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How Do You Celebrate Halloween or a Halloween-Similar Holiday?

How Do You Celebrate Halloween or a Halloween-Similar Holiday?


  • Total voters
    13

mobius017

Aspiring ∞ Creator
Apr 8, 2018
1,981
Hey everyone! Halloween's going to be here in about another 3 weeks, and I was curious about if/what everyone's doing to observe it. So I figured we could have some fun with a thread/poll! Feel free to check all of the items that you do.

Notes:
* Eat other seasonal food (Listing this separately since other cultures might not do Halloween, per se, but may have other traditions that involve other food. For example, I believe there are special things prepared for Dia de los Muertos.)
** Enjoy other seasonal cultural activities (I wish I could list all these out, but I don't know enough about what people from other cultures do on their Halloween-similar holidays.)
*** "Happy Halloween" (Link to song)

Feel free to reply and elaborate on what you do! If there's something I'm missing in the list above that people would like added to the poll, I'm happy to do that, too.

For myself, I don't eat much candy, but I'm sure there'll be some seasonal food in there somewhere (maybe some Halloween cookies or something). There's also a pumpkin festival I enjoy going to, and I enjoy watching Halloween movies (not really horror stuff, but somewhat lighter ones). There'll be some decorating, too. And I'm sure I'll be listening to Happy Halloween :).
 
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Kona

Avanna's #1 Fan
Apr 8, 2018
813
USA
Kinda wish I had more Halloween spirit haha. I decorate, and my family gives out candy, but otherwise I’m not a Halloween person. Not a big candy (or sweets in general) fan nor a scary/horror fan in particular, unless it’s video games. I might play a horror game or two, if that counts as celebrating.
 

hamano

ミクさんマジ天使
Staff member
Moderator
Apr 8, 2018
1,789
31
mobile.twitter.com
I don't celebrate it at all actually. Halloween isn't really much of a thing in Finland. We do have a day to remember the deceased (Pyhäinpäivä) around that time, but the only custom on that day I can think of is lighting candles on the graves of one's relatives. And I don't do that either, so for me it's just an ordinary day.

Boring, I know.
 

Blue Of Mind

The world that I do not know...
Apr 8, 2018
699
I just sit indoors and ignore all the trick-or-treaters outside. (Halloween now carries a negative connotation in the UK as being the night where yobs run riot depending on where you live).
 
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mobius017

Aspiring ∞ Creator
Apr 8, 2018
1,981
Kinda wish I had more Halloween spirit haha. I decorate, and my family gives out candy, but otherwise I’m not a Halloween person. Not a big candy (or sweets in general) fan nor a scary/horror fan in particular, unless it’s video games. I might play a horror game or two, if that counts as celebrating.
Ha ha, yeah, until I made the list for the poll, I would've said that I don't do much for Halloween, either, though I like the holiday. Even all the stuff I listed, I'll be doing over the span of the next 3 weeks, so it'll seem like a lot less than it is.

I've seen Halloween characterized as a holiday that either you get really into or you don't care much about at all. Though, at least personally, I seem to fall somewhere in between....
I don't celebrate it at all actually. Halloween isn't really much of a thing in Finland. We do have a day to remember the deceased (Pyhäinpäivä) around that time, but the only custom on that day I can think of is lighting candles on the graves of one's relatives. And I don't do that either, so for me it's just an ordinary day.

Boring, I know.
That's interesting, I hadn't been familiar with Pyhäinpäivä before! I did some Googling, just to see what else I could find out, but the results all appear to be in Finnish or Swedish, in both of which I'm illiterate; even when translated, the Wikipedia page looks like it's talking about the week surrounding All Saints' Day in general for various cultures. It sounds a bit like what the Mexican/Latin American holiday Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is--it remembers those who have died. IIRC, it involves, at least in part, creating an altar to fallen loved ones that is set with food to help them on their journey, as well as lighting candles. People also visit loved ones' graves. I want to think flags also get put out, and there are candy skulls made of sugar.

