Halloween In Canada

Written By Brandon Douglas

– B2-C1 (intermediate to advanced) –

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October 31st every year is an unofficial holiday in Canada called, “Halloween” (alternatively spelled, “Hallowe’en”). This celebration is widely observed across Canada by children and adults, alike. It is a day when people dress up in costumes: adults usually attend costume parties or stay at home, while children dress up to go trick-or-treating, an activity where they visit their neighbours’ homes in costume, asking for candy.

Generally speaking, Canadians start to decorate the interior of their homes with Halloween symbols and items either late September or early October. Exterior decorations are often put out one or two weeks before Halloween. This décor typically includes colours such as, orange, black, white, purple, and green, as well as objects like black cats, witches, cobwebs, spiders, bats, vampires, werewolves, demons, ghosts, fake dead bodies and skeletons, fake blood, fake crime scenes, jack-o-lanterns, candles and/or lights, gravestones, and more….

Some traditional activities that Canadians participate in on Halloween include:

  • dressing up in costumes, whether cute, funny, clever, or scary

  • attending work/school in costume

  • going trick-or-treating (generally for children and parents/guardians)

  • staying at home to hand out candy to trick-or-treaters

  • pulling startling pranks on friends, family and/or neighbours

  • hosting or attending a Halloween party, where prizes are often given to the best costumes (e.g. Couple Costume, Group Costume, Scary Costume, etc.); these parties typically occur the weekend before Halloween, unless Halloween is on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday

  • watching Halloween movies and/or horror films

  • going to haunted houses

  • sorting through trick-or-treat bags before eating candy

    • NOTE: Unfortunately, it is a common crime in Canada to give children harmful candy that has been drugged, poisoned, or filled with razors, so Canadian parents/guardians often investigate their children’s trick-or-treat bags before allowing them to eat any of the candy. It is generally considered a safe practice to throw out anything that is homemade, previously opened, improperly packaged, or unrecognizable.

  • and more…!

Like other Canadian holidays, there are traditional foods associated with Halloween. These include:

  • sugar cookies in the shape of Halloween symbols or items

  • miniature chocolates and chocolate bars (e.g. Coffee Crisp, Crispy Crunch, Smarties, Aero bars, Mars bars, Reese Peanut Butter Cups, etc.)

  • miniature bags of chips (common flavours include: Hawkins Cheezies, Hickory Sticks, All-Dressed, Ketchup, Dill Pickle, Salt and Vinegar, Sour Cream and Chives, Nacho, etc.)

  • candy corn

  • gummy worms

  • dirt pie (colloquially known as “worms and dirt [pie]”)

  • spaghetti with meatballs that look like eyeballs

  • punch

  • and much more…!

Is Halloween celebrated where you live? What do people do on the holiday there? Practice your English by letting me know in the comments below.

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Brandon Douglas
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