How to Have an American Halloween in Denmark

What is Halloween?

You may or may not know that Halloween is a very old holiday. In fact, it is Celtic tradition dating back thousands of years. People at that time thought that the last day of the Celtic year, October 31^st, was the day that ghosts and spirits could roam the earth. This belief and celebration lasted since then and even made its way to the USA with some of the first settlers. During an influx of new immigrants during the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, the tradition of Trick-or-Treat with people dressing in costume and going around asking for candy also began. With American capitalism and stellar marketing endeavors, Halloween is one of the most popular holidays in the USA today and is making its way around the world…even to Denmark.

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I know that there are many out there who don’t want this “American” holiday in Denmark. Don’t worry; I also have some tips for you on how to avoid getting caught up in the craziness (and fun) that is Halloween!

Learn all about the Halloween Dos and Don’ts in Denmark with THIS POST!

Halloween in Denmark Essentials

For those of you who are interested in having a great Halloween in Denmark this year and don’t know what to do, let me help you. As an American, I have many great Halloween memories that I would love to use in giving you the best tips for what to do for your Halloween in Denmark.

Decorating for Halloween in Denmark

If you are someone who would like to get in the holiday spirit, you can decorate the inside and/or outside of your house for Halloween. There are many places in Denmark that are starting to sell Halloween decorations. Places like Bilka, your local grocery store, IMERCO, BilligBlomster, and others. More and more places are starting to realize that Halloween décor sells, so I am sure you will see it in more places as the years continue.

If you aren’t interested in any of these types of decorations, you can always decorate with pumpkins. During the month of October, local farms and grocery stores will sell pumpkins in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes. You can place these anywhere within your house or even place them on the front step.

Danes are wonderful at creating decorations from plants and other items found in nature. Try using some items like corn, corn stalks, gourds, etc. and create your own natural decorations this year!

Making a Jack-o-lantern / Carving a Pumpkin

A jack-o-lantern is a pumpkin that has been carved. Carving a pumpkin can also be a fun activity if not a great decoration for your front step. There are carving kits that you can purchase at the local grocery store which includes a large spoon to help you empty out the contents of the pumpkin. It also has some small, cutting tools and some patterns to give you an idea of what design to make on your pumpkin.

You don’t have to buy one of these kits to make a jack-o-lantern. All you need is a knife and a large spoon. I like to keep my carving simple and just cut out a face for “Jack”. Just take a marker and draw where you want to cut!

You can also paint a face or design on your pumpkin. This can be an easy alternative for little children. The only drawback is that you can’t put a candle inside the pumpkin to light it for Halloween night!

Cooking Pumpkin Seeds for Halloween in Denmark

After you have scraped out all of the pumpkin seeds to make your jack-o-lantern, DO NOT throw away the seeds. Instead, you can rinse them off in a colander, to separate them from the meat of the pumpkin. It also helps to get a bit of the “pumpkin slim” off too. After they are clean, pat them semi-dry with a towel and place them on a baking sheet. You can coat them with salt and bake them in the oven, and they are a great, fall snack. Try this recipe out for yourself.

What and When is Trick-or-Treat

As an American, I have experienced my fair share of trick-or-treat events in the USA! There are different rules when it comes to trick-or-treat, as well as different variations. 

First of all, the town is always the one to decide what the hours of trick-or-treat should be. This is normally around 2-3 hours on Halloween night. No, it does NOT happen all night long. I know that kids can’t go around the entire town in 2 or 3 hours, but that is the point. This leaves children enough time to visit the houses in their neighborhood. Normally, trick-or-treat occurs on Halloween night from 5-7pm (kl. 17-19). This isn’t always the case in the USA, but this is what I have seen happening most often. 

Normally, the town will post in the local newspaper when trick-or-treat will occur. Danish towns should do this to avoid trick-or-treating happening all night long. Please encourage your local newspaper to post a day and time for trick-or-treat this year!Since Americans are used to this holiday, we know what to do, but for Danes, it might be a great idea that you share this post with as many people as you can. Let’s help people understand more about Halloween in Denmark. …or at least, what Halloween in Denmark could be.

How to Prepare for Trick-or-Treat (Adults)

As an adult, your main job is to hand out candy. This might seem simple enough, but after I had seen my very first trick-or-treat in Denmark, I noticed many mistakes made by unknowing Danes who had never experienced the holiday before. Let me help you have a great experience.

First, you will need to buy candy. This candy needs to be something that is individually wrapped. Especially after the times of COVID-19, you don’t want to be touching other people’s food. Therefore, do not hand out anything that isn’t wrapped. The grocery store will have bags of candy like this. (See the picture below!)

Also, in order to make sure you don’t run out of candy in the first 5 minutes, only give out one piece of candy. It might not seem like a lot, but you have to consider that the children will go to many houses. I knew a couple that made 4 individual bags of candy and were shocked when the first group had 6 kids in it. Be on the safe side, and only pass out one.

