Halloween in Italy?

Halloween is a U.S. celebration.  Right?

Well, what about Halloween in Italy?

As October 31 approached, we wondered what we might see.  While on a tour prior to October 31, we asked our guide what to expect.  He told us that the older generations of Italians do not celebrate Halloween, but the younger ones do.  He laughed, "Any excuse for a party!"  (Since Halloween is always the night before an Italian national holiday, All Saints Day, Halloween is never on a "school night".) 

In some local shops before Halloween, we saw typical Halloween products for sale:  spooky decorations, costumes and the like.

The evening of October 31 arrived and we saw how younger Italians celebrate Halloween.  Teenagers and college-age adults were on the streets of Florence dressed in costumes (skeletons, witches and zombies mostly) headed to parties.  Young children were also on the streets in dressed in scary or super hero costumes.  With parents nearby, they ventured from shop to shop in search of candy.  Since most residences in the center Florence are fortress-like apartment buildings, the alternative of going trick-or-treating in neighborhood shops seemed like a great idea.  (It's similar to indoor shopping malls in the U.S. that host trick-or-treating events for the youngsters.)

So, U.S.-style Halloween has taken hold in Italy, at least with the younger generations.  Perhaps imported U.S. television and film contribute to the spread of celebrating Halloween.

And now for a few photos of Italian trick-or-treaters.

Groups of trick-or-treaters roam the neighborhood in search of candy (Florence, 10/31/2016)

A young pirate with plenty of booty (Florence, 10/31/2016)

Two trick-or-treaters score some candy at a local shop (Florence, 10/31/2016)

Halloween decorations at a bar in the tourist area (Florence, 10/31/2016)

P.S. Our guide told us that some Italians even celebrate Thanksgiving Day.  Who knew?  Gobble, gobble!