How is Halloween Celebrated in Korea?

Do you know how to say “Happy Halloween” in Korean? 해피 할로윈 (Haepi Hallowin)! Yes, the phrase is exactly the same! But does this spooky holiday exist in South Korea?

In many Western countries, Halloween is celebrated on October 31, when children dress in costumes and go trick-or-treating, and friends gather to watch a horror film in a dark room. While most people have taken part in the tradition of carving pumpkins and hoping they don’t get stolen during the night, Korea does not have such traditions. However, in recent years, Halloween-themed events have been popping up in bigger South Korean cities, and even idols are sharing their love for the holiday online.

The History of Halloween

Image: Pixabay

Halloween originates from the Celtic festival of Samhain over 2,000 years ago, where Celts believed that spirits would arise and needed to be warded off by lighting bonfires and dressing up as creatures themselves. In these bonfires, crops and animals were given as sacrifices to the Celtic deities. The Celts also believed that the spirits and the trouble caused by them improved the accuracy of fortune-telling. To end the festival, the hearth of the bonfire would be relit to ensure protection during the winter. Why October 31? Because the New Year used to be celebrated on November 1, as summer ended and winter had just begun. 

Nowadays, many of these older traditions no longer exist (at least not with that much seriousness). Instead, children opt for a clever costume and travel door-to-door to ask for candy. Meanwhile, some might watch a scary film and others party or go clubbing. But what about in South Korea? Well, Halloween is still celebrated on October 31, but children don’t go trick-or-treating and houses are not decorated in any of that spooky glory. Neither will you see the popular tradition of carving pumpkins, going to a haunted house, or having competitions to see which pumpkin or costume is the scariest. And those Halloween-themed menus you see in big-brand cafés? They don’t exist in Korea either! So how is the holiday celebrated there? 

Image: pixabay

Costumes and Decorations

While costume competitions may not be popular, costume parties are the opposite! In Seoul, there are many young people looking to dress as crazy as they want, but the best place to celebrate Halloween without getting judged is a foreigner-friendly place, such as Itaewon or Hongdae. Not only will you see people dressed up out in the streets, but the bars will be filled with mystical beings too! Want to know what to expect? Watch Itaewon Class to understand how costumes are celebrated in South Korea. However, don’t expect to see many stores selling costumes as there’s still not a big stigma or profit-margin for Halloween. Toy Party Store in Gangnam is one of the best and well-known costume stores in Seoul, but there is also Joy Party and Party House in Gangnam, and Party N Deco in Seocho, but many opt to buy their outfits online. Besides costumes, you can also find decorations in these stores, including Daiso, which has a chain of stores around South Korea, and Flying Tiger Copenhagen, which is a global chain. 

Events

Image: Korea Times

Recently, some Halloween events have been cropping up in bigger Korean cities, such as Seoul. While some schools may give students the opportunity to decorate their classrooms and have an annual party, most schools, companies, and parents don’t celebrate at all. However, many amusement parks have taken the Western idea of decorating their park in spooky attire as they have a wide target audience of tourists, students, and families. Some of the most popular amusement parks in South Korea celebrate Halloween every year, such as Everland’s Halloween Parade Party in Yongin and Lotte World’s Halloween Horror Festival.

Not interested in rides? In 2019, the first Zombie Run Festival was held in Korea. This is a popular tradition in the West where two groups are created, one being zombies and the other being the survivors who are running away from said zombies. Generally, the zombie group is made up of staff members in full costume and makeup and the survivors are visitors joining the race. If this sounds too scary, there’s also the Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk that can be booked any time of the year. Again, this is a popular tradition in Western cities that have a lot of history behind their old streets and pubs. In Seoul, this event is exactly the same, where people can experience the history behind specific streets and hear the urban legends people may have heard about as a child. Finally, an original take on Halloween would be Yongin’s Korean Folk Village. Here, professionals become those famous urban legends while performing for visitors.

Image: SMTownGlobal

Idols

With K-Pop becoming more popular every day along with the trend of integrating Western traditions with K-Pop, there has been more inclusion for idols to create new events. In 2021, SM Entertainment decided to celebrate Halloween in all its glory for their annual Halloween event by sharing photos on Twitter of aespa’s Winter and Super Junior’s Shindong dressed as Younghee, featured in Squid Game.

Idols don’t just dress up for formal events, they also take to YouTube to film dance practices as their chosen monster. While many dance practice videos are serious, some groups have laidback, fun versions of their singles. For example, the name of NCT 127’s hit single may be “Vampire,” but they’re not all dressed up as one. Check out “Favorite (Vampire)” here.

For scarier and possibly more educational content, the Knowing Bros have several videos sharing horror stories. Idols often tell their own spooky stories and sometimes fans get the opportunity to send and share their own experiences. Check out one video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKa-EGTpkRI

Not scary enough? Many groups take to real-life horror by visiting haunted escape rooms. As discussed above, haunted houses don’t really exist in Korea, but there are some events where staff go through professional makeup, outfits, and acting training to scare people while they try to escape the dark, haunting rooms and halls. Check out this SEVENTEEN video as they battle their way through a creepy, terrifying escape room.

Edited by Aleena Faisal