Importing Halloween

We went to the amusement park in Madrid last week and they were celebrating Halloween.  There were decorations, haunted houses and people dressed in costume.

The celebrations of All Hallows’ Eve were brought to the nascent United States by the Scottish and Irish.  Slowly adopted across the country, this evolution of the original import has been being exported from the U.S. by Hollywood.

Spaniards gradually saw more and more Halloween-oriented movies as Spain began to open up to the outside world during the 1970's including horror thrillers like Halloween starring Jaime Lee Curtis and films showing haunted houses and children trick or treating.

While the young in Spain are happy to join in the fun of a Halloween celebration, some customs enjoy more acceptance than others.  There are decorations in public places but rarely in houses, children put on costumes at school but don’t carve pumpkins, youngsters try to trick or treat but home owners refuse to answer the door. 

I did find eyeball lollipops at the grocery store today but didn’t buy them.  I think I won’t be answering the door for trick or treaters this Halloween; I am going back to the amusement park.