Halloween: From spooky origins to family fun

by Natalia Moreno

The Origins of Halloween

Although Halloween celebrations are very popular in The United States, its origin comes far from the American continent. History dates Halloween celebrations as a Celtic festival, Samhain, commemorated with bonfires and animal costumes on the day before their new year, which used to be the 1^st of November.

This celebration marked the end of the summer and the start of the cold and dark winter, a period associated with death and agricultural difficulties. The Celts believed that on October 31^st, the spirits came back to Earth and the lost souls could cause trouble; therefore the bonfires, rituals and costumes helped repel the intentions of bad ghosts.

Later on, the Christians celebrated “All Saints Day/All-Hallows Day” on the 1^st of November, which was the reason why the Celtic commemoration on the 31^st of October became known as “All-Hallows Eve,” and later, “Halloween”.

Halloween in the United States

The Irish and English people brought the Halloween traditions with them during the mass migrations to the United States in the 19^th Century, where it became a popular holiday.

It lost its religious and ghostly nature and became a celebration to bring together the community through games, food and costumes. The famous game “trick or treat” then became a fun way of sharing food. Despite the efforts of some community leaders to remove the scary tone of Halloween, this holiday still holds mystery and superstition, especially in the United States.

Halloween in Colombia

In Colombia, many efforts have been made in the last 15 years to diminish the creepy feeling of Halloween. In fact, it is now called, “Kid’s Day.” Schools and community centres promote the celebration of this day by hosting carnivals and kid-oriented shows, such as puppet theatre and magic shows. It is very common in Colombia to see kids wearing a costume to school on the 31^st of October.

Funny enough, we don’t have seasons like those in the United States or UK, so pumpkins and spiders are not common at all at this time of the year. And yet, we still use those items for decoration. At the end of the day, kids go from house to house singing something that would translate as, “trick or treat Halloween, I want candy only for me, your nose will grow if you don’t give candy to me.” It might sound aggressive, but it is not taken in a bad way at all. It might refer to the Pinocchio story, were his nose grew longer because of lying. So telling a kid you don’t have candy to share might be considered a lie. My own interpretation!

Halloween in the Netherlands

Not a Dutch tradition?

In the 9 years I’ve been living in the Netherlands, no one has come to my door asking for candy on the 31^st Of October. However, when my son was born, I decided I was not going to let this day pass unnoticed. At the time, I was living in Wageningen, a very international town in the east of The Netherlands. That year, I sent my son to daycare dressed as a polar bear and although moms and leaders thought it was cute, they also thought it was a bit weird.

I had also asked around among other expats and found out there was a newly built neighbourhood where many expats lived, and many had decorated their houses for Halloween. We decided to go in the evening with our kids and sing our Spanish Halloween songs, going from door to door to ask for candy. To our delight, we were very well received, even by the Dutch families! Perhaps this might be the only neighbourhood in Wageningen where kids can get candy on the 31^st of October.

… how you can celebrate Halloween, Dutch style!

However, more than asking for candy, I wanted my son to enjoy Halloween in the way kids do in Colombia, and I’m sure I’m not the only one! Therefore I have been doing my research and I am very happy to share this info with you:

Halloween shopping night

(Prinses Beatrixlaan, 2284 BK Rijswijk)
Thursday 25^th October, from 18:00 – 21:00: dance performances for kids and face painting in de Bogaard Shopping Centre.

Halloween at the Delft Botanical Gardens

(Poortlandplein 6, 2628 BM Delft)
Friday 26^th October, from 17:00 – 21:00: Ghost greenhouse, face painting, colouring, pumpkin carving, scary photo booth (DIY), marshmallows roasting at the bonfire, ghostly treasure hunt. You must pay for the entrance and for €2, kids get a stampcard for the various activities.

Halloween at the Stadsboerderij BuytenDelft

(Korftlaan 3a, 2616 LJ Delft)
Saturday 27^th October, from 13:00 – 20:00: for kids between 3 and 6 years there are several activities throughout the day, such as pumpkin carving, decorating Halloween cupcakes, making popcorn in the fire pit, face painting, storytelling and a ghost tour through the water playground. See here for more  information about the timetable of activities and costs.

Halloween in the Wippolder

(Wippolder, 2628 GC Delft)
Saturday 27^th October, from 18:00 – 20:00: this has been a big and succesful Trick or Treat walk to the houses along a planned map route. Kids and parents wearing a costume are welcome to join this fun walk. The route to follow can be found on their Facebook page.

Delft MaMa Halloween Party

(Speeltuin Geerweg, Kleine Boogerd 16, 2611 WC Delft)
Sunday 28th October, from 14:00: Hosted by Delft MaMa, there are costume contests for both the kids and the adults. There’s a Pot Luck (bring a dish!) for food, but drinks will be available at the venue. The fee is €12,50 per family,  Pay online via Tikkie. Follow the Facebook event here.

Halloween in de Trees!

(Laan van NOI 104, 2593 BX Den Haag)
Wednesday 31^st October, from 13:00 – 17:00: Face painting, treasure hunt, trick or treat, surprise activities at the Zorg voor Party Feestwinkel.

Halloween in de Reinkenstraat

(Reinkenstraat, 2517 CS Den Haag)
Wednesday 31^st October, from 16:00 – 18:00: This is a very cosy shopping street in the Hague.  Children are invited to go dressed with costumes to sing Trick or Treat. There will also be several children’s activities in the street, such as a spooky ghost tunnel, a candy festival and face painting.

Halloween at Duivenvoorde Castle

(Laan van Duivenvoorde 4, 2252 AK Voorschoten)
Wednesday 31^st October, from 16:00 – 17:30 for kids from 4 to 8 years old; from 17:30 to 19:00 for kids from 8 to 12 years old. Activities for both age groups include walking through the ancient castle rooms, a super-scary ghost tour, short storytelling in the attic, face painting, Halloween crafts and roasting marshmallows over the campfire.

Have a spooktacular time!