Halloween Around the World

The different Halloween traditions of Ireland, England, and the United States

Ireland

Halloween began as a Celtic tradition thousands of years ago. It marked each year’s harvest and the beginning of the winter months.

The night of October 31st was believed to be the closest our world came to the “spirit world”. As a result, superstitious practices began to disguise and protect the souls of humans from evil spirits.

IrelandIreland has maintained many of its early Halloween practices such as carving “jack o’lanterns”, dressing as witches or goblins and visiting neighboring houses, and hiding money in food for children to find. Also, a number of towns have parades or large bonfires to commemorate the day.

Recently, some people have began to decorate their homes for this holiday as well. This is largely due to the commercialization of Halloween, which began in the United States and is spreading to other countries.

EnglandEngland began to celebrate Halloween only in the past few hundred years. It was celebrated as a night of mischief by young males until the middle of the 20th century. Young men would spend the night defacing buildings and playing pranks on citizens.

Now, Halloween is celebrated here by “trick-or-treating” as well. The costumes in England are, generally, intended to be scary and gruesome.

England

England also continues to practice traditional Halloween activities such as bobbing for apples and carving “jack o’lanterns” to keep spirits away from homes.

In recent years, Halloween in England has become more commercial and more focused on festivities than superstitious tradition. As in Ireland, people have began to decorate their houses and to wear more light-hearted costumes.

The United StatesThe tradition of Halloween emerged in the United States during the 19th century, when a large influx of Irish immigrants began to spread throughout the nation.

This holiday began as a night of mischief for young males, but in the 1930’s adults started to give out candy to children in costume in an attempt to stop the vandalism and encourage good behavior.

The United States

Halloween is now one of the most popular holidays in the United States and is celebrated by the majority of the country. “Trick-or-treating” is practiced by children from the time they are infants until around 16 years-old.

Costumes for children are often movie/television characters. Costumes for adults are generally comical, and those for women are becoming increasingly promiscuous.

The United States

Halloween is extremely commercial in the United States. Stores promote candy, decorations, and costumes as early as the middle of September. Decorating the interior and exterior of houses/buildings is a very popular practice.

In many places, “haunted houses” or “haunted hay-rides” are built/operated for the month of October to spread the “holiday spirit.”