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Halloween may be an American tradition, but its roots go way back. All the best superstitions of the Roman, Celtic, Catholic,European folk traditions, as well as good old American greed, have morphed into the modern-day celebration of Halloween. Second only to Christmas in spending, this superstition-rich amalgam of a holiday has become a celebration of our need to embrace our more base desires. See how countries around the world put their own spooky spin on Halloween, as well as honor spirits from beyond the grave.
United States
Where Christmas celebrates good cheer, Halloween has become a night for sensual, sybaritic revelry in the United States. It’s a chance to mask our socially-accepted selves and explore the darker side of our nature in a fun, harmless manner. What started in Europe as a day to cast out evil spirits and keep them from ruining crops or starting other mayhem, has become a celebration of self-indulgence -- especially for children, who get to dress up and go from house to house demanding “trick or treat!” Big Halloween events in the US include: Guavaween, Tampa, FL; Festival of the Dead, Salem, MA; West Hollywood Halloween Carnival, West Hollywood, CA; and Fetish & Fantasy Halloween Ball, Las Vegas.
France
The French are not typically fain to adopt any celebration with a bourgeois whiff to it, but in recent years, with the help of Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Francophile ex-pats, Halloween is taking root in France. And, of course, the French love to dress up and have a party. The jury is still out on if Halloween is gonna stick, but you can be sure that when Yves St. Laurent puts a Halloween costume on the fashion runway, the French take notice. The town of Limoges, goes all out each year with aparade of ghosts and ghouls, and the American Dream Diner in Paris celebrates Halloween robustly as well.
You may think that when it comes to Halloween, you've done it all -- high-end costumes, parties 'til dawn, eating yourself sick on candy corn. But to qualify for perpetual Halloween bragging rights, you'll need to travel. The following list of spooky, spine-tingling and downright raucous destinations will hopefully give you a leg up in your quest to be the hippest Halloween cat around.
Savannah, GA
According to legend, several areas of historic downtown Savannah, GA, are built on top of cemeteries. With so much bad juju underfoot, it's no surprise every day feels like Oct. 31 in Georgia's sultry capital of the supernatural. The city's River Street bars are the place to sip spirits on Halloween night as bands of locals and tourists go pub crawling in costume.
Before heading out, dine at The Olde Pink House restaurant, frequented by the specter of James Habersham, builder of the 1771 mansion. Delve deeper into Savannah's afterlife by joining one of the city's ubiquitous ghost tours or visiting the Mercer Williams House, site of the murder in the true crime novel, Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil.
If you dare, stroll among the moss-draped oaks and gravestones of the creepy Bonaventure Cemetery. Later, lay your head at the 17-Hundred-90 Inn, where lovelorn Savannahian Anna Powers committed suicide by leaping to her death from the third-floor balcony. Her ghost awaits you in room 208.
Related Links:
Haunted Savannah
Ghost Adventures: Haunted Savannah Pictures
Las Vegas
No, there isn't a naughty nurse convention in town every October. It's Halloween in Las Vegas, when hotel nightclubs host over-the-top costume blowouts and it becomes quite difficult to tell scantily clad tourists and paid escorts apart. Of course, the town's hottest bash is always the annual Fetish & Fantasy Halloween Ball, where the only costume prohibited by the dress code is your birthday suit.
If your leather bustier is at the cleaners, instead join Haunted Vegas Tours on a hunt for the ghosts of Liberace, Bugsy Siegel and Elvis. If rocking out is more your Halloween scene, get your ghoulish groove on at the Vegoose music and arts festival, held annually on the grounds of Sam Boyd Stadium. Big name headliners -- from Tom Petty to Rage Against the Machine -- top eclectic lineups loaded with hip-hop, indie rock and jam bands. A costume contest, bizarro burlesque show and giant spinning jack-o-lantern in the middle of the crowd make this a regular Halloween-a-palooza.
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