Halloween has been in Switzerland for a while, yet it still feels out of place. I was somewhat shocked when I noticed Halloween decorations in stores around 2006. Then, 10 years ago in 2016, I wrote a post titled ‘Happy Halloween in Switzerland!’. So, how is Halloween doing 20 years later? Are we giving out bags and bags of candy to a steady stream of costumed children? A generation later the short answer is still ‘No’. But why not?
All About Hallows’ Eve
Before getting into the nitty-gritty of Swiss verses American Halloween, let me say something about Halloween in general. How in the world did the name All Hallow’s Eve turn into Halloween? Well, for sure, we’re not greeting the ween ‘Hallo + ween’. Nor did it originate through a joke about Irish drinking accents slurring Hallows’ + Eve together. No, it evolved properly.
Hallow means to make holy, or set apart with reverence. In religious usage, a ‘hallow’ could also mean a saint. That is why All Hallows’ Day means All Saints’ Day, which is on November 1st. Fittingly, All Hallows’ Eve, the evening before November 1st is October 31st. The final –een sound developed from the word even/evening. Then it got worn down, and eventually standardized into the one word: Halloween.
Originally All Hallows’ Eve was traditionally a vigil night, a time for prayer, fasting and preparation for the feast itself. In the U.S. Halloween now is much bigger and flashier than All Saints’ Day which is a more denominational observance. In Switzerland All Saints’ Day is deeply tied to family remembrance, cemetery visits, flowers, and candles. Halloween, in comparison, is basically an American import.
Halloween in the U.S. 2025
In 2024 people in the U.S. spent a whopping $11.6 billion, in 2025 about $13.1 billion on Halloween (13% more!). Money well spent for candy, costumes, and decorations, with costumes taking a large share.
I don’t know the exact number of American children that trick-or-treat. My sister told me that they always have a good number of trick-or-treaters stopping by. Of course they do, someone’s got to eat all that candy that the Americans buy!
What the kiddies wore to trick-or-treat in 2025 start with Spider-Man, which was the number one costume. Princess, witch, and ghost costumes came in a close second, third and fourth. Adults tended to dress up as witches, followed by vampires and pirates.
Halloween in Switzerland 2025
Switzerland’s spending is nothing compared to the U.S. even though there are no reliable figures to confirm this. Although my anecdotally circumstances confirm it is far lower than the U.S.
For example, like every year, last year there was no endless stream of children ringing our doorbell. And of course, we bought way too much candy. Way. Too. Much. We finally finished eating it the end of May this year, 6 months after Halloween! I generously say ‘we’ but, in fact, my husband hand to eat it all alone. I didn’t listen to the solid advice I gave 10 years ago: only buy candy you like, you’ll have leftovers! Still, it’s amazing how long sugar’s ‘use by’ date is.
The costumes that came knocking at our door were much more reserved, and probably less commercial. There were no witches at all, well, none with pointy hats and green faces. But I did see some nice mummies, a robot, and yes, there was even a princess among the treat seekers.
Halloween Lanterns
Pumpkins were not used as the original lanterns in Ireland, turnips were! Ah yes, an adorable little turnip somehow carved out with a half of a birthday candle in it. Cute. But, no, of course Ireland didn’t use the salad turnip we know today. They used a larger field or fodder turnip that could be hollowed out more easily.
Surprisingly pumpkins weren’t used from the beginning on in North America either. They used turnips, beets and similar root vegetables because that is what they had in the fall harvest. The pumpkin came in later because they are bigger, easier to carve and much more photogenic. And with that, the Halloween color combination of orange and black were born.
As always, the bigger, the better! The largest pumpkin in Switzerland weighed in at 2,096 pounds in 2014. Imagine trying to carve that dilly! How much pumpkin soup could that make? A rough estimate is between 570 and 760 liters (about 150 – 200 gallons). That would be about 3 bathtubs full of soup from one pumpkin. That compares to roughly 10 bathtubs of milk from one cow for a year. Holy cow! Not bad, that.
Events in Switzerland
So, if there are next to no trick-or-treaters, what keeps Halloween alive in Switzerland? Possibly the commercial events; last year in Biel/Bienne the Museumspark hosted a family Halloween celebration. A Bar in Biel hosted a costume party. There has also been events such as a pumpkin festival with a lantern procession and a children’s museum ghost hunt. That’s not much, but it means that Halloween is kept alive in Switzerland with nice, civil events. Where everyone can dress up, have a pleasant time and spend money.
Compared with ten years ago, events in the region of Berne shows there has been no ‘Halloween explosion’. But there has been a steady, if not small, increase in organized themed events, especially for families and city nightlife.
Personally I think that Halloween would have taken off after twenty or so years if it were meant to be. But it looks like it will stay a side-event. Still, I shouldn’t forget to buy candy, but not too much, for the few outliers that actually find their way to our door. You know, the ones who say ‘trick-or-treat’ in a wonderful German accent. Then after scrutinizing all the amazing candy in the huge bowl, they politely take one little piece. They smile and say ‘Merci vieu mau!’ and then scurry away into the dark.
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