Article by Bella Velazquez
Video by Aidan Millar-White
Countries all around the world celebrate Halloween. How are their celebrations different from the United States? What better way to learn about these traditions than by researching and spreading the word! With so many countries, this holiday has different meanings for different cultures, let's highlight a few!
Let's start with how Halloween became a holiday and where it came from. The holiday originates from Ireland as an ancient Celtic festival to celebrate the harvest, life and death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of Oct. 31, they celebrated Halloween when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to Earth.
In Mexico, along with other Latin American countries, Día de los Muertos is celebrated on Nov. 1 and 2.The celebration is designed to honor the dead who are believed to return to their earthly homes on these nights. Many families construct an ofrenda to the dead in their homes to honor deceased relatives and decorate it with candy, flowers, photographs, samples of the deceased’s favorite foods and drinks, and freshwater.
Moving across the ocean to China, Halloween is called “The Hungry Ghost Festival”. This celebration lasts the entire month and includes parades, operas, the burning of incense, making food for the dead, and performances honoring them. It is thought that the ghosts of Chinese ancestors are let out on the first day of the month. It has been the scariest month of the year for thousands of years.
Last but not least is the United States! Halloween is celebrated in the United States on Oct. 31. Originally, people tried to appease the restless spirits on Halloween, and these practices led to many of today's traditions. For example, people used to wear costumes of monsters, ghosts, and devils to scare away the harmful spirits.
With Halloween around the corner, remember to stay safe and have a great night!
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