Halloween: 5 main differences between the US and the UK
Halloween is among the oldest traditions in the world as it touches on an essential element of the human condition: the relationship between the living and the dead.
This holiday is now celebrated across the world on the night of 31st October. Modern day celebrations generally involve groups of children dressed in scary costumes roaming from house to house, demanding “trick-or-treat”. Fearing the worst, intimidated householders normally hand over vast amounts of treats in the form of chocolates, sweets and candy to avoid whatever dastardly tricks may have been dreamt up by these little miscreants.
Halloween traditions date back thousands of years to the festival of Samhain (pronounced `Soo-when’, `So-ween’ or `Saw-wen’), the Celtic New Year’s festival. The name means “summer’s end”, and the festival marked the close of the harvest season and the coming of winter. The Celts (they lived 2,000 years ago) believed that the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead were thinnest at this time and so the dead could return and walk where they had before.
The observance of Samhain included stocking up supplies for the winter, slaughtering cattle, and disposing of the bones in “bone fires” which, in time, came to be known as bonfires. There were gatherings of communities for feasting and drinking while this was going on, but there was also the awareness of the “thin time” of the year and the possibility of otherworldly visitors showing up at the party.
By 43 A.D., the Roman Empire had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. In the course of the 400 years that they ruled the Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman origin were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain. The first was Feralia, a day in late October when the Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead. The second was a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees.
The symbol of Pomona is the apple, and the incorporation of this celebration into Samhain probably explains the tradition of bobbing for apples that is practiced today on Halloween.
5 main differences between Halloween in the US and the UK
- For the most part, Halloween tends to be treated as a children’s holiday in the UK
Unlike in the US, where there are plenty of Halloween events for all ages, adult activities for the holiday aren’t as common.
Kids can dress up in costumes and go trick-or-treating (also referred to as “guising” in Scotland) but there are far fewer spooky activity options for grownups.
2. It’s rarer to find Halloween superstores, decorations, and festive snacks and drinks
In America, Halloween mega-stores like Spirit Halloween seem to pop up in retail parks and malls before the first leaf turns.
A massive seasonal store devoted to costumes and Halloween decorations is a completely alien concept in the UK. In the UK, you’d likely buy your costume or fall decor from a limited selection at the supermarket or order online.
3. In the US, costumes aren’t always scary
Britains tend to wear more traditional Halloween costumes, dressing up as ghosts, zombies, and other fearsome creatures.
In the US, when kids go trick-or-treating, it seems any costume goes, even costumes that aren’t necessarily ‘Halloween-y’ (including princesses, Spider-Man and so on).
4. Britains don’t go wild with Halloween decor
It’s rare for people in the UK to put up an excessive amount of Halloween decorations.
You’ll rarely see anyone decorating their house with Halloween stuff, apart from maybe a pumpkin in the porch or something.
5. In Scotland and Ireland, it’s traditional to carve a rutabaga or turnip instead of a pumpkin
As is known, pumpkins are synonymous with autumn, and it’s hard to think of Halloween without picturing a glowing jack-o’-lantern.
People in some parts of the UK, however, make lanterns from other root vegetables ― namely, rutabagas or turnips. The practice can possibly be traced to an Irish legend about a man named Jack who was cursed to wander the Earth by the light of a turnip lantern.
