Time for Halloween Fun!

Our weather right now is gorgeous fall weather: frost on the grass in the morning, but sunny and crisp in the afternoon. The leaves on the trees are all changing colors, and the air smells so good I keep the windows open, even though that means we have to wear sweaters inside.

This morning my son got an email from one of his American cousins asking what he would be for Halloween this year, and he had to write back saying Halloween isn't really celebrated the same in Germany as in the US. Germans do know about Halloween from American TV shows and movies, but they don't know exactly what it is to go trick-or-treating. There are a few Halloween parties at bars and restaurants, and my son was once invited to a Halloween party by a classmate where the kids wore costumes and played games, but it was in the afternoon and they didn't go door to door collecting candy.

A few people have put pumpkins out, but it's more for a fall decoration than for Halloween. I've only seen one pumpkin carved into a Jack-o-Lantern this year, and I've never seen one with a candle in it.

My Austrian in-laws mentioned that once they had three trick-or-treaters come by, but that was a few years ago. Sine my in-laws live in a small village, I'm assuming it was one mother with her kids who saw it on TV and wanted to try it.

In Germany and Austria the day after Halloween, All Saints Day, is much more of a holiday. Traditionally you visit the cemetery to clean off graves of deceased relatives, and leave flowers or candles. This is a slightly dying tradition though. As a child, my husband always went to the cemetery on All Saints Day with his parents, but my nephews only occasionally go with my brother-in-law.

So if you're dressing up for Halloween, I hope you have a great time! My son always has no school the last week of October, so we'll be traveling next week. Please let me know if there's anything you'd like to know about life in Germany, or about self-publishing a book. I'd love to hear from you!


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