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About Me:I'm a graduate student studying International Criminal Law and first started writing for King's News almost 4 years ago! My hobbies include reading, travelling and charity work. I cover many categories but my favourite articles to write are about mysteries of the ancient world, interesting places to visit, the Italian language and animals!
Imagine celebrating Halloween in a town of medieval towers, scary dungeons and mystical castles; combine this with delicious food and rich religious traditions and discover how Italians spend Halloween!
Every country has its own rituals and traditions, those little features which characterise nations, yet one festival which is becoming ever more globalised is Halloween. In recent years Halloween has become very popular in Italy due to influences from American films and pop culture. According to a simple google search the words ‘Halloween’ and ‘Italy’ appears more often on search than the terms ‘Carnevale and ‘Italy’, although Carnevale (the famous Italian festival mentioned in the previous article) still remains one of the most prestigious festivals in Italy. Carnevale shares many common traits with Halloween as both are occasions to dress up in extraordinary outfits and cook some of the festival’s most delicious delicacies.
Halloween is even becoming more popular than yet another great Italian religious occasion, All Saints and All Souls Day. All Saints Day is celebrated on November 1st as part of the Catholic tradition to give honour to all known and unknown Saints whereas All Souls Day, on the 2nd, is a day of solemn prayer for lost ones. Religious authorities in Italy are increasingly worried about how Catholic traditions like these are being substituted by large scale celebrations such as Halloween, which poses less religious weight. Nonetheless unsurprisingly the origins of Halloween are similar to those of All Saints and All Souls Day! Halloween may be an American commercialisation yet it too was founded in Europe as a day to commemorate and honour the dead. The tradition was so popular in Ireland and other parts of Europe that when many migrated to America in the 1800s they continued to celebrate it there! The fancy dress and trick and treating, candy and apple bobbing is the ultimate Americanisation of Halloween but Italy, as many other European nations, remained more attached to the religious side of the tradition.
It is said that the Italian capital for ‘Halloween – La Festa Delle Streghe’ (Halloween – the festival of witches) is the medieval town Corninaldo, in Le Marche, which hosts a weeklong celebration centred on a theme which changes every year. The town provides its many guests with spooky rides, luxurious Halloween themed food and lots of entertainment including fireworks and music, cute taverns and amazing acts; it is an amazing place to spend your Halloween!
Many towns offer midnight walks where you can see medieval castles and tiny cobble streets in the moonlight or, if you’re feeling pretty brave, you can visits some of the many tombs, catacombs and skeletons in Lazio or the Mummies' Museum in Umbria. Gardaland, one of Italy’s biggest and best amusement parks, turns into ‘Magic Halloween Night’ with parades, scary rides and frightening costumes which will surely give you the chills! So whether you’re looking to enjoy a solemnly religious night or are in search for a fright, your Italian Halloween will be unforgettable!
IMAGE 1: https://italyin30seconds.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/halloween-italy.jpg
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