5 Unique Halloween Traditions From Around The World
Every country has their own share of unique festivals, with each one of them backed by interesting stories about their significance and how they came into existence. Halloween is no exception. Celebrated on 31st October of every year, the festival is dedicated to remembering the departed that includes martyrs and saints.
Knowing about the facts behind the wide array of festive celebrations is usually thrilling. What’s more, there are diverse ways in which one particular festival is celebrated in different parts of the world. Halloween is one such festival that holds different significance in the countries where they are celebrated. Though the costume parties remain the same, the themes of these parties vary greatly.
For students, during their education overseas in one of the countries where Halloween calls for celebrations or may plan to visit one of these countries during this time, all you need to do is pack your bags with the travel essentials, book your tickets to set off on a journey of a lifetime full of memories and Halloween costumes. Oh yes, don’t forget to carry your Forex Card. A smart Forex Card from an organization like EbixCash World Money offers you the opportunity to make all your transactions at an exchange rate prevailing at the time of the application of the card. It also gives you the benefit of paying interest on every transaction made with debit and credit cards.
Here are some of the interesting Halloween traditions unique to different countries.
Samhain, Ireland, and Scotland
Ireland, believed to be the place of origin for Halloween, boasts of some unique traditions that are different from that of its U.S. counterpart. Other than the usual trick-or-treating games, they also play a game, known as ‘knock-a-dolly’, where children surreptitiously knock on their neighbours’ doors and disappear before they can answer them. The card game where children receive the gift as indicated by the card that picks up is also popular. Yet another fun activity that the Irish indulge in on this day is that they cut a Barmbrack, a traditional fruitcake, and the treat that they receive from inside their piece of cake foretells their future. For instance, coins indicate wealth, while rings mean marriage.
Trick-or-treat, England
The ‘trick-or-treat’ game, which is one of the highlights of Halloween in several countries that celebrate this festival, has its origins in England where it is known as ‘Mischief Night’. While carving pumpkins defines the celebrations in the U.S., large beets known as ‘punkies’ were are carved in England.
Day of Dracula, Romania
Halloween, in Romania, is celebrated with great fanfare and fervor at the site that is believed to be Vlad Tepes’s home – Bran Castle in Transylvania. There are also enticing travel packages and guides available at Count Dracula’s castle during Halloween.
Kawasaki Halloween Parade, Japan
The Halloween party at Kawasaki Halloween Parade, on the outskirts of Tokyo, by far the biggest of its kind during this time of the year in about the last two decades, reaches epic proportions with almost 4000 costumed participants every year. However, entry is restricted to solely those who have applied for it at least two months in advance and that too under strict guidelines.
Pumpkin Festival, Austria
Austria introduces a new flavour to the diversity of the festival by hosting a Pumpkin Festival in Retzer Land called Kürbisfest im Retzer Land on a different day – 11th November of every year. The country celebrates Martini that is a costumes and lantern procession. According to a popular Austrian custom, some people believe that leaving bread, water and a burning lamp outside their houses attracts dead souls back to the earth for that night.
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