The world celebrates a special Halloween during the pandemic

The Origin of Halloween

Halloween is said to have originated more than 2,000 years ago, starting from Samhain (November 1) - the first day of the new year according to the Celtic way of calculating. According to the Celtic concept, the day before the holiday, when the boundary between the living and the dead becomes fragile, demons, angels and the souls of the dead will return to the earth, freely roaming everywhere on earth. At that time, the Celts will disguise themselves so that the souls do not recognize them, and at the same time light fires and display delicious dishes in the hope of receiving goodwill from the souls.

European immigrants later brought Halloween to America and the holiday became popular in the United States in the 1800s. Accordingly, European folk customs and beliefs merged with existing agricultural traditions, becoming a major holiday here, both a symbol of ghosts and mysteries, and a sign of the approaching harvest season. Gradually, Halloween also spread to Asian and Australian countries and became one of the most popular global festivals in modern times.

Every Halloween, Westerners will decorate pumpkins into lanterns so that the spirits can find their way and not disturb the homeowner. In addition, children will also dress up as ghosts and go door to door to ask for candy, along with the familiar phrase "Trick or Treat?". If they do not receive any gifts, the children will find ways to tease the homeowner. This game is based on a medieval custom, when poor people went begging to receive cakes and fruits, instead, they would pray for the souls of the dead on All Souls' Day.

Back to the present, in 2021, are you curious about how countries are preparing for Halloween? In the context of the pandemic, it may be impossible to organize a grand Halloween festival, but many countries have made great efforts to bring back the familiar atmosphere of the vibrant Halloween festival season, despite the "gloom" that the epidemic has created for a long time.

Los Angeles (USA)

This year, the Halloween atmosphere seems to be a bit less bustling than in previous years, when the state of California has been facing a sharp increase in Covid-19 cases for many months. However, the positive signs of the epidemic situation in recent times have also made Californians somewhat relieved, they started to plan some Halloween games, even though it was only a few weeks before the holiday. Thanks to the widespread dissemination of vaccines in the community, up to now, local people also feel safer and more secure when organizing activities.

Los Angeles will open bars, pubs, beer gardens, and nightclubs, and hold major Halloween events, all of which will be open to residents who can prove they have been vaccinated. City parks, which host the largest annual Halloween event, will also be required to do so to make the holiday as safe as possible.

One of the highlights of Los Angeles is Haunt 'O Ween LA - a kid-friendly Halloween adventure, held annually from October 1 to October 31. There are countless attractions decorated in the mysterious, spooky style of traditional Halloween. Although the events are still taking place as in previous years, the Los Angeles city government discourages children from playing Trick or Treat because going door to door and receiving food from others is not safe to prevent the epidemic.

Florence (Italy)

Florence is a place that has countless exciting events every Halloween season. Performances, costume events, family games and many other activities are held in every corner of the city. Although it is a country heavily affected by the Covid-19 epidemic, Italy has gradually made efforts in the fight against the epidemic and is currently one of the countries in the world implementing a policy of living safely with Covid-19.

There will be many events held in Florence this Halloween. However, people still have to ensure anti-epidemic safety regulations such as wearing masks and having a green card to participate in activities. One of the highlights here is the Halloween-themed puppet show at the famous Hard Rock Cafe restaurant, where artists from the Pupi di Stac puppet theater will perform on October 31. The audience will see the artists reenact a series of scary stories while enjoying snacks provided by the restaurant. In addition, a costume event will also be held at Hard Rock Cafe on Halloween night.

In addition, Florence also has fun activities for children on October 31st organized by Children's Lending Library. After more than a year and a half of closure, the library officially reopened on October 17th, and to celebrate this important milestone, St. James Episcopal Church - where the library is located - held a big Halloween festival with parades, readings and participating in festival-related games. All activities will take place right in the garden of the Church.

Mexico

Although Halloween is not a traditional holiday of Mexican people, before Halloween, Mexico also organizes many events such as carnivals, concerts,... However, other than Halloween, Mexico is known to many people in the world for another special festival that takes place in early November -Day of the Dead (Día de los muertos). If Halloween is famous for its ghostly, creepy stories, Day of the Dead is a festival with parades, parties, singing and dancing. This is an occasion for Mexicans to remember their deceased loved ones, but not with pain or sadness, but with joy and infinite love.

This year, despite the pandemic, Mexico will still hold parades and many other prominent events on the theme of Day of the Dead. In Mexico City, the capital of Mexico, the 2021 parade will be held on October 31, this event is expected to explode a large number of international tourists to Mexico to participate in this big holiday.

The parade around the city center will take place at 12:00 pm on October 31 with a scale of more than 1,000 participants. With the theme "Tenochtitlan, Heart of Mexico", this year's event will honor the beauty of Mexico City in modern times - a vibrant, colorful and extremely attractive city in the eyes of international friends. In addition to the traditional offerings in the festival, at Plaza Manuel Tolsa, Mexico also set up offerings with the purpose of remembering the victims of the Covid-19 epidemic, at the same time showing love for them, loved ones who have passed away from this disease.

Transylvania (Romania)

Romania is a country famous for its vampire legends, so every Halloween season, the gloomy and mysterious atmosphere always fills the festival venues, especially Bran Castle, located in the remote border area of ​​Transylvania - one of the places where the largest Halloween festival takes place in Romania. Every year, spooky events will be held at this medieval castle, and this year is no exception.

Known as the “Castle of the Vampire Count”, Bran is an ideal destination, attracting a large number of tourists who are passionate about thrilling and horror stories about vampires. However, due to the restrictions of the epidemic, all participants in the adventure to Bran Castle must strictly follow the regulations on epidemic prevention safety.

Tokyo (Japan)

Not only European countries, some Asian countries also celebrate Halloween on a large scale, one of which is Japan. Halloween is not an official holiday in Japan, but it has become a popular event since Tokyo Disneyland first held it in 2000. Currently, it is one of the biggest events held in Japan on October 31 every year.

Halloween in Japan is a little different from other countries where costumes and parties are given special attention, while tricks and other traditional Halloween activities are often simplified. In addition, pumpkins are not only considered as decorations but are also processed into some dishes during this Halloween.

This year, Tokyo Disneyland held its first Halloween event in two years due to the pandemic. In addition to dressing up in various costumes, guests were also able to take photos and participate in a special parade featuring Mickey Mouse and other Disney characters. Since the beginning of this week, Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo Disneysea have increased the maximum number of visitors to 10,000 while still ensuring epidemic prevention regulations.

Another highly anticipated event is the Ikebukuro Halloween Cosplay Festival 2021, which takes place on October 30 and 31. It is one of the largest costume events in Japan and attracts tens of thousands of participants every year.

Singapore

The atmosphere of Halloween in Singapore has not changed much compared to previous years, when activities are still held in a bustling manner. Instead of focusing on large-scale outdoor events, Singapore mainly focuses on indoor activities and creates scary experiences to attract brave people. This year, to join the atmosphere of a spooky Halloween season, Singapore has organized a number of attractive events such as: Trick-or-treat games at the Ice Cream Museum, which was newly launched last month, exploring the mystery of the murder case at Changi Ghost Hospital, Halloween horror night at Universal Studios Singapore (USS),...

One of the most popular yet spooky events is the haunted ship tour on Asia's top luxury cruise ship - Royal Albatross. Participants will have a 4-day cruise on a cruise ship that has been redecorated in a horror style.

Khanh Ha