TOWAMENCIN- Only one night a year do you hear the pitter-patter of children’s feet climbing up your porch steps, followed by the ringing of your doorbell. Only one night per year do you get to roam the streets at night in whatever outfit you choose, collecting endless amounts of free candy. This one night is highly anticipated by every kid in America. But what about in other countries?
Although Halloween is not recognized as a national holiday in Italy, that didn’t stop the Italian Club from celebrating. Filled with fun games, lots of food, and cool prizes, the Italian Club’s Halloween party was a huge success among the students.
“My goal was for everyone in the club to get together and celebrate a holiday we all love with a cultural spin,” Italian Club President Emilia DeChamps stated. “Even though Halloween isn’t an official holiday in Italy it is becoming more popular there.”
In Italy, rather than having a big celebration on Halloween, they typically celebrate All Saint’s Day on November 1st and All Soul’s Day on November 2nd. On All Saint’s Day, Italian citizens will gather with their families, have a big feast, and exchange gifts. Although the Italian Club’s celebration was not as formal, they tried to imitate the popular tradition while still having a more traditional American Halloween party.
“In the Italian Club, we view everyone as a family so we came together like a family. Even though it isn’t what Italians would normally eat, we shared pizza, cupcakes, and candy for our ‘feast’,” DeChamps explained.
While the Italian Club hopes to educate students on the culture of Italy and help them grow an appreciation for their unique traditions, the club’s main goal is to bring people together who share the same desire to learn about a new culture.
“It is so important for everyone to come together and learn while also enjoying themselves and meeting new people. I think the Halloween party really accomplished that,” Italian Club Advisor Mrs. Lisa Krzemien expressed. “It seems like all the students really enjoyed the party.”
Besides eating food and learning about Halloween traditions in Italy, some students gathered to play games like cup-pong and tic-tac-toe, while others came just to spend time with their friends in a fun setting.
“It was really cool to see people get competitive with the games and enjoy time with their friends. I think more clubs should do stuff like this,” Italian Club Vice President Gianna Lennox stated.
While the Halloween party was a success for the Italian Club, they plan to continue their fun activities and encourage students to get
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involved with the club. Along with upcoming meetings, the Italian Club also plans to take a field trip to the Italian farmer’s market in Philadelphia on November 4th. If you wish to join the Italian Club or to participate in the field trip, make sure to reach out to adviser Mrs. Krzemien at @[email protected].