Halloween: the night of the spirits

For one night, the door that communicates the world of the dead to the world of the living was opened, it was possible to contact the spirits and the magic of the druids was more powerful than ever. This occurred on the night of the 31st of October, when the end of the harvest was celebrated, along with the beginning of the darkest months that arrived with the autumn solstice. The festival of Samhain, which goes back over three thousand years, is the origin of today’s Halloween (“All Hallows Eve”), which is celebrated around half of the planet; we will look at some of the most spectacular celebrations.

 
Irland and the legacy of Dracula

In Ireland, the birthplace of the tradition, fire is the starring element, particularly in the rural villages, where friends and neighbours gather together around hundreds of bonfires. In Dublin, the Bram Stoker Festival stands out, an event centred on the creator of Dracula. It is held between the 28th and the 31st of October and includes thematic parties, spiritual sessions and concerts, in addition to a sinister Victorian theme park for the entire family. 

The gastronomic specialities linked to the festival are lambswool, a drink made from baked apples and beer and barmbrack, a dessert with objects hidden in its interior that predict the future of those who find them, such as a ring (marriage) or a piece of fabric (bad news).

Mysterious Edinburgh

In the neighbouring country of Scotland, there are many parades that allude to Samhain and to the ancient Celtic traditions. There are many fortune-teller stands, where the future is told and instead of carved pumpkins with candles inside them, the Scottish use turnips, as laid down by the tradition. In the always mysterious Edinburgh many phantasmagorical tours are organised that end in cemeteries and underground tombs.

New York’s Village Halloween Parade 

New York is the setting for the largest Halloween fancy dress parade in the world, which brings together over 50,000 people on Sixth Avenue in the maddest moment of the city, with outfits that are always impressive. Christened as New York’s Village Halloween Parade, it has been held since 1973 and is open to everyone. The Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade is more curious, with dogs as its protagonists competing for the prize for the best costume. Those who prefer can sign up for a tour around the most ghost-haunted sites in Greenwich Village.

Massachusetts and witch hunts

Salem (Massachusetts), a town marked by its sinister history of trials, witch burnings and many legends of haunted buildings, brings thousands of visitors with its Festival of the Dead. The busy celebrations last over more than two weeks and include tours around the sites of the bloody local history and a wide proposal of tarot readings or spiritualism.

Candles, flowers and skulls in Mexico

In Mexico, although the night of the 31st is the time of fancy dress costumes, they really celebrate ‘el Día de los Muertos’ (Day of the Dead in Spanish) on the 1st and 2nd of November. The origins of this festival, declared an Intangible Cultural World Heritage Festival by the UNESCO, dates back to Pre-Columbian times and was presided over by the goddess Mictecacíhuatl, christened as the Lady of Death.  

During these days, it is believed that the souls of the dead return from the afterlife to meet up with the living; therefore they honour them with eye-catching altars, profusely decorated with flowers, candles, incense, food and images of the deceased. Mexico City, Oaxaca and Michoacán are some of the points where the most spectacular celebrations take place which, in addition to parades, thematic tours and competitions, include huge offerings, monumental altars that are displayed in the educational and cultural centres and the most vibrant parades.