Transcript item
Elena: In Italy, we don't really celebrate Halloween, because the day after Halloween – so the first of November – is the Day of the Dead and this is a very important festivity for us. But every year my mamma buys some sweets for the children that come to do trick-or-treat at, to her house.
Joanne: I live in France, and Halloween isn't really a traditional festival here, but nowadays it is celebrated to some extent. You see Halloween decorations in shop windows for example, and the children enjoy it too.
Jonathan: In Hong Kong, where I live, Halloween is mostly celebrated by kids. They dress up and then they go out in the evening and walk around and wear their nice costumes.
Jo: Well, there's kind of, like, a battle where I live. I live in Barcelona, in Catalunya, and the traditional celebration on that day is la Castañada, which is when people eat sweet chestnuts and sweet potatoes, and that's really nice. But Halloween has kind of come in from the outside, from the United States, and I think if you ask my students – well I know if you ask my students who are children and teenagers – they all say they prefer Halloween because it's more fun. There's more things to do.
Elena: I don't really celebrate Halloween, but when I was a child, me and my friend went around my hometown in Italy and we did trick-or-treat. Last year, me and my housemates did jack-o'-lantern and also prepared a cake and we watched horror movies for the Halloween night.
Jonathan: No, I do not celebrate Halloween. Actually, I've got enough spiders in my house already, as it is, so I don't need any more of them! I don't really like scary things. The only thing I like is pumpkins, so maybe I'll eat some pumpkin, er, but that's as far as it goes for me.
Jo: I don't really celebrate Halloween these days. Less and less. Um, but the last time I celebrated it was really fun. I was going to a big party, and me and my friend dressed up as birds, as crows. And we spent hours and hours making these crow costumes, with feathers, and that was really fun. Er, actually making the costumes was more fun than the party, really.
Joanne: I think Halloween's a really fun celebration. I get into it: I decorate the house, I like to carve pumpkin lanterns. I'm often in the UK, actually, at that time of year and I like going round and seeing how all the houses have decorated, and when my kids were younger, they used to love going trick-or-treating.
Jo: I like Halloween. I mean, these days, as an adult, I don't really want to dress up. I don't like the commercial element of it. I don't want to just buy lots of plastic things that I'm going to throw away the next day. But I like the creativity that people use to decorate their houses, make pumpkins, er, dress up, I think that's brilliant. And when I was a kid, I loved it and I love all the imagination and scary stories. I think...I think it's good for children. So, yeah, I’m pro Halloween.
Joanne: This is my favourite part of Halloween. It's the pumpkins. So here are some pumpkins which I've grown in my garden, and I'm going to carve some pumpkin lanterns and also I think I will use some of them for pumpkin soup.
In this video, some of our friends and colleagues tell us their opinions about Halloween, what they do on this special day and whether it's celebrated where they live.
If you'd like to find out about the origins of this festival, you can read more in our Magazine article.
Now tell us about you!
- Is Halloween celebrated in your country?
- Do you celebrate Halloween?
- What do you think about Halloween?
- Is there another festival at this time of year that you celebrate?
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In Russia Halloween isn't officially celebrated, but of course there are some events in pubs, clubs and so on. But actually It's rare to see dressed people on the street. I suppose it is so because of the ortodox church that doesn't welcome this day. No one want to be judged by old people on the street 😁
This year I would like to try making some evil pumpkin heads at home.
Is Halloween celebrated in your country?
In Myanmar where I live, do not celebrate Halloween. But some adults wear interesting costumes and participate in their area. And also we don't have trick or treats culture.
Do you celebrate Halloween?
No, I don't. But I really want to try it though. That festival looks exciting and I love spooky Vibe.
What do you think about Halloween?
Cute and fun. People decorate their homes and wears a lot of different costumes look really happy and attractive.
Is there another festival at this time of year that you celebrate?
Of course, we do. We have Thadingyut festival, some people known as "lightning Festival." We light candles all over Streets and home to show and pray our Buddha is coming down to the town.
Hi Mary Billi,
Happy Thadingyut! We'd love to see a photo of the lights in your festival - if you like, you could share one here!
I hope you can join in some Halloween celebrations too :-)
Best wishes,
Jo (LearnEnglish team)
https://www.speakpipe.com/voice-recorder/msg/vu245nopab0afs1h
Hi NadiaPietro,
It's great to hear from you - thanks for sharing your voice message :-)
Best wishes,
Jo (LearnEnglish team)
We celebrate Halloween in Colombia, but it is not an official festivity. Saint’s day on 1st November is an official date in Colombia. As a child, I liked to go to the street with my friends and take candies and glossiness, but I never used a costume. I don’t know much about Halloween; this is its origins, but I liked the festivity, especially the costumes. Another celebration in Colombia similar to Halloween is the child’s day in April, where the little boys wear costumes.
actually isnt celebrated in my country but people is starting to arrange parties for halloween.
no i havent never celebrated to halloween but in future ı want to celebrate or join the parties.
i think it is fun activity
nope
Hello, I am Brian from South Korea.
https://www.speakpipe.com/voice-recorder/msg/5ari6hapu1ininos
Hi Brian,
Thank you for adding your comment. It was shocking and sad to hear about this.
