Halloween which was originally introduced to the United States by Irish immigrants in the 19th century, began as a pagan festival honoring the dead. It is a big celebration in the United States and millions of children (and adults) look forward to dress up and enjoy the spooky days every year.
Since we are specialized in traveling to Europe, we thought we show you how and if Europeans celebrate it. US-Halloween customs have spread since the 1990s in continental Europe, starting in France the holiday has become increasingly popular in Belgium, Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, Germany, and Austria. Before 1990 the holiday was fairly unknown. Nowadays, on October 31 you will find people dressed up for Halloween parties and kids go with their parents for trick or treating in their neighborhood but it is definitely not as common and wide-spread as it is in the United States. Europeans have their own spooky celebrations such as Oíche Shamhna literally "Samhain Night" in Ireland. On Halloween night, adults and children dress up as creatures from the underworld and enjoy spectacular fireworks displays. In Romania, Halloween is celebrated around the myth of "Dracula" on October 31. The spirit of Dracula is believed to still live in the country and Romanians love to celebrate this special day.