How the world ‘Halloweens’
While Dads spend their time talking about the “candy tax” or whatever Americanism they import to justify stealing kids sweets, I’m genuinely interested in how the rest of the world does Halloween.
The food. The costumes. The scares.
@houseofhighlights The fall is too funny. 😂😂 (iamsierralondon/IG) #halloween #prank #pranks #funny ♬ original sound – House of Highlights
It’s a big old (terrifying) world out there, and I wanted to take a good old look at Halloween across the planet.
“Mexican Halloween is less cartoonish and frivolous than we might see here or in the USA. In fact, it’s not really Halloween at all. It’s Día de Muertos, and this is serious scaring!”
There’s only one place to start…
America
The home of Halloween. They’ve really taken what used to be turnips and prayers and moved it on.
Now they spend $13billion dollars a year on it. Door-to-door culture, dressing up the homestead like something out of the Addams Family. But the best bit?
Mexico
Now we’re talking. Halloween here is less cartoonish and frivolous than we might see here or in the USA. In fact, it’s not really Halloween at all.
This is serious scaring. Día de Muertos – running 1st, 2nd November usually. Now there’s a strong relationship to family loss and remembrance here.
So you will see wonderfully decorative ofrendas, remembering a loved lost to the afterlife. And you’ll see pan de muerto, too. Soft bread baked in the run up to the celebrations, with skull and crossbones designs, plenty of sweetness and a must of the spooky bakers amongst you.
Italy
In Italy – like Mexico – it’s usually the 1st or 2nd of November when things get going.
The Italian traditions mix anything from ancient folklore and rituals to today’s edgier ideas. Like turning Nonna into the Pope. (Ok, Italian-American but you get the gist).
They’ve got trick or treat – dolcetto o scherzetto in Italian – but there are cultural quirks elsewhere, too.
In Sicily they celebrate the Festa dei Morti. Similar to the Mexican idea of remembering lost loved ones, there is also a Notte di Zucchero – basically a night of sugar.
There’s Frutta Maratona (marzipan sweets), Pupi di Zucchero (sugar puppets) and Ossa dei morti (biscuits), all stuffed into a basket and doled out to the ravenous kids.
Good luck sleeping again after that lot.
