Halloween may seem like an American concept to your students, but there are so many celebrations of Halloween around the world! Celebrating Halloween in your classroom gives your students a chance to understand different cultures and enhance global awareness. Go around the world and celebrate Halloween in these different countries with your students.

How do Different Countries Celebrate Halloween Around the World?

There are so many different Halloween traditions around the world. Of course, there is more than trick-or-treating in the United States. Overall, Halloween Around the World is about celebrating ancestors and preserving traditions. Here are some ways to celebrate in your classroom. 

Cambodia: Pchum Ben

First, Cambodia celebrates the Pchum Ben or the festival of the dead. This is a 15 day celebration of seven generations of ancestors. Celebrate Pchum Ben by creating ancestor memory books and also learn about the importance of honoring ancestors.

Halloween Around the World Escape Room

Finally, learn more about traditions in Cambodia with Halloween Around the World Escape Room stations.

This activity has five stations:

• Fill in the Blank
• Find the Paragraph
• True or False
• Lock Combination
• Multiple Choice

Overall, these engaging ready-to-use stations help students learn about Halloween around the world in Cambodia, China, Romania, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, and Indonesia.

United States: Halloween

Of course, many Americans celebrate Halloween with trick-or-treating or pumpkin carving. First, organize a Halloween parade of student costumes and a jack-o’-lantern contest in the classroom. Of course, if you want to keep it a little less messy, try some jack-o’-lantern coloring pages in your classroom!

Halloween Color by Number

Another way to celebrate is with a Halloween Color by Number. Of course, this is perfect to learn about Halloween traditions and show creativity.

In this United States Halloween activity, your students complete an anticipation guide before they read. Next, they read about Halloween. In addition, students answer questions and mark the text for evidence. Finally, they color the picture according to their answer and complete the anticipation guide portion after reading.

This activity is also perfect for social studies and language arts to assess prior knowledge. A lot of teachers use it as an extension or a Halloween party activity as well!

TEDEd Halloween Videos

When you think of Halloween, it often brings to mind Zombies and creepy crawly things. TEDEd put together a Halloween Playlist of videos ranging from Vampire Folklore to Diagnosing a Zombie. Of course, make sure to preview the videos to make sure they are appropriate for the maturity or context of your class. 

China: The Hungry Ghost Festival

Next, China celebrates the Hungry Ghost Festival. This festival is meant to honor and celebrate ghost ancestors.

Of cousre, part of the Hungry Ghost Festival is Chinese opera masks. Chinese opera masks, or “Lian Pu,” are super cool and colorful parts of traditional Chinese opera. They’re like a special code that helps people understand what a character is like without saying a word. Each color and design on the mask tells a different story. For example, red on a mask means the character is brave and a good guy, while black shows someone strong and calm. These masks aren’t just for looks; they also carry a lot of meaning and help bring the stories to life on stage. They show who’s who in the opera in a fun and artistic way, making them a big deal in Chinese cultural performances.

After you study the festival, have your students create their masks looking at the symbolic colors and paying close attention to the cultural significance.

Halloween Around the World CSI Spy Mystery

Another activity to study Halloween around the World including Chinese celebrations is the Halloween Around the World CSI Spy Mystery. This reading comprehension activity also features Halloween traditions from Cambodia, China, Romania, Ireland, Scotland, and Germany.

In this fun activity, your students work individually (or in pairs) and race to see who can solve the case first! After completing each task,  they earn a clue card. This helps them eliminate suspects and evidence.

Of course, students receive a “Top Secret Case File” to read, and “lead detectives” have less than an hour (or whatever time you choose) to solve the case. In addition, props are also included to make the Halloween Around the World traditions mystery like an actual spy game!

Mexico: Día de los Muertos

Finally, Día de los Muertos or Day of the Dead is a a Mexican holiday celebrated after American Halloween that honors the ancestors and departed souls.

History.com gives a detailed overview of videos and explanations of Día de los Muertos as well as comparisons to Halloween and the Catholic celebrations of All Saints and All Souls Days.

One way to celebrate Halloween around the world and Día de los Muertos is by decorating sugar skulls and making of altars (ofrendas) to honor the deceased.

Día de los Muertos Cube Code

Next, I also love using the Día de los Muertos Cube Code activity in classrooms to introduce the Day of the Dead, traditions, and Mexican culture for Halloween around the world.

Overall, this activity requires no prior knowledge and includes puzzles in six stations through reading comprehension passages. The stations are: