With Halloween, there is discussion on costumes. Some popular ones this year
were the glamor cheetah, the mean girls costumes, bratz dolls, Sabrina Carpenter,
the “brat” trend, and as always, horror movie characters. But why do people dress
up?
Halloween started tradition when the Irish immigrated to America around
2000 years ago. It was called the “Celtic Festival of Samhain.” It was a ritual to scare
off ghosts and welcome harvest at the end of the Summer. They would wear
costumes, light a bonfire, and play music. As this is solely in America, what are
people doing in other countries?
In Mexico they celebrate Day of the Dead or Día de los Muertos. They paint
sugar skulls, dress up, and celebrate their passed loved ones. Day of the Dead
started in the 1500’s because of Spanish invaders. It is not meant to be a sad holiday,
but a happy one. Day of the Dead has no connection to Halloween, however it is
practiced around the same time.
In England, they celebrate Guy Fawkes Day. The British celebrate the failed
assassination of King James I by Guy Fawkes. This holiday is celebrated on
November 5th, and instead of trick-or-treating, kids will ask for a “penny for the guy.”
In Japan Halloween isn’t as popular. Halloween in Japan isn’t really about
candy either, but about costumes. Adults will dress up, and go to parties to celebrate
Halloween.
In Ireland, Halloween is a huge deal – it is, of course, where it all started! Much
like us, they dress up, go trick-or-treating, and pass out candy, but their halloween
events are much bigger, and have more thought and time put into them.
For Halloween in China, people celebrate their deceased loved ones, like
Mexico. It is called the Qingming Festival. During the celebration, people sweep and
clean their loved ones’ graves. It is considered an honorable act to care for the
deceased.
In conclusion, Halloween is celebrated in all types of ways. The Holidays bring
people together, and everyone is sure to have a good time. Cultures are so different,
but also interesting because we can see how cultures differentiate from each other.
Halloween really is a great celebration.