CHINA
MEXICO
Mexico - Día de Los Muertos
Translated as the ‘ Day of the Dead ’, in Mexico the Día de Los Muertos is a hugely colourful and incredibly culturally rich carnival held on November 1 and 2 that , contrary to its macabre sounding name , is all about celebrating life and happiness by honouring the spirits of departed family members with beautiful demonstrations of love . Similar to how we mark Halloween , Día de Los Muertos festivities include dressing in bright makeup and dazzling costumes and throwing parties , but what marks it as unique is the lovely custom of making gifts for their lost loved ones . Families build temporary altars as a tribute to deceased ancestors , which are then adorned with sugar skulls , bottles of tequila , marigolds , and photographs of the dead as it ’ s said that these offerings will attract the spirits to the altars to be reunited with the living family .
China - Teng Chieh
Not strictly a Halloween custom , the Teng Chieh , or Hungry Ghost Festival , in China is an old Daoist tradition that guides the spirits that walk the earth . At dusk on the fifteenth day of the 7th lunar month ( Ghost Month ), people lay out incense , food and water in front of photos of deceased family members . It ’ s believed that the spirits will then bestow blessings or punishments upon their living relatives . Many see this tradition as a way of appeasing the hungry ghosts who have been behaving waywardly since the beginning of Ghost Month . People hang lanterns outside of their homes and businesses creating a beautiful display of flickering lights every year and later that same night , a huge feast is held where families leave an open setting at the table for a departed ancestor .
France - La Toussaint
To be honest , the French aren ’ t that keen on Halloween – although they tolerate it and the younger generations tend to take the streets in suitably terrifying costumes on the evening of October 31 , they reserve little fanfare for it and see it as a ( pretty tacky ) imported American tradition . Thankfully for the older generations , it ’ s outshone by La Toussaint , All Saints ’ Day , on November 1 , which is a national public holiday during which the French visit special church services and cemeteries to lay fresh flowers on the graves of their deceased relatives .
The Netherlands - Sint-Maarten
Considered far more to do with Americanisation and commercialism as opposed to culture , like the French , the Dutch keep Halloween pretty low key , but there is of course fans of Halloween all over the world and shades of Halloween can definitely be found in the wild parties you ’ ll find in fun-loving Amsterdam . On November 11 , however , the Dutch hold Sint-Maarten , a children ’ s feast day that resembles the American idea of Halloween but is more widely practised . During the evening of the 11th , children can be spotted on the streets , not unlike trick-or-treaters , typically carring lanterns that resemble sugar beet or turnips . As they wander the streets , the children knock on doors and sing songs to their neighbours in the hope of receiving candies . Far more tooth-friendly …
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