Do people in other countries celebrate Halloween?

[Kansas Terri]

On the last day of October in the USA, children dress up as a favorite character and go from door to door and say "Trick or treat" and people give them candy. I wonder: is this an American custom or do people in other countries go Trick or treating as well?

We only got four on Halloween, as the families in my neighborhood are growing up. I handed out packages of cupcakes and little candy bars. I still had some left after the night was over and so now I must eat them myself! I do not eat many sweets and so it is a bit of a treat for me!

 

[zigs]

Its been celebrated here for a long while,used to be kids hollowing out Turnips or Swedes to make lanterns, and it used to be fruit or nuts that were given out.

Recently has become very Americanised, to the extent that Tesco Supermarket bought something like 2 and a half million pumpkins this year.

A woman made the news today for answering the door in a bloodied butchers apron & handing some kids a real sheeps heart before chasing them down the road screaming with a fake knife

 

[Kansas Terri]

A woman made the news today for answering the door in a bloodied butchers apron & handing some kids a real sheeps heart before chasing them down the road screaming with a fake knife

I hope those kids were at least 15 years old! Something like that would have made me afraid of the dark for YEARS!

My oldest has been living in an apartment with room mates: she painted her face with fake blood for Halloween and it scared one poor little kid half to death!

We took her to the airport this morning: she has gotten a job down South and she is moving. I always knew that she would love living in a large city but I have been hoping that she would be living a little closer to home. Nope. She is moving 950-odd miles south of us.

She is going to love it down there, I think. She will be near the ocean, and also the winter will be very much warmer! And, she will be elbow-to-elbow with people, and she should love that as well. I have always hated crowds but she loves them! She will be staying with friends as her job will not start for a couple of weeks, so she will have enough time to look around the area.

 

[zigs]

They were between 8 and 12, there was an angry Dad involved afterwards.

Same here, my 2 girls have moved to the City, one is back for half term hols but she'll be off again next week

Hope yours gets on ok

 

[gata montes]

Kanas Terri
No unfortunately it hasn't reached here yet, which is a shame as I really enjoyed seeing the kids in their Halloween costumes and all the pumpkin faces in peoples houses - I' d even been secretly hoping, that someone would have posted some of the pumpkin faces, that they had made, so that we could see them on the Forum.

Zigs- you made me laugh, I just love what you said, about the lady in the bloodied butchers apron, handing out a sheeps heart and chasing the kids down the street with a fake knife - I would've loved to have been that lady some years ago, when I didn't know what 'trick or treat' was, and answered the door to the pretty frightening sight of some ghoulie ghostie creatures chanting 'trick or treat', to which I responded "neither" - which resulted in a sack full of rotting leaves being thrown into my house

 

[Kansas Terri]

They were between 8 and 12, there was an angry Dad involved afterwards.

Yeah.... some people have no sense! When I was 8 years old it was spooky just being outside at night with all of the fake witches! An idiot like that would have given me nightmares for YEARS!

 

[Kansas Terri]

Gata Montes, it really is a lot of fun! I heard one small child in a clown suit say "Mom! I got a....."but I did not hear the rest! The kids are so EXCITED because they never know what they are going to get, but they know it will be good!

 

[zigs]

resulted in a sack full of rotting leaves being thrown into my house

Cool, free leaf mold

 

[gata montes]

Kanas Terri

I thought it might, Halloween has always looked like loads of fun to me, your oldest sounds like quite a mischief, that poor little kid, probably has nightmares to this day.
Sounds like you are missing your oldest loads, but it must be nice to know, that you feel that she is going to be happy where she is.


Zigs

Haha, I just knew you'd say something about compost or leaf mold and very many thanks for the lovely picture of the pumpkin face, he does look a little scarey and will probably be more so when lit up in a darkened room.
I do think he looks rather cute though and I'd swear blind hes trying to smile hes got what I would call a 'happy mouth'.

 

[MindyT]

I don't like Halloween. I wish the US wouldn't be so into it, and I live here. I do not think it is fun or nice to scare children. I don't mind if people do participate in Halloween, that is their freedom. My family does not celebrate Halloween. My son has never dressed up or never went trick or treating.

 

[Trellum]

In the netherlands there is a similar celebration, the kids basically do the same thing the kids in USA do during Halloween, but this celebration takes place during november and has a totally different name It a really interesting holiday, I can't wait for my kids to start celebrating this Also the '' Sinterklaasavond''

 

[zigs]

Zigs

Haha, I just knew you'd say something about compost or leaf mold and very many thanks for the lovely picture of the pumpkin face, he does look a little scarey and will probably be more so when lit up in a darkened room.
I do think he looks rather cute though and I'd swear blind hes trying to smile hes got what I would call a 'happy mouth'.

Willow carved that one, it was a couple of years back though.

 

[gata montes]

Zigs

Many thanks for the great picture and please tell Willow, I think she did a lovely job and although I think he is a little scary, hes a real cutie and I just love that wicked smile

 

[zigs]

Will do when she's woken up properly, she's like a teenager with a sore head at the moment

Grew that one for the pumpkin growing challenge and lost, think the biggest one was 77lb.

 

[ChanellG]

I'd say that Halloween is celebrated just about everywhere that Europeans have spent any significant amount of time. All Hallow's Eve didn't originate in the America's, therefore it is not unique to the United States. According to Halloweenhistory.org it was carried here by Irish and Scottish immigrants in the 19th century. Interesting how things evolve and diverge when celebrants are separated by great distances. Very interesting article on Halloween History's site.