Though I don't have to trust my memory--here's a page from National Geographic that describes it. It doesn't mention the flags, but Wikipedia does.
I just sit indoors and ignore all the trick-or-treaters outside. (Halloween now carries a negative connotation in the UK as being the night where yobs run riot depending on where you live).
That's interesting, too. I'm from the US, and as far as I know there isn't the degree of negative connotation about Halloween here as there is in the UK. It's kind of interesting how things are different in different places. I've heard stories about vandalism, and there've been some smashed pumpkins in my neighborhood, but at least so far people've been pretty good about things. Though participation in Trick-or-Treat has fallen off in the last 5-7 years or so, so that may contribute to that. Has anyone else noticed a decline in participation?
 
Last edited:

RabbitWhale39

Devout Mikuist
Apr 25, 2018
69
I listen to that Dark Woods Circus song and hide under the covers

Also, candy corn is something I desperately *want* to enjoy. I try it every year and every year I don't like it.
 

mobius017

Aspiring ∞ Creator
Apr 8, 2018
1,981
I listen to that Dark Woods Circus song and hide under the covers

Also, candy corn is something I desperately *want* to enjoy. I try it every year and every year I don't like it.
That sounds like it'd be a pretty awesome tradition, actually :).

I really want to like candy corn, too, but I've only had it a few times--I've never gone out and bought it myself, and no one around me likes it, so I haven't tried it much. From what I remember, it just sort of tastes like sugar inside a slick/slightly chewy shell?

Yeah, gonna have to try that stuff again :).
 
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Gralydig

Just a chill dude, doing his thing.
Oct 8, 2018
40
23
Chicago
That sounds like it'd be a pretty awesome tradition, actually :).

I really want to like candy corn, too, but I've only had it a few times--I've never gone out and bought it myself, and no one around me likes it, so I haven't tried it much. From what I remember, it just sort of tastes like sugar inside a slick/slightly chewy shell?

Yeah, gonna have to try that stuff again :).
I don’t understand why people don’t like candy corn, I personally think it’s great especially when I first tried it.
 
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Nekoshey

New Fan
Oct 9, 2018
4
Wow, somehow I've actually never heard that song before! And I know a HEAP of the spooky Voca-tunes! Love it~

Also candy corn is the best! For me it's always been more a play food, like Bugles or puffy Cheetos. They don't really taste bad or good, they're just fun to eat. Especially if you eat 'em one colour gradient at a time. Plus you can make fangs out of them too!
 
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lil_eggo

(screams eternally)
Apr 8, 2018
60
USA
last halloween i got to play d&d with a few of my friends. we all sat around the dining table, shut off all the lights, and lit a few candles. spoooooooky.
but a typical halloween for me is watching how good my parents are with greeting trick-or-treaters at the door (im not great with kids so LOL)
 

mobius017

Aspiring ∞ Creator
Apr 8, 2018
1,981
I don’t understand why people don’t like candy corn, I personally think it’s great especially when I first tried it.
IKR, it's basically sugar, maybe with something of a separate flavor for each color? What's not to like? :)
Wow, somehow I've actually never heard that song before! And I know a HEAP of the spooky Voca-tunes! Love it~
Oh, cool, glad to introduce you to it! That song's awesome! It's just fun.
last halloween i got to play d&d with a few of my friends. we all sat around the dining table, shut off all the lights, and lit a few candles. spoooooooky.
Oh, nice, sounds like you guys know how to have fun!

Looks like we actually have some votes in every category now. Gettin' to be a proper-looking poll! :kaito_move:
 
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mobius017

Aspiring ∞ Creator
Apr 8, 2018
1,981
Me and my close irl friends love Halloween and usually throw a party where we all dress up and decorate. We watch movies or go out to eat! And you know my Halloween playlist is 90% Vocaloid <3
Sweet! It's nice to hear about people who really enjoy getting into stuff and having a good time! Are you guys' costumes often Vocaloid-themed, also, or do you usually go a different direction?
 

nalondollie

the-ghost-of-a-cyber-princess
Sweet! It's nice to hear about people who really enjoy getting into stuff and having a good time! Are you guys' costumes often Vocaloid-themed, also, or do you usually go a different direction?
Although I've thought about a Vocaloid costume, we usually do more traditional costumes like vampires and witches. This year, however, we are doing a group costume as the Scooby Doo Gang! I'm Daphne ^u^
 
