In Germany and Sweden, Halloween is not an official holiday. Some people celebrate it, but most people don’t. If you walk down a German or Swedish street, you wouldn’t know it was Halloween. This is because people don’t decorate their houses like they do here. Not a lot of people go trick or treating, but the people that do go, are mostly young kids. If you go, you can`t assume that every house will be prepared with candy.

Linda (German Exchange Student): I have only been trick or treating once and that was when I was little. It was mostly because I went to a birthday party and all the kids wanted to go trick or treating. I dressed up as a traditional witch.

Alicia (Swedish Exchange Student): I have been trick or treating a couple of times when I was little. I dressed up as a witch, but since October is a cold month in northern Europe, I had to cover my costume with a jacket, hat and gloves. In Sweden, most parents make their make Halloween cards before they go trick or treating. You give the cards as a thank you to the people that give you candy and if you don’t have a card it is kind of impolite.

We were both excited to celebrate an American holiday and be a part of the American culture. We saw this as a great opportunity to spend time with our host families. We both dressed up and went trick or treating with our host siblings and friends. It was interesting to see all the decorated houses and it was fun to try a lot of American candy that we had never tried before.