Quiz: How much do you know about how Halloween is celebrated around the world?

The pumpkins are carved and the trick-or-treaters are ready – but how much do you know about Halloween's origins, or how this spooky festival is celebrated around the globe?

4 mins

1. In which country did Halloween start as a Celtic festival called Samhain, marking the transition of summer into winter and the battle between seasonal demons?

Scotland

Norway

Ireland

the USA

2. In which city is Samhain still celebrated with the Samhain Fire Festival?

Edinburgh

Dublin

Glasgow

New York

3. Which country celebrates the Festival of the Hungry Ghosts where paper money is lit and incense is burnt to appease the spirits of ancestors and deities?

Japan

Indonesia

China

Laos

4. The town of Salem holds a month-long Festival of the Dead to mark the witch trials that were held there in the late 1600s. There are several Salems in the USA, but in which state is this one in?

Wisconsin

Pennsylvania

Connecticut

Massachusetts

5. Which city in Northern Ireland is home to Europe’s biggest Halloween parade?

Ballymena

Coleraine

Derry~Londonderry

Belfast

6. One of the creepiest places to spend Halloween has to be on La Isla de la Muñecas, a small island south of Mexico City. But what hangs from almost every tree, making you feel as though you're always being watched?

Teddy bears

Clowns

Skulls

Dolls

7. On what day do Mexicans celebrate Día de los Muertos – commonly called Day of the Dead in the English-speaking world – to pay tribute to, remember and also welcome the spirits of the dead?

27 October

29 October

2 November

5 November

8. In Galicia, Spain, 31 October is known as Noite dos Calacús. It means Night of the what?

Pumpkins

Witches

Swords

Candles

9. During the Obon festival it is believed that spirits return to visit their relatives. Paper lanterns are hung to guide the spirits home and Obon dances are performed. In which country is this festival held?

Japan

Taiwan

South Korea

Philippines

10. If you are celebrating Halloween in Germany, what household object do you need to hide to prevent ghosts harming themselves?

Knives

Scissors

Forks

Shears

11. During the Commemoration of All the Departed in the Czech Republic, what would you place in every room you hope a ghost will visit?

An empty glass

An empty chair

An empty bottle

An empty plate

12. In Italy what cake would you bake to be left out for spirits to feast upon?

Beans of the dead

Deathly doughnut

Terrifying tart

Spooky sponge

13. Over 500 people have reportedly wandered into Aokigahara, known in English as Suicide Forest, never to be seen again. Which mountain is the forest near?

Mount Fuji

Mount Everest

Nanga Parbat

Lhotse

14. Here’s an easy one. In which modern-day country would you find Dracula’s Castle or at least Vlad the Impaler’s?

Romania

Bulgaria

Albania

Croatia

15. Talking of Dracula, which British seaside town, and in particular its ruined Gothic abbey, was the inspiration behind Bram Stoker’s Dracula?

Brighton

Skegness

Cromer

Whitby

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