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WyndReed

Dareka tasukete!
Apr 8, 2018
301
26
???, New York
I think between my birthday being the day before, not ever having any friends to trick or treat with, and being allergic/intollerant to the ingredients in most of the candies people give out, I’ve grown to not enjoy Halloween as much as I used to. A few years ago we gave out candy(my mom has a big copper kettle we stick candy or dry ice in and we both dress up as witches. We’ve been doing this routine for years.) and last year I ended up having a doctor’s appointment out of town that day so we didn’t do anything.(I feel bad for my dog. He was probably very freaked out and later we realized he was very sick at the time when he died in january) I’m not sure if I’ll do anything this year. I really wish I could put a sign out that said “Please dont ring the door bell. We are sick and can’t give out candy.” and that people would believe it.(tried this before and didn’t work very well.)
 

mobius017

Aspiring ∞ Creator
Apr 8, 2018
1,981
Although I've thought about a Vocaloid costume, we usually do more traditional costumes like vampires and witches. This year, however, we are doing a group costume as the Scooby Doo Gang! I'm Daphne ^u^
*Ruff* Rool! Heh-heh-heh-heh!
(I guess "rool" would be Scooby-speak for "cool" :luka_move: )

I think between my birthday being the day before, not ever having any friends to trick or treat with, and being allergic/intollerant to the ingredients in most of the candies people give out, I’ve grown to not enjoy Halloween as much as I used to. A few years ago we gave out candy(my mom has a big copper kettle we stick candy or dry ice in and we both dress up as witches. We’ve been doing this routine for years.) and last year I ended up having a doctor’s appointment out of town that day so we didn’t do anything.(I feel bad for my dog. He was probably very freaked out and later we realized he was very sick at the time when he died in january) I’m not sure if I’ll do anything this year. I really wish I could put a sign out that said “Please dont ring the door bell. We are sick and can’t give out candy.” and that people would believe it.(tried this before and didn’t work very well.)
Ouch, that's rough.... You/your mom's routine sounds really cool, though.

The number of Trick or Treaters in my neighborhood has been declining for the last several years, and last year there were hardly any. So typically if the door and the blinds are closed, no one comes. But it sounds like maybe that isn't the case for you. It might be a little drastic, but I've heard of people disconnecting their doorbell for various reasons; if closed doors/windows or signs don't work, I guess you could try that, if you felt confident enough about doing it. Not sure how you do it; probably, if you take the cover off the box on your wall (the box indoors, where the sound comes from), you'll see somewhere where it's getting electricity--just unplug/otherwise temporarily disconnect it to stop the sound.

'Course, if your Trick-or-Treaters are the belligerent sort, I guess you might have to be careful about ignoring them, too....
 
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MillyAqualine

Hardcore Fan
Apr 11, 2018
268
30
Well, in France, unless you're in Brittany perhaps, or you're among the ones being used to celebrate it under any form or another, it's not really a thing =C I like the feeling because I feel like just because any gore or grotesque thing becomes the norm', they become a bit less spooky and more humoristical... Also the original meaning of Halloween is amazing (even if like other popular celebrations it gets drowned into the candies and the merch) ~

Over here, the main celebrations are rather Toussaint on the 1st, usually celebrating all saints but sometimes merged with Day of the dead on the next day -and unlike Mexico we don't do anything much, but simply bringing chrysantheum to the tombs and that's it- so Halloween really isn't much of a thing in the country, except for those celebrating it... Moreover, I prefer Halloween over Toussaint/Day of the deads not really much because of the treats, but rather because I feel like it's more optimistic, more hopeful, and you have this whole "the dead are with you but not necessarily to kick your arse, and can shush away the bad spirits" atmosphere... While on Toussaint and day of the death, most of the time and in spite of weather being nice for once in a while, the only picture coming to my mind is just foggy, drizzly with an heavy ambiance, and just being in front of a tomb, with all of the coldness reminding you you lost someone.

