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General discussionDoes anyone else not celebrate Halloween?(66 posts)(66 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted October 30, 2018
It's not a thing here at all unfortunately, not as far as I'm aware anyway. Here and there you might see Halloween stuff in stores, and probably there are some private halloween-themed parties here and there. It's a pity since I love the whole aesthetic and vibe of it, but I imagine the major church groups over here would lose their collective shit if someone tried to properly introduce it.
Posted October 30, 2018
I don't know anyone who cares personally, it's just like any other day for me.
Posted October 30, 2018
Depending on where you live in Germany you either have Reformation Day on the 31st October or All Saints' Day on 1st November (and a work-free day as a result) anyway so as far as I'm concerned I couldn't care less about the commercialized version of Samhain or as what it's known today, Halloween.

The few kids in the neighborhood that are blissfully unaware of the fact that Halloween is not an official holiday around these parts but somehow are still making the rounds (under their parents' supervision) asking for candy and whatnot can get the fuck off my lawn. The doorbell is unplugged in any case.
Post edited October 30, 2018 by Swedrami
Posted October 30, 2018
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SirPrimalform: Incidentally, as several people have mentioned All Saints Day it's worth noting that Hallowe'en is All Hallows Eve, All Hallows Day being another name for All Saints Day. Of course it's all mixed up with pagan stuff and then commercially distorted, but it is linked to All Saints Day.
Well, duh! All major holidays come from pagan tradition. Like Christmas was made by Catholic Church to replace Winter Solstice with it's fortune-telling and other "heathen" activities. And in modern times Christmas was replacet by modern Christmas (or X-mas) that was more about buying presents than celebrating birth of Jesus.

Halloween, or All Saints Day, was initially a holiday about starting the reaping, celebrated on autumnal equinox. Now it's, well, again about sales and buying spooky-themed costumes and stuff.
Posted October 30, 2018
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SirPrimalform: Incidentally, as several people have mentioned All Saints Day it's worth noting that Hallowe'en is All Hallows Eve, All Hallows Day being another name for All Saints Day. Of course it's all mixed up with pagan stuff and then commercially distorted, but it is linked to All Saints Day.
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LootHunter: Well, duh! All major holidays come from pagan tradition. Like Christmas was made by Catholic Church to replace Winter Solstice with it's fortune-telling and other "heathen" activities. And in modern times Christmas was replacet by modern Christmas (or X-mas) that was more about buying presents than celebrating birth of Jesus.

Halloween, or All Saints Day, was initially a holiday about starting the reaping, celebrated on autumnal equinox. Now it's, well, again about sales and buying spooky-themed costumes and stuff.
Well of course, I'm aware of all of that. I was just pointing out to the people who said they don't celebrate Hallowe'en but brought up All Saints Day that they're the same thing. But yes, All Hallows Eve corresponds to the Samhain, the Celtic holiday.
Posted October 30, 2018
Fun fact for the ignorant: Halloween did not originate in America. It is not strictly an American holiday, no need to blame them for it.

I would love to spend more time doing Halloween but my area is full of dodgers and foreigners who don't do it. A bit of a shame for the kids. It's a good fun night.
Posted October 30, 2018
It was and is huge in Ireland, but it's actually a Celtic tradition, not an American one.
Fairly sure it was the Irish (and possibly Scottish?) immigrants who brought it to America in the first place.


The commercialisation is certainly the American take on it though, the original Celtic festival was about honouring the dead (kind of).
It was believed that the barriers between our world and the Otherworld were weakened at this time of year and that the spirits of the dead could return (along with fairies and elves, the nasty, mischievous kind that abducted babies).
People dressed up and went door to door for gifts of food (the origins of trick or treating), but there was also a lot of other traditions, many of which survive to today.
We use to play a number of games (bobbing for apples, hanging an apple on a string and trying to catch it in your teeth as it swung about, hiding a penny in a mound of flour and cutting it in slices with a knife until someone found it) and make food like barmbrack with a ring of coin hidden in it and whoever got the piece with the item in it was supposed to get good luck (or find a husband or wife).

Like most things these days supermarkets and shops have jumped on it as an excuse to make more money..
Posted October 30, 2018
Halloween rocks. And only kids that make their own costume should be allowed to participate.
Posted October 30, 2018
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adaliabooks: It was and is huge in Ireland, but it's actually a Celtic tradition, not an American one.
Fairly sure it was the Irish (and possibly Scottish?) immigrants who brought it to America in the first place.


... the original Celtic festival was about honouring the dead (kind of).
It was believed that the barriers between our world and the Otherworld were weakened at this time of year and that the spirits of the dead could return ...
Samhain, also the beginning of winter. We traditionally put a candle in one of the northern windows (to invite beloved who have passed away) and there's always and extra set of dishes on the dinner table.

When I was a kid we were still living an old local tradition based on the Germanic "Winter Nights". The latter is rather similar to Samhain (with the lesser barrier between worlds and so on), but it's not a single day, rather 2 weeks around this time.

