Key takeaways
- Ireland and Scotland keep the oldest customs: barmbrack, guising, turnip lanterns and bonfires.
- Día de los Muertos (Nov 1–2) is not "Mexican Halloween" : it's a distinct tradition of welcoming the dead.
- Across Catholic Europe and the Philippines, All Saints' and All Souls' mean candlelit cemetery visits.
- Japan loves Halloween costumes, but Tokyo's Shibuya now discourages crowds on the night.
Halloween may look thoroughly American, with its pumpkins and fun-size candy bars, but it began in Ireland and Scotland : and the late-autumn instinct to remember the dead is shared across much of the world. Here's how different countries mark the season, from ancestral bonfires to cemetery candles and costumed street parties.
Ireland: where it all began
Halloween's deepest roots lie in Samhain, the Gaelic festival marking the end of the harvest (see The Origins of Halloween). Irish Halloween still carries traces of those customs:
- Barmbrack : a sweet fruit bread with small objects baked inside. Finding the ring traditionally predicts a wedding within the year.
- Bonfires and fireworks : Halloween night in Irish towns can sound like a small war.
- Games : snap-apple and apple bobbing are old Halloween divination games.
- Colcannon : mashed potatoes with cabbage or kale, sometimes with coins or charms hidden inside.
- Turnip lanterns : the original jack-o'-lantern, now often replaced by American pumpkins. See The Story of the Jack-o'-Lantern.
The city of Derry~Londonderry in Northern Ireland hosts one of the largest Halloween festivals in Europe, with parades, music and fireworks over the River Foyle.
Scotland: guising and neeps
Scottish children have gone guising for centuries : dressing up and visiting neighbors, but with a twist: they're expected to perform. A song, a poem or a joke earns a treat. Lanterns were traditionally carved from turnips (neeps), and apples were "dooked" in a tub of water. Robert Burns' 1785 poem Halloween describes the fortune-telling games of rural Ayrshire.
England: Halloween meets Bonfire Night
In England, Halloween long played second fiddle to Guy Fawkes Night (Bonfire Night) on November 5. American-style trick-or-treating has grown enormously since the 1990s, and pumpkins now sell by the million, but fireworks and bonfires still belong to November 5.
Mexico: Día de los Muertos
Day of the Dead is one of the most beautiful festivals in the world : and it is not "Mexican Halloween." Observed mainly on November 1 and 2, it blends Indigenous traditions with Catholic All Saints' and All Souls' Days. UNESCO recognizes Mexico's Indigenous festivity dedicated to the dead as part of humanity's intangible cultural heritage.
Families build ofrendas (altars) with photographs, candles, the departed's favorite foods and drinks, pan de muerto and bright orange cempasúchil (marigolds), whose color and scent are believed to guide souls home. Many spend the night at decorated graves. Sugar skulls, papel picado and the elegant skeleton La Catrina are its signature images. In Mexico City, a grand Day of the Dead parade has become a popular event in recent years.
If you're inspired to use Day of the Dead imagery in costumes or makeup, do so with respect for its meaning.
Guatemala: giant kites
In the towns of Sumpango and Santiago Sacatepéquez, November 1 is marked by enormous, intricately designed barriletes gigantes : giant kites, some many meters across, flown in cemeteries to communicate with the souls of the dead.
Haiti: Fèt Gede
In Haitian Vodou, Fèt Gede on November 1–2 honors the Gede family of spirits associated with death and fertility, led by Baron Samedi, with ceremonies, music and visits to cemeteries.
The Philippines: Undas
On November 1–2, Filipinos observe Undas (also called Todos los Santos). Families travel to their home provinces, clean and decorate graves, and spend the day : sometimes the night : in cemeteries with food, candles and conversation. A traditional practice called pangangaluluwa, in which groups sing at homes for treats on behalf of the souls, resembles old European souling. Halloween costumes and parties have also become popular in cities.
Japan: costumes and crowds
Japan embraced Halloween from the late 1990s onward, focusing on costumes, limited-edition sweets and events at theme parks and shopping districts rather than trick-or-treating. Tokyo's Shibuya became famous for enormous street parties on Halloween night. After years of overcrowding and incidents, Shibuya ward restricted street drinking and has asked visitors not to gather on Halloween, so travelers should check the latest guidance before heading there.
Continental Europe: saints, souls and candles
Across Catholic and Orthodox Europe, All Saints' Day (November 1) and All Souls' Day (November 2) remain far more significant than Halloween:
| Country | Tradition |
|---|---|
| Poland | Wszystkich Świętych : millions of candles light cemeteries on November 1 |
| France | La Toussaint : chrysanthemums placed on family graves |
| Italy | Ognissanti and Il Giorno dei Morti; in Sicily, children traditionally receive gifts "from the dead" |
| Spain | Todos los Santos : cemetery visits, huesos de santo marzipan pastries, and performances of the play Don Juan Tenorio; Galicia has revived Samaín with carved turnips and pumpkins |
| Germany | Allerheiligen is a quiet holiday; Halloween is growing, and Burg Frankenstein near Darmstadt hosts a famous Halloween festival |
| Austria and Bavaria | Graves are blessed and decorated; some families bake special braided breads for godchildren |
Romania: Transylvania's moment
Bram Stoker's Dracula put Transylvania on the Halloween map. Bran Castle, marketed as "Dracula's Castle," hosts Halloween events, and the medieval town of Sighișoara, birthplace of Vlad III (the historical "Dracula"), attracts autumn visitors.
Canada, Australia and beyond
- Canada celebrates much like the U.S. : and the phrase "trick or treat" first appeared in print in Alberta in 1927.
- Australia and New Zealand, where October is spring, have embraced Halloween more slowly, but trick-or-treating has grown steadily.
- Hong Kong, Singapore and South Korea host large Halloween events at theme parks and nightlife districts.
Related festivals in other seasons
Many cultures honor the dead at other times of year: China's Hungry Ghost Festival and Qingming, Cambodia's Pchum Ben, Japan's Obon and Nepal's Gai Jatra. They share Halloween's core idea : that the living and the dead remain connected : even if they look nothing like it.
One season, many meanings
Halloween's spread is a two-way story. America exported pumpkins and trick-or-treating to the world, while Mexico's ofrendas, Ireland's old customs and Europe's candlelit cemeteries remind us that this season has always been about memory as much as mischief. For more on how Halloween took its American shape, see Why Do We Celebrate Halloween on October 31?
Questions & answers
Is Day of the Dead the same as Halloween?
No. Día de los Muertos, observed mainly on November 1 and 2 in Mexico and among Mexican communities abroad, is a joyful tradition of welcoming and honoring deceased family members with altars (ofrendas), marigolds, candles, food and visits to graves. It shares a season and some Catholic roots with Halloween but has its own Indigenous and Mexican origins.
Do they celebrate Halloween in Ireland?
Yes. Ireland is the birthplace of many Halloween traditions through the festival of Samhain. Irish Halloween includes costumes, bonfires, barmbrack fruit bread with a ring baked inside, games and fireworks, and the city of Derry hosts one of Europe's largest Halloween festivals.
How is Halloween celebrated in Japan?
Halloween in Japan focuses on costumes, themed sweets and events at theme parks and shopping districts rather than trick-or-treating. Tokyo's Shibuya district became famous for huge street crowds, but local authorities have since restricted street drinking and asked visitors not to gather there on Halloween.
What countries don't celebrate Halloween?
Many countries have no Halloween tradition or treat it as a minor foreign import, and some discourage it for religious or cultural reasons. In much of Europe and Latin America, All Saints' and All Souls' Days or Day of the Dead remain more important than Halloween.