Halloween Party in Medan-Indonesia

Like most expatriates far from home, parents in Indonesia make an extra effort during special holidays to recreate traditions from home for their children. Halloween is no exception and is widely celebrated amongst the expatriate community in Indonesia, particularly amongst North Americans.

Explaining Halloween

If you have troubles explaining Halloween to Indonesians, it may be helpful to think of Halloween in terms of something that is similar in Indonesia. I have heard of no direct historical tie to Halloween in Indonesia. s colonial history. However, a Halloween-like religious/cultural event in Indonesia is Nyepi, which is celebrated by Hindus in Bali. The night before Nyepi, the Hindu New Year, Balinese leave their homes and make a lot of noise all through the neighborhood and community, to scare away the evil spirits. The next day, Nyepi, Balinese must stay inside their homes, not doing any work, cooking or making any noise that would invite the spirits into their home. So, if an Indonesian friend asks you to explain Halloween, you may find it easier to point out the similarities with Nyepi than to describe how the pagan origins of this holiday turned into the candy-seeking, costume-wearing party that it is nowadays.