The local tradition called "Flenndippeln" (Going with a little crying pot) went as follows:

- You need a hollowed out turnip (sugar beet is best) with a light in it. You can carve a scary face to it too. And also you need a little pot.
- After dark, go from house to house.
- Place your pot and the lighted turnip on the doorstep of a house
- Knock or ring the doorbell and quickly hide somewhere nearby (shrubs etc)
- When the door opens, make scary wailing and howling sounds - like a sad and lonely ghost.
-> (hopefully) profit! (mostly candy, sometimes coins in the pot)
- gather your earnings and try the next house...

Halloween has pretty much stomped this old tradition into the ground... IMO they're pretty similar too.
Posted October 30, 2018
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toxicTom: Samhain, also the beginning of winter. We traditionally put a candle in one of the northern windows (to invite beloved who have passed away) and there's always and extra set of dishes on the dinner table.

When I was a kid we were still living an old local tradition based on the Germanic "Winter Nights". The latter is rather similar to Samhain (with the lesser barrier between worlds and so on), but it's not a single day, rather 2 weeks around this time.

The local tradition called "Flenndippeln" (Going with a little crying pot) went as follows:

- You need a hollowed out turnip (sugar beet is best) with a light in it. You can carve a scary face to it too. And also you need a little pot.
- After dark, go from house to house.
- Place your pot and the lighted turnip on the doorstep of a house
- Knock or ring the doorbell and quickly hide somewhere nearby (shrubs etc)
- When the door opens, make scary wailing and howling sounds - like a sad and lonely ghost.
-> (hopefully) profit! (mostly candy, sometimes coins in the pot)
- gather your earnings and try the next house...

Halloween has pretty much stomped this old tradition into the ground... IMO they're pretty similar too.
I did think there was a Germanic influence too but couldn't remember for sure, it sounds like modern trick or treating and Halloween traditions are a kind of combination of the Celtic and German ones.

The extra set of dishes was a Celtic thing as well (though it's not something I remember doing so I'm not sure if it survived or not).

Unfortunately between Catholicism and commercialism most of these old traditions have been wiped out or changed beyond recognition...
Posted October 30, 2018
I don't celebrate. Ever. I'm that kind of guy. :P
Posted October 30, 2018
Not my thing. Once a couple of small children came knocking on my door and ran screaming away crying about meeting the real horror. Sorry for looking horrible.
Posted October 30, 2018
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Caesar.: Is Halloween becoming a thing too?
Yep. For a few years now, shops are decorating their windows in Halloween-style, you can buy costumes, there are Halloween "related" snacks, parties (for kids, teens and adults) and club-events.
Funny. 40 years ago, all we Germans knew about Halloween was what we had learned from the movie.
I remember, back when I was a young adult, there was no Halloween craze here.
It really only started a few years ago.
But I don't partake, and I also don't know anyone who partakes.
Two years ago some kids rang my doorbell, trying to "trick or treat"...but I just said, I don't have anything for them, and they moved on...it's not comparable to the US.
It's just another "Americanism" that some of us took on without even knowing about the origins - and much less care about said origins.
But I guess that's ok, because they also don't know anything about the German version of the(se) day(s): Reformationstag (reformation day) Allerheiligen (all Hallow's day) and Allerseelen (all Souls day).
(31.10. - 01.11. - 02.11.)
Fun fact: on several days a year (dependant of the Bundesland) there are actually dancing bans and music bans (though the latter only(?) on Good Friday).
Clashes a little with Halloween parties - not that anyone cares about that.
I find it a little sad, that some people think it's cool to import foreign feasts, but at the same time neglect our own traditions. (Hexennacht/Walpurgisnacht)
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Caesar.: Do you feel holidays are becoming too consuming-centric?
Yep. Absolutely.
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Caesar.: Or is it just plain, worry-free fun?
For some of us, definitely.
Posted October 30, 2018
Me. I don't see the point. It's just another American 'boost the commerce' day. Like Valentine's Day, which only exists to boost sales. I participate in neither.
Posted October 30, 2018
Where I live, there is the tradition of the Carnival and Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday. Since this event takes place usually when young kids are still at school, it was a great time to show up in disguise for the day.
There are a lot of carnivals during this time period with very famous ones like Nice and Dunkirk which last several days.

I think this may be a reason why Halloween is not very celebrated in our country since we have other cultural events where we disguise ourselves for the day.

Also, just like xza_chan said, there is the All Saints' Day where we go to the cemetary to put flowers on the graves. It should be during the All Souls' Day, but this day is not a holiday so we do it the previous day. Go figure.

As for holidays becoming too consuming-centric, I would say that they are here at least for winter (Christmas, New Year, Valentine's Day ...) and summer ( where most people take a one month vacation straight to travel). Apart from that, it's fine, the marketing department takes vacation too :P
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This is my favourite topic
Community
General discussionDoes anyone else not celebrate Halloween?(66 posts)(66 posts)
(66 posts)