In the United States, Halloween is a time for family, friends, and fun. It's also a time to dress up in costumes and have your pictures taken. But what does Halloween mean to Canadians? It means different things to different people. If you're headed to Canada for the Halloween holiday, you should explore how Canadians celebrate Halloween so that you can make the most of your Canadian experience on All Hallows' Eve.
How Canadians Celebrate Halloween
Halloween is celebrated in a variety of ways in Canada. The most common way is to trick-or-treat, where children go door to door asking for candy. This practice began in the United States but has now spread throughout North America and even other places around the world, such as Australia and New Zealand. In addition to trick-or-treating, some people hold costume parties or watch horror movies on TV during this holiday.
Halloween in Canada is unlike anywhere else. From the candy to the costumes, it's a holiday celebrated in a different way than in other countries and parts of the world.
A Fun Holiday
Halloween in Canada is a time for trick-or-treating and dressing up as your favorite character or superhero. Kids, and some adults, will don their costumes and go door to door collecting sweet treats from neighbors who are handing out candy. If you're lucky enough to visit one of these neighborhoods, this is guaranteed fun for everyone involved.
It's an opportunity for Canadians to embrace their culture by participating in uniquely Canadian activities like holding séances on Halloween night or carving pumpkins into jack-o'-lanterns, a tradition brought over from Ireland.
A Family Tradition
When it comes to the important things in life, Canadians love their families. Family is at the center of everything in most areas, and they celebrate many holidays with their loved ones. Halloween is no exception. In Canada, they enjoy gathering with friends and family to share ghost stories and enjoy delectable treats while wearing costumes that make them feel like children again, even if it is for one night.
Making Halloween Spooky
Halloween, or All Hallows' Eve, is one of the most spooky holidays around. It's celebrated on October 31st and is all about ghosts and goblins.
Halloween is a time for costumes. You can dress up as anything from a zombie, to an elf, or even Superman. Some people choose to go in disguise by wearing masks that cover their face completely, and others go for fancy dresses with elaborate hats or colorful clothes with matching accessories. There are lots of options available to you when it comes to choosing your costume for Halloween night, especially frightening ones.
In addition to this festive atmosphere where everyone gets dressed up for fun and treats are handed out at every turn, there's also an element of superstition surrounding Halloween in Canada. Some people believe that if someone wears an empty shoe around their neck on October 31st, then bad luck will come their way throughout the year ahead, but most don't take those types of traditions seriously because they're just fun anyways.
Trick-or-Treating Rituals
Trick-or-treating involves going from house to house asking for sweets from neighbors who have been told about your visit beforehand, so they're expecting it. Similar to the United States, if you aren't trick-or-treating on Halloween night, you can turn your porch light on and wait for all the interesting kids and adults in costume. Not only are costumes involved, those who enjoy Halloween may even make the walkway or entrance to their home spooky for upcoming trick or treaters.
The Religious Part of Halloween
Halloween in Canada is still heavily associated with religious themes, but there's a twist: the harvest. While many might associate Halloween with pumpkins, candy, and costumes, Canadians tend to think of it as an autumn holiday.
The harvest was once considered a time of celebration for farmers because they would gather their crops from the fields and store them for the winter months. The harvest also marked the end of one year and the beginning of another, so it was a way for people to celebrate life itself.
Since then, different cultures have celebrated this time of year in their own ways. But nowadays we're most familiar with Halloween being celebrated throughout North America on October 31st each year.
The Political Undertones of Halloween in Canada
Canada is a multicultural society with over 200 ethnic groups, each with its own language and culture. Canada is also a secular state. As such, Halloween celebrations in Canada are not as common as they are in the United States.
In Canada, there is no single religion or belief system practiced by the majority of citizens. This includes a multitude of religious beliefs with both Christian and non-Christian practices. With so many different religions represented across the country, it's easy for someone to feel excluded from something as simple as celebrating Halloween if their religious beliefs prohibit them from doing so. In fact, one in three Canadians does not celebrate or participate in any holiday traditions at all due to their personal beliefs or circumstances.
Are You Ready to Celebrate?
There are many different ways to celebrate Halloween in Canada, but all of them have a few things in common. It's not just kids who get dressed up and go trick-or-treating; adults do too! And the costumes are always creative, ranging from simple homemade looks to elaborate costumes with special effects like smoke machines and blinking lights. People also love decorating their homes with pumpkins, scarecrows, cornstalks, and even ghosts!
