Today, we’re taking a break from history and instead exploring how Halloween is celebrated around the world. Many cultures have holidays honoring the dead, or harvest festivals (like Thanksgiving) around this time of year. But they’re all sort of related, so let’s take a look:
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Halloween in Japan is a major celebration for adults, with elaborate costumes and immersive experiences across the country. Originally, the holiday gained a rowdy reputation in the 1980s when expats threw raucous, boozy subway parties that disrupted commutes. Now Halloween train rides are an adored part of the festivities, with themed trains like Pokémon and others offering spooky, in-person performances—because what’s a subway ride without a zombie lurking nearby? These rides have become a fun, interactive twist, showcasing Japan’s unique Halloween spirit.
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In Ireland, Samhain is a traditional festival starting on Oct. 31 and lasts through Nov. 1. Celebrated for over 1,000 years, it marks the start of winter and a time when the line between the living and dead blurs, allowing spirits to cross into the earthly realm. This harvest festival inspired many Halloween customs, like pumpkin carving and trick-or-treating. When the Catholic Church moved All Saints Day to Nov. 1, the two traditions blended, giving rise to the Halloween we know today.
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On Nov. 5, the U.K. celebrates Guy Fawkes Night, honoring the failure of an assassination plot (weird already) against King James I in 1605, organized by the titular guy (get it?). Fawkes was executed and like many failed assassins would have been lost to history. But in Britain, they decided to celebrate his defeat, ironically securing his place in public memory for the foreseeable future.
For more on international Halloween (or Halloween-y) celebrations around the world, see these articles at NPR and Yale University’s campus press, the Yale Wave.