Jonathan
LearnEnglish team
Hello, I am from South Korea. This is the first time that I join in this program. There was a tragic disaster in South Korea related to Halloween events. Too many people died from pressure. There was no Halloween before in South Korea. But nowadays more young people try to enjoy and celebrate it. Maybe, that accident was a negative side effect on accepting a new culture.
https://www.speakpipe.com/voice-recorder/msg/5ari6hapu1ininos
Hi, I'm from Spain. Happy to share my comments about Halloween with you all through this link:
https://www.speakpipe.com/voice-recorder/msg/ubyf9kd0i28i711o
Hi coquin69,
You are doing well to join in with so many Halloween traditions. I don't 🤣 Do you really like scary movies? I cannot watch them at all!
Jonathan
LearnEnglish team
Please, find my answer in the link below:
https://www.speakpipe.com/voice-recorder/msg/hi9vf7m1ewsdya74
I live in Myanmar. Halloween isn’t a traditional festival here, but nowadays it is celebrated in some organizations to some extent. I don't usually celebrate Halloween, but I love seeing how other countries celebrate it. I think it is fun and interesting.
Exactly! I agree with you
Hello everyone :) In Ukrainian families Halloween isn't so common, but the youth loves it! We have parties,but don't decorate our houses and children don't ask for candies in a scary costumes.Also the older generation is afraid to celebrate this holiday, due to the fact that it is the Satan's day :)))
However ,the shops always make a lot of decorations and Halloween sales))
I really like this Holliday.Cause it's another day,when u can dress up as any character and spend time with your friends and family /
Hi vikusik_,
Where I live, Halloween is also mainly for the kids, I think! They really love dressing up and walking around outside in their costumes.
How did you celebrate it this year?
Jonathan
LearnEnglish team
Hello,
We have been celebrating Halloween in Germany for about 25 years, more or less.
In the meantime, our children are grown up. When they were at the age of 4 to 12 years, they/ we have extensively celebrated Halloween ... Before this great day, a funny face was carved into a big pumpkin, then a candle was put inside. On 31st October, the little children dressed up as witches, ghosts, wizards, etc. came to us. First we all made handicrafts, then we ate delicious spider salad and worm sausages and woodruff drinks in the house which was decorated with spiders, lanterns, pumpkins. Then we went singing from house to house. Mostly we parents were in the background. The children recited poems in the village and asked for sweets. Personally, I loved Halloween, although many Germans say that this is a pagan custom and would only scare people. Sadly, there are actually bad people, especially in big cities, who put on a scary mask and dress up and then mug and rob people. Caution is advised! This is then really very dangerous and can traumatise children and older people in the worst case. Children should not be out alone!!! You should not open a door without first checking who is ringing the doorbell!!!
Yours,
Jutta
Happy Halloween everyone!
In the video, I said that I wanted to make lanterns with some of the pumpkins that I grew. So here they are! My kids carved them today.
Best wishes,
Jo (LearnEnglish team)
In recent years, people celebrate Halloween in Japan too. Especially young generation love it. Some people take part in the party with their favorite costume. But I am middle age , so I don't have special time in Halloween.
Hi everybody!
I'm mexican, in my country we celebrate "El día de los santos inocentes" on November 1st and "El día de todos los santos" on November 2nd. I don't really celebrate Halloween but I really love to see the customs of people in my hometown who's like to dress up.
https://www.speakpipe.com/voice-recorder/msg/2hgq48we449uwnq9
https://www.speakpipe.com/voice-recorder/msg/8ib41p6pg8sveo1y
Hello!
I’m Carla from Brasil. I hope everyone is fine.
In my country the tradition of celebrating Halloween is relatively new and not everyone takes part in the fun. It's something more for children and teenagers, in schools, especially in small towns, like mine, probably in big capitals the party will be different.
As in Italy, we are a very Catholic country and the day after Halloween, we celebrate All Souls' Day and the day after, All Saints' Day, here it is a public holiday.
I think it's really cool how people are very creative at this party, but I think it's pretty scary. I have a memory from my childhood, watching the movie E.T., when he dressed up as a ghost and went out to the streets asking for sweets with the other children and when he saw someone bloody he wanted to heal them with his little finger.
See you!
https://www.speakpipe.com/voice-recorder/msg/bia1lhpfhubku1hp
https://www.speakpipe.com/voice-recorder/msg/21m54qvw67s0njpo
Hi, I'm Valentina from Colombia, Halloween it's not from our culture but, it's really popular right now. On October 31th people go out to the streets with their costumes, and when I say people I mean kids and adults, all of them have costumes and the children ask for candies. In the closest Friday and Saturday to Halloween there are a lot of parties for adults.
https://www.speakpipe.com/voice-recorder/msg/62bkff81kzx25yym
Hi wisehouseeducation,
Thanks for adding your lovely voice message. It's nice that you can participate in local traditions like that. In London, it's incredible how much effort some people put into decorating their houses for Halloween. The most decorated houses even become something of a local tourist attraction!
Will you attend any Halloween events this year?
Jonathan
LearnEnglish team
Hello!
I'm from Colombia and here we celebrate Halloween for sure, mostly the children and teenagers dress up and go trick or treat, however, the adults celebrate by going to parties with funny costumes.
I would say that I'm not a Halloween fan because I don't like scary things, but definitely I enjoy seeing movies that remind me of the funny part of Halloween like magic, fairies, etc., and for that, I see the Harry Potter movies.
I think it is a funny season, you can dress as your favorite character, but as I said before the scary things are not my thing but the rest of all is really good.
The aren't any festivals besides Halloween here in Colombia in october.