What is Halloween?

Halloween is celebrated on 31st October.

It is one of the world’s oldest festivals.

It is believed to originate from the

Celts who celebrated their New
Year on 1st November.

Halloween
can also be On the night before, they celebrated Samhain
known as All when they believed ghosts came back to earth. To
Hallow’s celebrate the event, people gathered together and
Eve. lit bonfires.
 Halloween in England
In the United Kingdom, Halloween is a time for
costumes and games.
When wearing their outfits, people like to have fun
and scare each other.

Many people carve pumpkins in a variety of

different patterns.

In the past, on All Souls’ Eve (All Hallow’s Eve), families would stay up late and
little “soul cakes” were eaten.
Nowadays, people celebrate
Halloween by dressing up in a
variety of costumes and going
‘trick-or-treating’. This involves
knocking on people’s doors and
collecting chocolate and sweets in
return for no tricks.
 Halloween in Scotland

Traditionally, children carry lanterns

made out of turnips and go ‘guising’,
where they visit their neighbour’s
homes to be given cakes, fruit and
money.
Rather than trick-or-treating, Scottish
children are encouraged
to sing a song or tell a story in order to
be rewarded with their treat.

Photo courtesy of Culture Vannin (@flickr.com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution
 Halloween in Wales
Some people in Wales do follow the tradition of Halloween on the 31 st October.
However, they have another celebration, known as the Nos Galan Gaeaf.
Nos Galan Gaeaf refers to the eve of the first day of winter.
It is a celebration to mark the end of harvest and the start of winter.
It is also considered the Celtic New Year - a brief chance for souls of the departed
to return.
The night would be celebrated with a feast of
stwmp naw rhyw, a mash of nine different
root vegetables, mixed with milk butter
and seasoning.
People also set bonfires alight on hilltops
to frighten away evil spirits and sometimes
wore masks and other disguises.
 Halloween in Ireland
Across Ireland, there are a wide variety of celebrations for Halloween.
Halloween in Ireland can be traced back over 3000 years ago, a time when the
ancient festival known as Samhain (a day when departed spirits were thought to
walk on Earth) was celebrated as part of pagan Halloween. Now, you would find a
mix of local fares and festivals similar to the rest of the world including dressing
up and pumpkin carving as well as some who still celebrate Samhain.
Traditional foods can sometimes still be
eaten in the homes across Ireland, including
barmbrack - a bread/cake that has a ring
in the cake. Whoever finds the ring will
be married within a year.
Plenty of fun traditional Halloween games
can also take place, such as snap apple
and apple bobbing.
 Halloween in Northern Ireland
Halloween in Northern Ireland is very similar to Ireland, traced back over 3000
years ago to the Samhain festival but today it is much like the rest of the world.
Traditionally, turnips would have been used to carve lanterns compared to
pumpkins used today.
Bonfires can be seen across rural areas of Northern Ireland.
 Halloween in USA
The main celebration of Halloween for American children is the tradition of
trick-or-treating.
People disguise themselves in costumes and go door-to-door, ringing each
doorbell and yelling “Trick or treat!”

People also have Halloween

parties which involve games and
spooky-themed food.
Every year, in New York, around
50,000 people dressed in
costumes attend the Village
Halloween Parade.
 Halloween in China
In China, Halloween is not widely celebrated. However, on the 14 th night of the 7th Lunar
month in the rotating Chinese calendar, the Hungry Ghost Festival (or Yulan Festival,
traditionally called the Teng Chieh), takes place.

The Teng Chieh is a festival that allows restless spirits to walk the earth and has been
celebrated for over 100 years.

Many celebrate by putting food and water

in front of photographs of family members
who have died. This is because many
Chinese people believe that spirits need to
be satisfied so that they can pass by them
in peace.

People also light bonfires and lanterns to

light the paths for spirits as they travel the
earth during the festival.
Photo courtesy of photojenni (@flickr.com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution
 Halloween in Vietnam
Halloween has only recently
been introduced in Vietnam
but is becoming bigger and
bigger every year.

On 31st October, locals take to

the streets for parties across
Vietnam, including on De
Tham street in Ho Chi Minh
City and the Tam Trinh
Building in Hanoi.

Just as in China, Vietnam follows many of the same rituals as the Hungry
Ghost festival, with offerings left out for deceased ancestors to satisfy
their restless spirits.
 Halloween in Mexico
In Mexico, the Day of the Dead is celebrated instead of Halloween. It lasts for
3 days, starting on 31st October.

The Day of the Dead celebrates and honours people who have died.

During the celebrations,

people decorate special altars
with pictures of loved ones,
flowers, sweets and candles.

Paper decorations are also

made and there are parades
where people dress up in
costumes and masks.