Halloween celebrations around the world are different in many different ways but they are all equally meaningful. Like Canada, where the Scottish emigration in Canada before 1870 thereafter, brought the Scottish version of the holiday to each country. The first known Halloween in Canada was in 1911 where people reported kids going to houses and to shops between six-seven p.m. to be rewarded nuts and candies for their rhymes and songs.
In Mexico there is The Day Of The Dead. It is celebrated on November first and second. The celebration includes spending time with family and friends to pay respects to family or friends who have passed on. What they used to honor the dead is calaveras and marigold flowers known as cempazúchitl, building home altars called ofrendas with the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these items as gifts for the deceased. The celebration is not only focused on the dead, it is also known to give a sugar skull to a living friend or family member.
The Chinese Halloween celebration is the “Hungry Ghost Festival” unlike other celebrations, the Hungry Ghost Festival is in mid-July when they float river lanterns to remember those who died. In China it is very uncommon to see trick or treaters because most residents live in high-rise apartment blocks, especially in the big cities like Beijing.
The Philippines celebration is from October 31 to November second. They replaced trick or treating with a thing called Pangangaluluwâ, a local analogue of the old English custom of souling. People in the provinces still observe Pangangaluluwâ by going in groups to every house and offering a song in exchange for money or food, this is usually children. They believe that during the night, various small items, such as clothing would mysteriously disappear, only to be discovered the next morning in the yard or in the middle of the street. In older times, it was believed that the spirits of ancestors and loved ones visited the living on this night, manifesting their presence by taking an item.
Australia was one of the first countries to celebrate Halloween in Castlemaine, Victoria in 1858. Many Australians dislike the commercialisation and American pop-culture influence but a lot still celebrate Halloween. One of their traditions is decorating their mail boxes or what they call letter boxes to tell children that it is welcomed to knock and get sweets.
For more information of these countries or more countries visit helloglobo.com and wikipedia.org.
