Halloween – spooky candy time

26. October 2022 Nolwenn Frankus

Jack-o’lanterns (photo: Banny_MM / pixabay.com)

Once a year, you have the opportunity to get really spooked and scared. But where does this well-known celebration actually come from and what exactly do you do on Halloween? To answer these and other questions, we interviewed Donovan Murray from the USA, who is currently working at our school.

Camäléon: Could you introduce yourself, please?

Donovan Murray: Hello, my name is Donovan Murray. I am 23 years old and from the state of Oregon in the United States of America.

Donovan Murray-Guinn (photo: D. Murray-Guinn)

Camäléon: What is Halloween and when is it celebrated?

Donovan Murray: Halloween is a holiday in the U.S. celebrated on October 31st when adults and children dress up in costumes and children go “trick-or-treating”. The activity “trick-or-treating” is when you have a pumpkin pail or bucket and you walk around your neighborhood, ring your neighbors’ doorbells and say “trick or treat” and they give you candy.

When you are an adult in the U.S. you go to costume parties instead of trick-or-treating. Many years ago people believed Halloween was the day when ghosts and humans were the closest to each other.

Here is a picture of a traditional pumpkin pail:

A pumpkin pail (photo: Gabriela Motta / pixabay.com)

Camäléon: How about you? Do you like Halloween? Why or why not?

Donovan Murray: Halloween is my favorite Holiday. In the United States, the whole month of October is Halloween-themed. The stores, movie theaters, and restaurants are all decorated for Halloween. I love Halloween because it is a day when many people get together, dress up, and have fun. When you are a kid you get a whole bucket of candy!

Camäléon: If you celebrated it in the USA, do you still celebrate it now that you are in Germany? What is different for you here?

Donovan Murray: I do celebrate Halloween in Germany but it is very different from the United States. It is very hard to find Halloween decorations and many of the Halloween candies that I like here in Germany. However, over the past few years, I think Halloween has become more popular in Germany and that makes me happy. Halloween is a holiday that makes so many people happy and allows you to dress up as anything you can dream of and I think that’s why I love it so much. Because Halloween is not as popular in Germany, I have my own American Halloween party so that I can have a taste of American Halloween here in Germany!