Get Your Spooky on: beyond trick or treating
You might think Halloween is an American thing, but it’s an ancient tradition celebrated all over the world in different ways. Read on if you dare!
“Don’t pass under that ladder”, “seeing a black cat is a sign of bad luck”, “breaking a mirror means 7 years of bad luck”. I bet you’ve heard at least one of these phrases throughout your life, especially during your childhood. Even as an adult, I confess that I continue to get goosebumps when I find myself in one of these situations — maybe except for black cats, they are too cute for that. These, among other superstitions, are all part of popular culture or folklore in some countries, and come to light mainly on the eve of the All Hallows’ Eve (also All Saints’ Day and Day of the Dead in different cultures), commonly known as Halloween.
While I was doing my research to write this piece, I found out it is broadly accepted that Halloween roots come from Celtic people, who lived approximately 2,000 years ago mostly in the area that is now Ireland. As much as Halloween is now considered a North-American celebration, Irish immigrants were the ones responsible for taking the ancient traditions to the so-called “new world” in the 19th century.
Pumpkin carving, trick-or-treating and spooky costumes are pretty much the first Halloween-related activities crossing my mind due to the American movies and TV shows I used to watch growing up. Back when I lived in the US, I could see with my own eyes how seriously they take this holiday. This got me thinking about other types of celebrations, traditions — and even urban legends — taking place in different parts of the World.
A joyful feast for the ancestors
I remember a couple of years ago, I stumbled upon one of my co-worker’s desks while decorating the office for Halloween, and she had prepared a colourful altar, with flowers, old family pictures, candles, candy and all sorts of treats. I couldn’t help myself but asking her the meaning of all that. She then explained to me — very proudly — that in Mexico, Dia de los Muertos (The Day of Dead) is all about remembering friends and family members who passed away, celebrating their lives with their favorite foods and beverages, music and even recalling humorous events. She also suggested that I watched Disney’s animation Coco, which I did with the voiceover in Spanish — to get my ears tuned and also get in the mood. Highly recommended!
The Master of Horror
If you are ever in Rome and you come across a red door with the name Profondo Rosso (Deep Red) on it, be ready to enter the freaky, spooky, goose-bumping world of Dario Argento, Italian film director also called the “Master of Horror”, and known for his work in the horror genre during the 1970s and 1980s, particularly in the subgenre known as giallo. I became quite intrigued while listening to this podcast (audio in Italian) about Argento’s museum/store, which displays a series of memorabilia from his movies. Indeed a “sweet nightmare” for horror movies fans. Definitely on my to-do list for my next trip to the Eternal City!
While still in Italy, what about going on a haunted crossing? “I live in Pisa, and here during Halloween people tend to go to a place called “Devil’s bridge”, says our editor Matteo Santoni. “The most popular legend says that the architect asked the Devil to complete the bridge because he was behind schedule. The Devil accepted, but in exchange asked the soul of the first human that the next morning would have crossed the bridge; the architect accepted, but the next morning he made a pig cross the bridge, fooling the Devil. There’s a little village nearby and every year a lot of people gather to party, it is very characteristic and obviously, you need to wear something spooky!”. Well, if this party has Dario Argento’s movie soundtracks, count me in!
You better grab a garlic garland
Any Twilight fans out there? I’m not a huge fan of the saga myself, but as a teenager I would spend all my pocket money on Blockbuster (excuse me, Generation Z, that used to be a thing in the nineties), renting out Interview with a Vampire. The blood-feeding folklore creatures have been part of the collective imagination over centuries and we don’t seem to get tired of them.
You might have heard of the most famous vampire of all time, Dracula. After doing my research about the legend, I had to know how Romanians feel about it, and our Language Operations Team Lead and Romanian native Cristina Bugheanu helped me to unravel this mystery: “I grew up with my grandparents where I shared a room with my grandma until I was 6-ish. And when I was old enough for school, I moved with my parents, who lived in a different city and that was the time I started having my own room. I remember I was terrified of vampires, I have no idea why, but didn’t want to sleep alone at night”.
This must explain why Cristina only visited Dracula’s Castle as an adult. The castle is located in the town of Transylvania and every year anyone brave enough can participate in a Halloween party organized on the site. The character was inspired by a Romanian prince that had a reputation for being a very cruel warrior. “His father belonged to the Order of Dracul (Order of the Dragon) so this is where the name Dracula came from”, says Cristina, who also told me that Romanian children learn about the prince in school. I wonder if that’s where the vampire dreams come from…
We are curious to know: do you have any scary stories/legends from where you are from? Share them with our community in the comments below!
