Halloween Around the World for children
Halloween Around the World: Spooky Traditions and Cultural Celebrations for Primary-aged children
Halloween is a brilliant time of year for exploring different cultures and customs with children.
Across the world, the end of October and beginning of November are marked in very different ways — but many traditions have something fascinating in common. There are stories about spirits and ancestors, special foods, costumes, lanterns, festivals and celebrations connected with the changing seasons.
That makes Halloween a lovely starting point for some wider intercultural learning.
So, how is this time of year celebrated around the world?
1. Scotland: guising, turnip lanterns and Samhain
Here in Scotland, Halloween has some very old traditions.
Halloween is closely connected with the Gaelic festival of Samhainn, which marked the end of the harvest and the beginning of the darker half of the year.
And long before pumpkin carving became popular, Scottish children carved turnips — or “tumshies” — into lanterns.
Another Scottish tradition is guising.
Children dress up and visit houses, traditionally performing a song, joke or trick before receiving a treat. It’s very similar to modern trick-or-treating, but with a distinctly Scottish twist!
The Scottish word guising ultimately comes from French, through words linked to guise and disguise. You can still see the connection in modern French se déguiser, meaning “to dress up” or “disguise oneself” — a lovely little language link to Halloween traditions in Scotland.
Classroom challenge
Ask your learners:
How is guising similar to and different from trick-or-treating?
You could also compare a traditional Scottish turnip lantern with a modern pumpkin.
2. Samhain: an ancient Gaelic festival
Halloween has deep roots in Samhain, an ancient Gaelic festival traditionally celebrated in both Ireland and Scotland. It marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, and was associated with bonfires, feasting, disguises and stories connected with the supernatural.
The name Samhain is still used in both Irish and Scottish Gaelic traditions. In English it’s often pronounced roughly “SOW-in”, while Scottish Gaelic pronunciation can sound closer to “SAH-vin”, depending on dialect.
Many modern Halloween traditions developed over a very long period, but Samhain remains an important part of both Irish and Scottish Gaelic cultural heritage.
Did you know?
Some of the traditions we associate with Halloween today — including costumes and bonfires — have links with much older seasonal customs.
Classroom challenge
Can your learners find three similarities between traditional Samhain celebrations and Halloween today?
3. France: Halloween and La Toussaint
Halloween has not traditionally been as significant a celebration in France as it has been in countries such as Ireland, Scotland or the United States.
However, Halloween is now easy to spot in France too. Shops display pumpkins and spooky decorations, themed events take place during the autumn holidays, and some children dress up or take part in Halloween activities.
But there is another important date at this time of year:
La Toussaint — All Saints’ Day — on 1 November.
For French learners, this gives you a lovely opportunity to explore how the same period of the year can have different cultural meanings in different countries.
And, of course, it’s also a perfect excuse to learn some spooky French!
- un fantôme – a ghost
- une sorcière – a witch
- un monstre – a monster
- une citrouille – a pumpkin
- une araignée – a spider
At Lingobox, we use Halloween vocabulary through songs, actions, games and active learning.
Our Je n’ai pas peur ! song introduces spooky characters through music and movement, while our Halloween activities include sound-effect quizzes, PE warm-ups and creative French tasks.
Classroom challenge
Try a simple comparison:
Halloween in France / Halloween where we live
What is the same?
What is different?
4. Mexico: Día de los Muertos
One of the most distinctive celebrations at this time of year is Mexico’s Día de los Muertos — Day of the Dead.
Although it takes place at a similar time to Halloween, it is important not to treat Día de los Muertos as simply “Mexican Halloween”.
It has its own traditions and meanings.
Families commemorate deceased relatives and loved ones, and celebrations may include flowers, candles, food and other offerings.
Rather than being simply frightening or spooky, Día de los Muertos can be colourful, celebratory and centred around remembrance and family.
Classroom challenge
Look at photographs of Día de los Muertos celebrations.
What colours can you see?
What objects appear repeatedly?
What do you think they might represent?
Then compare them with images associated with Halloween.
5. North America: pumpkins and trick-or-treating
For many children today, the most familiar image of Halloween comes from North America, particularly the United States and Canada. Pumpkins, elaborate costumes, decorated houses and trick-or-treating have all become internationally recognised Halloween traditions.
