Happy Halloween, from all at River Voyages!
We hope you’ve got a nice day planned, whether you’re taking the kids out trick-or-treating this evening or, like us, you’re just sat in the office munching on chocolates and sweets all day. It kind of feels like a tradition, despite Halloween being a blatantly American phenomenon that is extremely commercial. The pile of cakes and treats on my desk make it hard to be upset about that.
I’ve spent today looking for the ways that Halloween is celebrated around the world along with other intriguing traditions and landmarks that are quite similar. I’ve found some interesting touches to share with you.
For example, river cruises on the Danube sometimes take guests into Romania. Now one of the most famous towns in the whole of Romania is Transylvania, home of the Bran Castle which is known as the setting of Dracula’s castle in the Bram Stoker novel. Always popular with tourists, it’s an intriguing place to visit, particularly if you’re a fan of the book.
Within a few miles of the Rhine is Frankenstein Castle, which was built in the 13th century and was the site of the birth of Johann Conrad Dippel, a controversial theologian and alchemist. Both the castle and Dippel himself are rumoured to be major influences on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein novel, and again it’s an interesting location to explore if you have the opportunity.
As for actual celebrations around the date, much of Europe is influenced by the American traditions of trick-or-treating, but with some minor differences. For example in Germany, all knives are put away on Halloween to stop spirits from using them for harm.
Further afield, there are other ceremonies that are almost related. The Chinese celebrate the Ghost Festival, Yu Lan, where food is sacrificed and a meal is cooked for ancestors who have passed on, to keep them appeased.
There’s plenty around the world to be interested in at this time of the year, and if you’ve any kind of interest in the supernatural, or in traditional rituals and events, much you could learn on a river cruise. Something to consider when you think about your next holiday…
By Ian Lewis
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