation of 1.36 BILLION people. The Chinese equivalent of Halloween is Teng Chieh, a ritual that began nearly 2,000 years ago during the Han Dynasty. Families prepare traditional food and offer them to their deceased ancestors. Bonfires, lanterns and colorful hanging lights are lit on miniature paper boats. Lanterns on water are released to make way for the spirits. In China, Buddhist and Taoist priests chant liturgies, perform rituals, and pray for the spirits. All in all, it’s an amazing celebration that has nothing to do with sugar or black cats.

So, there it is: how Halloween is celebrated in a few different countries. I don’t know about you, but all this writing is making me hungry for a Snickers the size of my thumb. As the French would say — tres American!