Curious to see the differences across the countries.
Finland. Traditionally not a thing at all but each year the commercial aspects creep in more and earlier. Nothing about them can be contextualized further than “it’s an American thing”.
When i was a kid i had the feeling there was more children running around to get sweets too. Now not so much anymore.
Ireland and yeah it’s a big enough deal here. To be fair Halloween started here.
Lol, it’s a big, big deal. Bonfires, dress up, trick or treat was all done as kids. It’s a bit different to tv version in America, but that has crept in over time. However, it’s always been a big deal as a festival.
Food is different - monkey nuts, barn brack (sweet bread) with a fainne (ring), cloth or coin to predict the future. The púca. Fireworks. Bonfires. Public holiday. School half term. Change of seasons.
Not a big thing in Poland but it’s present. Kids have fun going around their neigbourhood after dark (smaller ones usually under their parents’ watch) hunting for candies, young-to-middle-age people get an excuse to throw a party. It’s mostly a curiosity, not something people wait the whole year for or go out of their way to decorate their house like in the US. I personally don’t enjoy dress-ups but if kids are having fun and the religious people are getting triggered because of a “western, non traditional, pagan custom”, then I’m all for it.
Kids hunting for candies and adults having an excuse to throw parties is the main reason people enjoy Halloween in the US too. Of course, the season of scary is a ton of fun too. It’s the only time of the year that everyone goes all-out with horror movies and haunted houses.
