From Satan’s Bridge to the Headless Horseman, here’s how to spend Halloween in Europe.
Sarah Faith is a content and values writer at activist travel company, Responsible Travel.
Trick or treat, it’s that time of year again. But if tacky decorations and piles of sweets aren’t your thing, why not immerse yourself in some of Europe’s finest storytelling traditions for spooky thrills that get you closer to local culture?
From Romania to Iceland, these are the best places in Europe to explore the myths, legends and local traditions that have inspired the season’s celebrations – and horror stories – throughout time.
Take part in the Ritual of the Killing of the Living Dead, Romania
There are few places more synonymous with Halloween than Transylvania. But before Bran Stoker’s Dracula was even a whisper of a story, Romanians in Sighișoara have been easing their departed loved-ones’ journey into the afterlife through the Ritual of the Killing of the Living Dead.
“Romanians are a superstitious people,” explains Hertha Todea who runs Halloween tours to Sighișoara. “The undead (or strigoi in Romanian) are spirits of the dead, who do not reach the world ‘beyond’ after the funeral, or refuse to return ‘there’ after visiting their relatives. They are very dangerous for the living: they take the lives of close relatives, bring diseases and other suffering.”
“The Ritual of the Killing of the Living Dead is performed exactly as traditional old burial rites were to ensure the passing of strigoi. We want to introduce visitors to traditional Romanian folklore from before the legends of Dracula, and show them that many of the elements used in the ritual – candles, incense, garlic, holy water and basil – are things we still use today.”
If you take part, expect to gather around a ‘strigoi’ in a coffin as if you were grieving friends or family. With a priest presiding, you’ll pass round the coffin three times – to symbolise the Father, Son and Holy Spirit – holding candles to guide the captive soul into the light.
A three-day tour with Transylvania Live, including the Ritual of the Killing of the Living Dead costs from £599pp (€715) and departs 1st November 2024.
Trace the traditions of Samhain in Ireland
Over 2,000 years ago, the ancient Celts wore masks and lit bonfires to ward off evil spirits and demons at Samhain, the harvest festival that marked the beginning of winter. A time, according to Celtic folklore, that the boundaries between this world and the next become blurred and spirits (or Púca) and fairies walk the earth.
The traditions of Samhain reverberate as today’s Halloween – trick or treating started life as soul cakes baked and given to children and the poor, the carved pumpkins on our doorsteps trace their roots back to the hollowed-out turnips used to carry the burning embers home from Samhain bonfires.
At County Meath’s Púca Festival you can hear tales of shapeshifting creatures from Irish storytellers, learn about the traditions of the Celtic New Year, and experience the heady ritual of the lighting of the Samhain fire – with a few contemporary twists. Tickets can be booked via the festival website.
Party by Satan’s bridge, Italy
The devil himself did a great job constructing the 11th Century Ponte della Maddalena in Borgo a Mozzano, Tuscany – it’s still standing today. Legend has it that St Julian, finding it too difficult to complete the construction, entered into a pact with Satan to finish the bridge in return for the soul of the first being to cross it.
You’ll meet the devil in all manner of guises at Borgo a Mozzano’s Halloween Festa held on 31st October each year. The highlight is a town-wide procession evoking the spirit of Lucida Mansi, a beautiful 17th Century Italian noblewoman who, the tales say, killed her lovers by throwing them into a pit full of spikes when she was done with them. Entry to the festa is free.
Beware the Headless Horseman in the Black Forest, Germany
Dare you venture into the deep dark woods? Follow in the footsteps of the Brothers Grimm and curate your own collection of myths and legends in the forests of Germany that inspired the dark original tales of Hansel and Gretel and Little Red Riding Hood.
Legends here tell of witches and werewolves and eerie encounters under the dense firs that will make your spine tingle as you explore.
Use a local guide on hikes along the Black Forest’s myriad of trails so you can listen to spooky stories along the way and watch out for the headless horseman fated to ride among the trees for eternity, cursing any who cross his path.
Commune with ghosts in Iceland
Few places in Europe have a stronger tradition of folklore and storytelling than Iceland. Here, sagas passed down through time tell tales of a land inhabited by elves (the Huldufólk), trolls and ghosts.
Listen to 24 of these traditional ghost stories at the Ghost Center in Stokkseyri on the south coast – a small immersive museum dedicated to sharing the most chilling portions of Iceland’s epic stories. Or, take in some of Iceland’s most spectacular rock formations which are said to be petrified trolls turned into stone in the sunlight.
Take a tour of southern Iceland and the black sand beaches near Vík í Mýrda and you can marvel at the Troll Rocks (Reynisdrangar) that jut out of sea just off the coast. Be careful as you explore though, while Icelandic trolls must hide during the day, they feast on human flesh and will lure unsuspecting people into their caves.
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