
Although Halloween is catching on in South America it still lacks the flare and build-up we create in the US. Fittingly it is not part of their culture and celebrating down here would feel less than authentic.
These cultures have much scarier things to worry about than silly old Halloween. Like this mask for example: A native depiction of a Spanish conquistador
I think Halloween is more popular in Uruguay. Our hosts from couch surfers in Montevideo had Halloween candy and a pumpkin! In their kitchen they have a blackboard wall which we decorated with a few spooky sketches.


From Uruguay Stuart wrote:
“There were a lot of kids celebrating Halloween in Tacuarembo tonight.
The were dressed up, throwing stuff on each other, and running around. One was
dressed up like a ghost, but made the mistake of having his head pointed, so he
was actually dressed like a KKK member. Dad and I had a good laugh at that,
and yes there are photos.”
In Argentina there are a few parties at clubs and in resturaunts. I contemplated dressing Carlos up or going out in costume myself. But Carlos has been dressed up enough (see photo below) and with the heavy rain a movie seemed like the best option.
Ghost Busters was a pretty good choice. I can’t believe I had never seen it. I drank some beer and watched it with our current couch surfers Mercedes and Mario.
Mario is from Switzerland and Mercedes is from Quito, Ecuador. The couple have been traveling for 3.5 moths and will be returning to their home in Quito next week. Merceds and I talked about the up coming holiday in her country, Dia de Los Disfuntos (Day of the deceased).

Families go to the graveyards to honor the dead by decorating the grave with flowers. There is a large dinner with a traditional blueberry (colorada morada) drink and bread shaped into little figures called Gua Gua de Pan which means baby-bread.
These traditions stems from their native heritage. Similar celebrations take place in Mexico, Dia De Los Muertos. Graves are decorated a huge feast is prepared with plates set for both the living and the departed.
Passed loved ones are honored with their faovirte tequilas, candies, flowers etc. In Mexico the traditional sugar skulls adorne homes along with candeles and marigolds.

If you can’t tell I’d really like to go to Mexico and stay with a family during this celebration…

Mexican immigrants in the US celebrate too. Hopefully when I get back I can get involved in a community and learn more about how their traditions function away from their native countries.

































