World TraditionsNo. 6814 · The 2026 edition
Is Halloween celebrated in Asia?
Think Halloween is only a Western affair? Think again.
Our own summary of the original — the full post and photos live at web.archive.org.
While Halloween is not a traditional holiday in Asia, it has gained popularity in recent years, especially in countries like Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines. Celebrations often include costume parties, parades, and themed events, blending Western traditions with local customs.
About this
A 2020 Asia Media Centre feature surveying how Halloween is marked across Japan, mainland China, Hong Kong, the Philippines and Singapore. It contrasts the holiday's Celtic origins and American image with Asia's local adaptations, from cosplay parties and expat bar scenes to ancestral festivals and Singapore's tourist-driven events. Each country gets a short profile noting influences, existing days of the dead, and current practices.
Facts from the original
- Halloween has grown more popular in Asia over the last two decades, just as it has in New Zealand.
- The rise is largely attributed to American media dominating pop culture.
- Some parts of Asia have adapted the ghostly celebration to their own traditions.
- Halloween began as a Celtic festival honouring the souls of the dead and departed.
- Celtic celebrants lit bonfires and wore costumes to ward off ghosts.
- Halloween is now commonly regarded as a purely American holiday.
- Many New Zealanders remember trick-or-treating as children and being met by confused neighbours saying 'we don't do Halloween'.
- Halloween parties for young people are increasingly common in New Zealand.
- Big box stores such as The Warehouse dedicate whole sections to Halloween goods.
- In Japan, societal acceptance of Halloween has surged over the last ten years.
- Halloween in Japan was previously celebrated mainly by Western expats.
- It is now very common for young Japanese to dress up for costume parties and club events.
- Popular areas include Shibuya in Tokyo and Amerikamura (American Village) in Osaka.
- Cosplay originated in Japan.
- Fake blood and horror scenes are popular year-round in Japanese entertainment, making zombie and witch costumes a natural fit on 31 October.
- Japan's Obon Festival is very similar to Halloween and honours ancestors and departed spirits.
- Obon is held in July or August.
- Halloween in mainland China was mostly introduced by Western English teachers and other expats.
- In expat-heavy places like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, restaurants, bars and clubs carry Halloween themes.
- Generally Chinese people do nothing for Halloween unless Western friends get them in the mood.
- China has more traditional days of the dead across the year, notably the Hungry Ghost Festival, Qing Ming Festival, Double 9th Festival and Spring Festival.
- Hong Kong has more Western influence around Halloween.
- Hong Kong Disneyland, open with limited capacity in 2020, goes all out with Halloween shows.
- Many people in Hong Kong hold dress-up Halloween parties.
- Trick or treating is not common in Hong Kong because most people live in high-rise apartments.
- In a normal year the nightlife area Lan Kwai Fong hosts a large Halloween street festival.
- The Lan Kwai Fong Halloween street festival has run for more than 20 years.
- It was cancelled for 2020 because of Covid-19.
- Between 31 October and 2 November, Filipinos remember dead family members and friends in a way similar to how Koreans observe Chuseok.
- Because this period falls on the same days as Halloween, unlike Chuseok, similar themes run through the whole weekend.
- Pangangaluluwâ is a form of souling performed on All Souls' Day, asking for donations of food in exchange for singing a song for souls in purgatory.
- Pangangaluluwâ was once common in the Philippines because of its Catholic makeup.
- The practice has died out in favour of Western-style trick or treating.
- Singapore's tourist attractions put on Halloween offerings for 2020.
- Singapore is the most enthusiastic about Halloween of all Asian countries.
- This enthusiasm stems from its large expat community and its role as a tourism centre.
- Universal Studios Singapore runs a trick-or-treat-themed park tour complete with free candy.
- Cinemas and aquariums in Singapore host Halloween nights.
- Plenty of Singapore restaurants do themed dining for Halloween.
- Time Out compiled a Singapore Top 10 Halloween events list, which the article notes is rare in 2020.
- The article was published on 29 October 2020 and credited to the Asia Media Centre.
From the original
Published by the Asia Media Centre in October 2020, this feature examines how Halloween has taken root across Asia over the previous two decades, driven largely by American pop culture and media. It traces the holiday's origins to a Celtic festival that honoured the souls of the dead with bonfires and costumes meant to ward off ghosts, and notes that Halloween is now widely perceived as exclusively American — even in New Zealand, where children once met baffled neighbours who insisted 'we don't do Halloween'. The article then surveys individual countries. In Japan, acceptance of Halloween has surged within a decade, moving from an expat-only pursuit to mass costume parties in Shibuya and Osaka's Amerikamura, with the Obon festival as a local equivalent. Mainland China's Halloween is largely expat-driven, coexisting with the Hungry Ghost, Qing Ming, Double 9th and Spring festivals, while Hong Kong embraces it more fully through Disneyland shows and Lan Kwai Fong's long-running street party. The Philippines blends All Saints'/All Souls' observances and the fading practice of Pangangaluluwâ souling with Western trick-or-treating. Singapore emerges as the region's most enthusiastic adopter, with Universal Studios tours, aquarium and cinema nights, themed dining and a Time Out top-ten events list.
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