When I first moved here I was under the impression that most of Europe didn't celebrate Halloween, after all, there's Carnival in February for that sort of thing, but it seems there has been a culture creep in the last 15 years or so. I was surprised to learn that children go out begging for treats in the Lausanne area (not too sure if kids here in the village do) and that Halloween paraphernalia and themes are in the stores, although not as ubiquitously as they are in North America.
What really surprises me is that the Swiss didn't already have some ritual for this date.Seriously, these people will have a fête at the drop of a hat.For all I know, they have a 'drop-of-a-hat' fête sometime in January and I just haven't heard about it yet.
Halloween retailers get a shock , Oct 31 2008 , www.swissinfor.ch
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