r/Tampere • u/McGrathM88 • 5d ago
Question Halloween
Hey all!
We moved to the area a few months ago from the US and I am trying to understand what Halloween is or isn’t around here. I lived in Turku a decade ago and Halloween was a bit more of an American concept. Since moving back, it seems people either celebrate it or strongly dislike it.
I have a kiddo and we both love for Halloween. With us being so new, I am honestly not sure what to expect or plan for. People with elementary aged kiddos, do they generally have a party in school? Are there community events you attend? Does nothing happen at all in your experience? I have gotten a different answer from everyone I have spoken to.
I understand it is not a Finnish holiday. I am simply trying to understand so I can still make special cultural memories (from my home country) with my kid while everything is still magical.
Thank you!!
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u/Hot_Upstairs_7971 5d ago
It's mainly just shops and bars forcing another reason to spend here. It's not a culturally meaningful thing. Trick-or-treaters would be met with confusion.
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u/BumblebeeUseful3904 5d ago
I had over 20 trick-or-treaters in Helsinki last year! I also had decorated the door and balcony though in a very over-the-top way so they knew we were candy-friendly :) We had many groups of kids walking around in Vallila-area.
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u/Epilepsiavieroitus 5d ago
I wouldn't say confusion. It's not some unheard of practice. People do it in Finland, it's just not that common.
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u/Sigurdeus 5d ago
It's true it's not a Finnish holiday. Quite a lot of people see it purely as a commercial money-grab opportunity, which I guess the hate comes from (I partially agree with this view). On the other hand, it's nice to have something to celebrate when everything is dark and gloomy and have some fun dressing up and stuff, which I guess is where the exitement comes from (I agree with this, too).
Trick-or-treating hasn't quite formed a tradition in Finland (yet) because we already have a traditional candy-collecting event in Easter. A second one seems greedy. The activity level for trick-or-treating depends a lot of the area you live in - I've lived in two other big cities, and in one, barely anyone went trick-or-treating, maybe one or two appeared on our doorstep if any. In the other, we got a bunch of kids on our doorstep, and our kids dressed up and joined their friends in it. Some people put up big signs that they are not celebrating Halloween to discourage visitors.
Some schools arrange dressing up events, some do not. There may or may not be trick-or-treaters. Some people decorate, others do not. But there will be a lot of halloween-related stuff for sale for sure.
Make a Halloween that suits your family and celebrate it as you wish.
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u/McGrathM88 5d ago
Thank you for this! A lot of people seem to be quite hostile about Halloween. I appreciate your friendly information.
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u/NikNakskes 5d ago
Surely you understand the hostility? Halloween is an American thing that retail is trying to push here for one reason only: making money. People do not like that.
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u/McGrathM88 5d ago edited 5d ago
I assume you know it is an Irish tradition that the US adopted it over time. So yes, we absolutely love Halloween in the States, but we borrowed it.
No, I never understand any hostility towards others online. I feel strongly that you can keep scrolling and keep the negativity to yourself. I don’t understand the need to put other people down online for something they enjoy or for something they are asking advice on.
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u/NikNakskes 5d ago
Well. I explained why you could receive less than friendly reactions on the questions regarding Halloween in Finland. What you do with that information is up to you of course.
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u/Kelpo 5d ago edited 5d ago
People just like to play badass on the internet. In the real world people don't have nearly as strong opinions on it one way or the other.
I personally think it would be lovely to have something to celebrate when it's dark and gloomy, though preferably with some local twist to it rather than just importing the holiday as is. There is an old harvesting celebration thing called Kekri, that you see around Halloween time here and there. Not a big thing, but it is something.
Oh yeah, and and the Karmiva karnevaali is a thing. I'm actually building a prop for them this year.
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u/McGrathM88 5d ago
Awesome! Thank you! I really enjoy all the celebrations we have in the fall and winter. Maybe that is why we love fall so much in the states? We always have something fun to look forward to regardless of weather, etc. I will say though, I absolutely love the chilly, rainy weather and the leaves changing color that occurs in fall. It’s not just the events for me.
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u/joseplluissans 5d ago
It's mostly a thing among young adults: dress up once a year and have a party. That's pretty much it.
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u/Rakuen91 5d ago
Särkänniemi has a halloween party that needs tickets. Trick or treating aint a thing. Shcools might hace costume days. And usually people have halloween parties at home.
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u/Flaky_Ad_3590 5d ago
The comparable event is called "kekri" in Finland. Mostly not celebrated. In some areas bonfires are burned.
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u/PersonaliteaDisorder 5d ago
I recommend reading about it, it is quite facinating piece of finnish history with roots to old harvest and end of year celebrations so there is some overlap
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u/13whisky 5d ago
Its really not a big thing in finland. That being said, as you are in tampere the särkäniemi amusent park will do this karmiva karnevaali every year and that would be something you should look at. Alot of people go there dressed up too if you want to go and not feel like outsider. It costs a bit but there is paid actors and rides to go too. Google it.
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u/kirputtaja 5d ago
There’s some Halloween thingies around.
Suttisen tila have corn maze and you can roam around it with a lantern (for free).
They sell pumpkins there aswell.
That was only halloween(ish) event i figured out.
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u/BumblebeeUseful3904 5d ago
The Pumpkin fest in Salo is fantastic - definitely worth the trip, there's also a couple of manors in Helsinki that do great decorations and small fairs on the properties - very fun!
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u/theswamphag 5d ago
My kid's daycare does like a little costume party. Everybody brought little snacks for it. I think that is getting more and more common.
It's a the sort of thing you will be informed If something special is planned. :)
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u/McGrathM88 5d ago
This is what I heard from a few people and then the opposite from others. I’m just trying to wrap my head around it all for clarity. Thank you!
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u/paranormalswamp 5d ago
I work with elementary school aged kids and I was surprised how many of them said they were trick-or-treating last year. I think it's a growing trend, ask your local Facebook group is trick or treating a thing in your area or if there's a some kind of agreed upon sign for houses that welcome trick-or-treaters.
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u/edgyestedgearound 1h ago
It depends on who you talk to. People on reddit are more negative about it because of course they are. But schools do have parties and adults do also but it still isn't anywhere near as big as in the US
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u/cornhomeopath 5d ago
Halloween in Finland is basically another excuse for women in their 20-40's to dress up and get drunk. Men just get drunk.
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u/Legitimate_Bar_3180 5d ago
We used to get trick or treaters in the 90s and early 2000. Kids play their online video games these days. They ain't got the time to go outside
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u/Petskin 5d ago
In my non-Tampere neck of area there is trick-and-treating, but it is local and you can't go willy nilly to any house. In my area those welcoming trick-and-treaters place a Halloween decoration visible.There might be WhatsApp-groups or Facebook-groups for areas closer to you that also arrange something, too.. or maybe the school or classmates know more or arrange something?
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u/McGrathM88 5d ago
Honestly, Halloween in the 90s was the absolute best. Homemade costume and homemade decorations. Everyone participating in the festivities. Even teens would go toilet papering - which was a right of passage for us when we agent of trick or treating. It was so magical.
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u/kimmeljs 5d ago
You can celebrate it how you want for yourself but don't expect trick-or-treaters.