People explore in a night market decorated with Halloween elements in Shaoxing, East China's Zhejiang Province, on October 31, 2024. Photo: VCG

To live in China for many foreign residents is to learn about the country's national calendar holidays. From the internationally celebrated Chinese New Year to the National Day celebrations, many of China's holidays hold rich cultural significance and are steeped in history and national pride. 

Their unique ties to China's history mean many such holidays are opportunities for China's significantly large foreign residents to learn about and understand the country culturally.

In recent decades, more internationally celebrated festivals and holidays have grown in popularity in China, as the country welcomes more residents from overseas and hosts more foreign-related events. Now, Santa Clause and the pilgrim hat-clad Thanksgiving turkey are no longer strangers in the country, with everything from Christmas to Thanksgiving, and even Valentine's Day being taken as opportunities to have fun with friends and family. 

Granted, many such celebrations are concentrated in larger metropolises like Beijing and Shanghai, cities that attract large numbers of foreign residents and young Chinese people looking to chart a path for themselves in the big city. Also celebrated in these cultural melting pots, is Halloween, a festival known in many countries for its requisite costumes, the giving of candy, and an indulgence in all things creepy or spooky. 

Dating back to the ancient Celtic festival marking the last day of summer, the origins of present-day Halloween's ghoulish traditions harken back to the tradition of warding off unwanted spirits by darkening one's face with ash, which later evolved into mask-wearing and costumed merriment. 

Halloween offers a cultural crossroads filled with levity. The day is widely celebrated by China's foreign residents and an increasing number of Chinese people interested in sharing in the fun. 

In some big cities, Chinese kids dressed in cute costumes, participating in trick-or-treating activities accompanied by their parents are no longer an unusual sight. Some schools also take the event as an opportunity to engage young learners in fun and creative art and craft activities, as students are encouraged to create masks and artworks.

For Corey, an American teacher based in Shanghai, the spooky season is also a reading season. Corey's young students along with their schoolmates take the opportunity to celebrate Halloween week through literature. 

"For the past three years we have had a book week where children recommend books, they have a story writing competition, a different author comes in and helps students write stories, and then to end off the week, the students dress up as a character from their favorite book," Corey explained. 

Jevon Hercules, a Barbadian working in Guangzhou's burgeoning gaming industry, said there were a handful of events held across the city. Halloween, according to Hercules, is also widely celebrated in his Caribbean Island country. 

There were also celebratory events being held by expats in smaller cities. Rogelio, an American living and working in Wenzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province, couldn't keep up with all the events hosted in the second-tier city this past weekend. "There were three events I was invited to and there are three to four more this weekend, although I may pass them up," Rogelio said, blaming fatigue. 

He, however, does appreciate the role this festival can play in China. Though it is celebrated far more in North America, Rogelio believes that it is a festival that can be enjoyed by anyone. "In China, it can help Chinese people get involved in a cultural aspect outside of their own as we engage in their cultural events," Rogelio said.  

Whether predominantly Western, or being adapted by the Chinese, Halloween and other festivals offer foreign residents in China a window into communications, fostering understanding, and creating a welcoming cosmopolitan melting pot, where all traditions, big or small, are viewed as welcoming and worth celebrating.

The author is a media professional based in Beijing. life@globaltimes.com.cn