Witches and German Halloween Traditions

Halloween Night, the night when the ghosts and witches are the most active. Halloween or as they call it in Germany “All Saint’s Day” is generally believed to be a scary night when the ghosts and spirits roam around freely on earth. It is believed that the barriers between the real world and the spirit world are the weakest on this day. In the olden days, Halloween Night was considered to be scary and people stayed inside their homes. Most people even hung lanterns outside their home or had bonfires to keep the evil spirits away. Now-a-days, Halloween Night is celebrated as a joyous festival wherein people get together and play fun games.

Halloween is basically an old Pagan Festival that was celebrated by the Celts as Samhain or the fest of the dead. Most Germans celebrate it as the day to honour the dead. Germans celebrate Halloween Night the same way as the English. The trick or treat and Bonfire is a very popular tradition in Germany too .However, there are some German Halloween Tradition that have a really interesting stories:-

• Witches: Witches apparently originated in Germany. Witches have a very special place in the history of Germany. The Harz Mountain was supposedly the home for all witches or you could say the Headquarters of the World of Witches. There are few old maps dating back to the 18th Century that still show Harz Mountain with Witches hovering over them.
• German also believe in the Brocken Peak myth too. The Brocken Peak was populated with witches who were once goddess and princess or priestesses. The Germans love to blend Halloween with the night of Witches which actually comes on 1st May.
• The night of Witches is celebrated very popularly on Halloween Night. People dress up as Witches and tell Witch stories to their kids.
• All Pumpkin’s Day: A very typical German Tradition is decorating homes with Pumpkin Lanterns. Many people hang the famous Jack O’ Lantern or Pumpkin Lantern’s outside their homes and stores. You will see the whole town in Germany filled with Pumpkin Lanterns.
• The Germans visit their loved ones grave on the All Saint’s Day and they believe in honouring the dead. All Saint’s Day is a National Holiday in Germany and is considered to be a day when the good s souls and all the saints visit earth.

Many cities in Germany have Halloween Fest and Halloween Night parties which have gained a lot of popularity. People take on to streets dressed up as ghosts and witches celebrating the Fest of Dead. The vibrant streets of Germany are filled with colours and light on the scary night of Halloween.