That's also why in October I feel quite light-hearted whereas I apprehend the most the first mid-November as the worst moment in the year because it's very dark, tense, and don't forget about things such as the 11th of November that bring even much a gloomier feel to the day... Probably having been used to go to cemetaries and be surrounded by death topics doesn't help making feel otherwise

In my neighbourhood we weren't much children living there, and we were not really celebrating it.... The last time we had people coming at our home for candies was like more than 12 years ago and they were the only ones of the evening....

At college we were supposed to have a party on Halloween and in the end it was canceled on last minute...

I like witch-based stuffs a lot~ Sadly as I had nobody to go trick-or-treat with and that anyway nobody in my neighbourhood or in the city was doing it, I could never cosplay much and now I feel like I'm way too old to do so even if there are young adults doing it still.... OTL So yeah, on Halloween all I can do is eating candies, and then watching TV and doing what I've always done for every Halloween, aka preparing the jack-o-lantern... Ah and also, drawing Halloween-themed pictures ^^"' Anyway, it's just my personal thoughts OTL"';;
 

mobius017

Aspiring ∞ Creator
Apr 8, 2018
1,981
Well, in France, unless you're in Brittany perhaps, or you're among the ones being used to celebrate it under any form or another, it's not really a thing =C I like the feeling because I feel like just because any gore or grotesque thing becomes the norm', they become a bit less spooky and more humoristical... Also the original meaning of Halloween is amazing (even if like other popular celebrations it gets drowned into the candies and the merch) ~

Over here, the main celebrations are rather Toussaint on the 1st, usually celebrating all saints but sometimes merged with Day of the dead on the next day -and unlike Mexico we don't do anything much, but simply bringing chrysantheum to the tombs and that's it- so Halloween really isn't much of a thing in the country, except for those celebrating it... Moreover, I prefer Halloween over Toussaint/Day of the deads not really much because of the treats, but rather because I feel like it's more optimistic, more hopeful, and you have this whole "the dead are with you but not necessarily to kick your arse, and can shush away the bad spirits" atmosphere... While on Toussaint and day of the death, most of the time and in spite of weather being nice for once in a while, the only picture coming to my mind is just foggy, drizzly with an heavy ambiance, and just being in front of a tomb, with all of the coldness reminding you you lost someone.

That's also why in October I feel quite light-hearted whereas I apprehend the most the first mid-November as the worst moment in the year because it's very dark, tense, and don't forget about things such as the 11th of November that bring even much a gloomier feel to the day... Probably having been used to go to cemetaries and be surrounded by death topics doesn't help making feel otherwise

In my neighbourhood we weren't much children living there, and we were not really celebrating it.... The last time we had people coming at our home for candies was like more than 12 years ago and they were the only ones of the evening....

At college we were supposed to have a party on Halloween and in the end it was canceled on last minute...

I like witch-based stuffs a lot~ Sadly as I had nobody to go trick-or-treat with and that anyway nobody in my neighbourhood or in the city was doing it, I could never cosplay much and now I feel like I'm way too old to do so even if there are young adults doing it still.... OTL So yeah, on Halloween all I can do is eating candies, and then watching TV and doing what I've always done for every Halloween, aka preparing the jack-o-lantern... Ah and also, drawing Halloween-themed pictures ^^"' Anyway, it's just my personal thoughts OTL"';;
I feel sort of the same way about Halloween. It can be fun to embrace things that are normally supposed to be scary. In a way, it's sort of like something I heard on TV once: that people enjoy thrill rides because it gives them a safe, controlled way of confronting things like the fear of falling/dying.

Your description of the nearby French holidays (Toussaint, Day of the Dead) was really interesting. Thank you! We have somewhat comparable holidays in the US, too, with All Saints Day being more observed by people of the applicable religion; Day of the Dead, as far as I know, is only observed by Mexicans/some other people who speak Spanish. For us, November 11 is Veterans Day, which is a national holiday that celebrates all veterans from our present and history. It at least sounds like observance of those days is more widespread in France, if I'm understanding you correctly.

If you still want to dress up, you could always consider doing it by yourself. It might be difficult to imagine going through the work of putting together a costume that only you will ever see, but even if it's just you while you're watching TV and carving the jack-o-lantern, you might still enjoy it. Some of the best fun we'll ever have is sometimes the fun we make for ourselves. And you won't have to look back someday and feel like you didn't get to because no one else was around.
 
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