One interesting comparison is the Halloween lantern.
In Scotland and Ireland, root vegetables such as turnips were traditionally carved. In North America, pumpkins became the more familiar choice — and today pumpkin lanterns can be seen all over the world.
Classroom challenge
Create a Halloween traditions timeline:
turnip lantern → pumpkin lantern → modern Halloween decorations
Or challenge children to design a lantern inspired by a tradition from another country.
6. Other autumn traditions from around Europe
Halloween is only one of many autumn traditions celebrated across Europe. Around the end of October and beginning of November, different countries mark the season in their own ways — often with food, fire, remembrance or costumes.
Shetland: skekling
In Shetland, a traditional form of winter guising called skekling involved people dressing in striking straw costumes, often with tall woven hats and hidden faces.
Skeklers visited houses, danced or performed, and were given food or drink in return. The costumes must have looked wonderfully eerie on a dark Shetland evening!
Catalonia: La Castanyada
In Catalonia, La Castanyada is traditionally celebrated around the end of October and beginning of November. Families enjoy seasonal foods such as roasted chestnuts, sweet potatoes and small almond-based cakes called panellets.
It is a lovely example of an autumn celebration centred more on food, family and seasonal traditions than on spooky costumes.
Poland: All Saints’ Day
In Poland, All Saints’ Day on 1 November is an important occasion for remembering family members who have died.
Families visit cemeteries and light candles on graves, creating striking displays of light after dark. The focus is on remembrance and family rather than Halloween-style celebrations.
Portugal: autumn fires and chestnuts
In Portugal, autumn traditions also include seasonal gatherings with roasted chestnuts and bonfires, particularly around São Martinho in November.
It is another example of how fire, food and the changing seasons feature in autumn traditions across Europe.
Classroom challenge
Ask your learners to choose one European tradition and compare it with Halloween where they live.
What is similar? What is different? Is the celebration focused on costumes, food, fire, family, remembrance — or something else?
What do these celebrations have in common?
Once your learners have explored several countries, bring everything together.
You could create a class comparison table like this:
| Country | Celebration | Costumes? | Food? | Lanterns / lights? | Remembering people? | Spooky traditions? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland | Halloween / Samhainn | Yes | Yes | Turnips / bonfires | Sometimes | Yes |
| Ireland | Halloween / Samhain | Yes | Yes | Bonfires | Links to ancestors | Yes |
| France | Halloween / La Toussaint | Sometimes | Yes | Sometimes | Yes | Some |
| Mexico | Día de los Muertos | Traditional dress / decorations | Yes | Candles | Yes | Different focus |
| USA | Halloween | Yes | Sweets | Pumpkins | Usually not central | Yes |
The point isn’t to decide which celebration is “best”, but to encourage children to notice that traditions develop differently in different places.
They may also discover that cultures influence one another over time.
Turn it into a mini research project
You could give individuals or groups a different country to investigate.
Ask them to find out:
- What is the celebration called?
- When does it happen?
- What do people wear?
- Are there any special foods?
- Are there decorations, lanterns or lights?
- Are there traditional stories or beliefs?
- What is similar to Halloween where we live?
- What is different?
Children could then create a poster, mini presentation or Halloween Around the World fact file.
For language learners, you can even add a simple French element:
En Écosse…
En France…
Au Mexique…
Aux États-Unis…
It’s a lovely way to combine geography, culture and languages in one seasonal topic.
Bring Halloween into your Primary French lessons
If you’d like to add some French to your Halloween learning, Lingobox has plenty of ready-to-use ideas.
Our Primary French Halloween resources include:
- the Je n’ai pas peur ! Halloween song
- Active Language Learning activities
- spooky sound-effect games
- active PE-style vocabulary practice
- creative potion magique activities
- printable Halloween resources and colouring activities
And if you’re looking for a complete starting point, you can download our FREE Primary French Halloween Planning Pack, with ready-to-use ideas, printable resources and audio support.
Download the FREE Primary French Halloween Planning Pack
Final thoughts
Halloween is much more than pumpkins and sweets.
It can be a brilliant opportunity to help children explore language, history, geography, beliefs and traditions, while discovering how communities around the world mark the changing of the seasons, remember the past and celebrate together.
Why not choose one new country to investigate this Halloween?
What spooky traditions can your class discover around the world?
