As a part of Dickinson’s weeklong Halloween celebration, international students gathered to celebrate Halloween the “American” way at the Global Community House on Friday, Oct. 30, a holiday that many of Dickinson’s international students do not celebrate in their home countries.

Over 30 students went to the event at 7 p.m. on Friday evening, with students from all corners of the globe in attendance, including China, Germany, France, Turkey, and Egypt, among others. Alice Guerrin, a student studying abroad from France, said that “not a lot of people” celebrate Halloween in France and that Halloween is used to “increase candy sales.”

Nour Mohamed, a student from Egypt, said that Halloween is not celebrated at all in her home country. However, Mohamed said that she celebrates Halloween herself by “buying candy and watching a movie.” Mohamed also said that people in Egypt “don’t know about it” because Halloween is “not popular.” Mohamed has a background in Halloween and English- speaking cultures because she taught English back home in Egypt. If she had not taught English, she would not have been familiar with Halloween, she said.

A student from China, who wished to remain unnamed, also said that Halloween is not celebrated in China. The student interviewed for this article said that in her English class, students would “decorate pumpkins” and learn about Halloween traditions in English- speaking countries, but outside of English class, the holiday is not popular.

Inma Fernandez, a study abroad student from Spain, said that Halloween is celebrated in Spain, but typically only for kids. In Spain, children get dressed up for school and teens celebrate the holiday by having parties, Fernandez said. She also said that Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, is much more popular in Spain. Fernandez thought that the American traditions regarding Halloween are “strange” because she is used to the very serious holiday of Dia de los Muertos.

The Admissions Department and the Center for Global Study and Engagement (CGSE) hosted the event for returning study abroad students and international students at the college. Sonja Paulson from CGSE said that “students wanted an event” and that the event was “planned by students.”

Paulson also said that she has received questions from international students about Halloween and American Halloween traditions, so the event was based around a traditional American Halloween. House manager Miray Kaplangi ’18 said that students decorated the first floor of the Global Community House and set up activities for the event earlier that day, with bobbing for apples, pumpkin painting, and lots of candy.

Professor Mark Aldrich of the Spanish and Portuguese department led a discussion about the history of Halloween and how it evolved into the holiday it is today. Aldrich said that the holiday began as a festival celebrated by the Celts to observe their New Year, known as Samhain. With the rise of Christianity, these festivals became less and less celebrated, said Aldrich. Halloween did not become popular or celebrated in the United States until the mid 1800s with Irish immigrants, said Aldrich. By the 1950s, Halloween had become the holiday it is today, with trick-or-treating, bobbing for apples, and pumpkin carving.