Spooky Halloween Traditions You May Never Have Heard Of
Halloween is a time of spooky costumes, trick-or-treating, and pumpkin carving. But around the world, other haunting traditions bring out the eerie spirit of the season in unique ways.
If you're ready to explore the unusual and add some spine-tingling fun to your celebrations, dive into these spooky traditions you’ve probably never heard of.
DÃa de los Muertos (Mexico)
Every year, from the 31st of October to the 3rd of November, Mexico transforms as families celebrate DÃa de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead. This colourful tradition is about honoring deceased loved ones with offerings, food, and beautifully decorated calacas—skeleton dolls made from paper, clay, or even sugar. Unlike Halloween’s ghostly frights, these skeletons represent joy and remembrance, often dressed in vibrant costumes.
These skeleton figures are crafted with intricate detail, making them beautiful but eerie. Their empty eye sockets and grinning skulls remind us of the thin line between the living and the dead.
If you love model kits or creative projects, crafting your own Day of the Dead skeleton dolls could be a perfect seasonal hobby. It’s a chance to explore Mexican culture while flexing your artistic skills.
Check out the Top 5 Creepiest Toys You Can Get This Halloween.
The Hungry Ghost Festival (China)
In China, the seventh month of the lunar calendar is known as Ghost Month, and it’s when the Hungry Ghost Festival takes place. During this time, spirits are believed to return to the world of the living. To appease these wandering ghosts, people leave out food, burn paper money, and even create paper effigies—anything a ghost might need in the afterlife.
The idea of hungry spirits roaming the earth looking for sustenance is unsettling. Some believe that if you leave your door open at night, the spirits might even pay you a visit!
Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai (Japan)
Japan has a rich tradition of ghost stories called Kaidan, and one of the spookiest ways to enjoy them is through a game called Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai. Participants gather to tell ghost stories, lighting 100 candles in a room. After each story, a candle is blown out, making the room progressively darker until the final story is told in complete darkness.
As the stories get scarier and the room grows darker, it’s said that a supernatural presence might appear during the last tale, when only shadows remain.
If you enjoy storytelling board games or other role-playing adventures, gathering friends for a night of Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai could become a thrilling hobby.
Check out some Ghoulish Games for Your Next Halloween Party.
The Mari Lwyd (Wales)
The Mari Lwyd is a Welsh tradition that takes place during the winter months, but it’s spooky enough to make it a perfect addition to any Halloween lineup. Groups of people dress up as the Mari Lwyd, a horse skull adorned with ribbons and a white sheet, and go door-to-door, singing songs and challenging residents to rhyming contests.
The sight of a horse skull with hollow eyes and clacking jaws roaming the streets at night is both strange and spine-chilling. It’s a reminder that even winter has its share of ghostly traditions.
Night of the Radishes (Mexico)
On the 23rd of December, the town of Oaxaca in Mexico holds Noche de Rábanos—the Night of the Radishes. But this isn’t your average holiday fair. Locals carve radishes into elaborate scenes depicting everything from nativity stories to eerie skeletons and monsters. This bizarre yet artistic competition attracts thousands of visitors.
Radishes, normally unassuming, are transformed into creepy, ghostly shapes that take on an eerie life of their own under the moonlight. The intricate details and spooky designs create an unsettling contrast with their otherwise everyday appearance.
If you enjoy carving or sculpting, give radish art a try—it's perfect for a Halloween party or a fun weekend project with the family. You can even expand your skills to other crafts, like OKTO Sensory Art, where you can sculpt spooky designs from air-dry clay.
Conclusion
Exploring these eerie traditions is a great way to add a unique twist to your Halloween celebrations. You’ll find that these lesser-known customs offer a fresh perspective on the spooky season. Plus, embracing new activities is just like picking up a new hobby—each one adds a little more magic and mystery to your life.
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