johnnyone

Is it me but why has Halloween become popular?

Another American import designed to get you to spend money in supermarkets etc. Youths old enough to know better knocking at your door asking for money.
Flour and eggs if you do not answer your door.

People are so gullible falling for the marketing that drives it.

I hate it.

bxpuser24710519

We dooked for apples and ate treacle scones hanging the pulley, why it had to be Americanised I have no idea I have no time for it at all.

BEVS

I know. What it has become is a huge shame.

We dunked for apples too. Mum covered the mirror over the fireplace. There was a Jack O'Lantern and we left food out overnight. Not before Mum or Dad told or sang a spooky type tale by candle and firelight. Mum was Irish , an O'neill , so the Banshee would be in there with it all somewhere.

It was actually a lovely family evening, even if I was a bit scared going up the creaky stairs to bed.

chopera

American import!?!

Halloween is an old celtic festival, probably older then Xmas.

The Americans introduced trick-or-treating I believe but that's about it.

I suspect it's got popular in Spain partly because of the push to teach English, which also involves teaching kids about the culture.

Neptuno

It doesn't seem that popular, not in this region, anyway.
The only place I saw pumpkins was in Lidls.
I expected to see them in the markets and veg stalls.

marcbernard

Samhain is the old Celtic name, and it predates christianity.

Rosemary

As a slight distraction from the Americanised halloween my town hall square is hosting a "monsters" gathering on Friday evening in order to give the kids the opportunity to dress in a variety of weird and wonderful costumes. This has come about because parents did not want to spoil the childrens fun but also did not want to encourage halloween.

Rosemary

shazzabob

we were talking about it too hollowing out a swede and using the middle to add to the mash for tea and putting a plastic rain coat on the floor to bob for apples in my grans house arr them were the days not all money making

Lorna at Vicenza

20 years ago in Italy nobody gave a damn about Halloween. The Italians were only concerned about November 1st which is a national bank holiday here and traditionally people have a big lunch together and then go off to the cemetary to honour their dead loved ones.

Slowly, slowly the shops started to get more and more tacky produce in them, costumes, candles, plastic pumpkins, witches hats etc. and kids began to trick or treat ....... even translated into Italian as "dolcetto o scherzetto" (sweets or tricks/pranks) though not anywhere close to the same level as the UK or USA.

Most people believe it to be an American festival so if I'm in schools in October I give my kids a lesson on the original harvest festival, the Irish folklore story behind the Jack O'Lantern and I also tell them all that November 1st was only invented by an Italian Pope who wanted to wipe out the Pagan festivals.

Rosemary

It is the same here in Spain. During the week before 1st November the families visit the cemetery, clean thoroughly and put large floral displays on the graves. Then on the day itself they visit the cemetery and then have a family meal.

Rosemary

Lorna at Vicenza

Yep. The flower stalls on the market today will be doing a roaring trade.

johnnyone

It may well be an old Celtic festival but what we get today is an commercially motivated Americanisation.

And people fall for it.

chopera

Pretty much every festival we have originates from people falling for something or another. Halloween has it roots in many places and has always evolved. The apple bobbing people mentioned has its origins in ... wait for it .... Italy! (it was brought to Britain by the Romans)

People in Spain debate every year why they are celebrating Halloween these days, and the best answers I've heard is that firstly it's become an international festival, and secondly it's part of Spain's culture to find any excuse to have a party!

Besides, it's for kids, and they love it.

Rosemary

The children in my town do not say "trick or treat" but instead say "Happy Halloween" so that is an improvement. Last year two teenagers brought me a couple of gifts for halloween so that endorses the "anything for a party" idea.

Rosemary

dmu

Hi, in France it's only potted chrysanthemums (or sometimes cyclamens) for the graves.
A recently arrived friend who didn't know about the significance wondered why a French woman didn't thank her profusely when she offered her a pot of chrysanthemums. To her it was a death wish, and I soon put my friend right for the future!
Back to Hallowe'en, I used to keep a few sweets by the door years ago when the village children came round, but my two were never interested in dressing up and joining them, thank goodness!