Unique Halloween traditions around the world

Transcript

00:00 Aside from Christmas and New Year traditions from every part of the world, one of the most

00:04 anticipated and celebrated traditions around the globe is Halloween.

00:09 It is a spooky holiday that is eagerly awaited by people everywhere.

00:13 Soojin Kim provides us with a glimpse of various cultures from around the world in

00:18 this report.

00:20 Trick-or-treating, bringing flowers to cemeteries, and dressing up in costumes are some of the

00:25 Halloween traditions we're familiar with.

00:27 Now we take a curious look at other unique ways people around the world commemorate Halloween.

00:34 In Germany

00:35 On the days leading up to Halloween itself, it's not a surprise to see people hiding their

00:39 knives and drawers and shelves to stave off incidents of getting injured by visiting souls.

00:45 In Hong Kong, they celebrate Yulon, wherein other than the typical offerings of food and

00:50 lighting of lanterns, they also set aflame portraits of their departed loved ones and

00:54 burn their money and belongings.

00:56 The light is believed to guide souls back to the land of the living where food is specially

01:00 prepared for them to enjoy and fatten up before winter.

01:04 If in North America, jack-o'-lanterns are made from carving pumpkin, some places in

01:09 Europe use beets and turnips instead.

01:11 This is because pumpkins are scarce in those areas.

01:15 In the UK, there's a tailored belief that if you stare at your reflection in a pitch

01:19 dark room, the image of the person you'll eventually marry appears right above your

01:24 shoulders.

01:25 And if you're meant to die before you get married to them, the image turns into a corpse.

01:29 Even if it's just telling scary stories and visiting haunted houses, at the end of the

01:33 day, the point is to honor and pray for the dearly beloved departed souls.

01:37 Soojin Kim, for The Nation.