One last thing, which is also the most important, be sure to listen for the magic words: Trick or treat!! If you don’t hear them, they don’t get candy!! Of course, in Danish, the children may say “slik eller ballade”.

How to Participate in Trick-or-Treat (Adults) / How to Avoid Trick-or-Treat

This is a very important thing for both adults and children to know. If you are a parent, please educate your child on proper etiquette for trick-or-treat. There are some people who wish not to participate, which is completely fine. You do not want to send your child to the house of someone who wants to AVOID trick-or-treat, so pay attention.

If you want children to know that you are participating in Halloween, leave the light on over your front door. This is a simple thing to do. Many people will have a jack-o-lantern with a candle in it on their front step, which is also another great sign that your house is giving out candy. However, there are many Danes who won’t be carving pumpkins this year. For that reason, leaving your light on over your front door is a great way of telling trick-or-treaters that you are ready for them.

If you want to AVOID trick-or-treaters coming to your house, make your house as dark as possible. I know that if I walk past your house on Halloween night and it is dark, I will not go to your door!!

PARENTS!!! Please tell your children this. It is very important that trick-or-treat be a night we all can enjoy, so don’t bother those who don’t want to participate!! 

How to Prepare for Trick-or-Treat in Denmark (Children)

I don’t have to tell you that trick-or-treat is so much fun for children. Since Halloween is about the dead walking on earth again, you may see children dressed in scary costumes. This doesn’t have to be what happens, but I think it is a great idea, since it helps to separate Halloween from Fastelavn. (Read more about that below.)

There are many stores that are starting to sell Halloween costumes. Places like Billig Billy, BR, Bilka and even some grocery stores have costumes. However, costumes in Denmark can be expensive, especially if you are only going to wear them once. This is why I suggest making your own costume. You can get very creative with cardboard, items you find at the secondhand store, or even making something with fabric from the fabric store.

When I was a child, we had lots of fun making our own masks out of paper plates. You can get very creative with markers. Punch a couple of holes for the eyes and a couple more to attach yarn to tie it around your head. You can also use face paint for an easy, cheaper costume. Some of the best costumes are ones that people have designed themselves, so don’t feel that you need to buy a costume to participate.

Rules of Trick-or-Treat (Children)

First, you will want to check for the date and time of trick-or-treating in your town. Like I mentioned, local newspapers might have this information. If not, you should expect that trick-or-treat will last from 5pm to 7pm (kl 17-19)

Second, you will need to take a bag with you for your candy. In the USA, I had a pumpkin basket that I would take around with me. My boys use them now, but we also got some nice brick-or-treat bags from Legoland Billund during their special trick-or-treat event. Any type of bag is fine, but it is much more fun to have a special one for this occasion.

Third, don’t forget to wear a costume. Like I said before, making your own costume is a great idea. However, going to a house without a costume will not get you any candy!! Plan ahead and have your costume ready!!

Fourth, it can get dark in Denmark, so taking a flashlight with you is a good idea. I have seen special Halloween flashlights at Flying Tiger and the grocery stores, but it doesn’t matter which you use. Children need to be safe and let those in cars know they are out walking. Wearing a reflective band or light on your shirt can also be helpful for drivers to see you. It is also a good idea to travel in a group for this reason.

Fifth, only go to homes that have a light on over the front door. We talked about this before. There are some people in Denmark who do not want children coming to their house, so please be respectful and don’t go to the houses that are dark!!

MOST IMPORTANT RULE!!! When you knock on a door at a house with a light on, be sure to say TRICK OR TREAT!! These are the magical words that will get you candy along with wearing your costume! 😊 Also, don’t forget to say TAK (thank you) when you are done!! It may be seen as a night of mischief, but remember to use your manners! 🙂

Halloween in Denmark is not Fastelavn

Denmark already has a great holiday called Fastelavn, when children dress up in costume. Fastelavn has nothing to do with spirits coming to earth to walk with the living one last time. Instead, it is a holiday that is aligned with the carnival festival that begins lent during the end of winter. Let the holidays be different and make Halloween be the scary costume day, and Fastelavn be the holiday for fun and friendly costumes. Just my thoughts!

I love Fastelavn, and I don’t want to see it go away. It can only survive if we make it a priority and see it as being different than Halloween. In the 5 years, I have lived in Denmark, Halloween has grown and can be seen more in the stores in October than Fastelavn can be in February. We need to show these Danish stores that we also want to see Fastelavn as much as Halloween. Do you agree?

Extras to Make Halloween Special

If you want to do a little extra this year to make your Halloween experience much more fun, I have some tips for you. First, you could go crazy with decorating your house before Halloween night. Having scary music playing from an outdoor speaker, stuffing some clothes with leaves and making a scarecrow to sit in front of your house can be fun. You can even decorate with fake spiderwebs or bats.

Another thing that you can do that won’t take too much effort is dressing up as you hand out candy. This can always be fun for the children to see an adult getting excited about Halloween. I have always dressed up to hand out candy, and I really enjoy it!

Overall thoughts about Halloween in Denmark

As an American, I don’t see Halloween as just being one night. I see it as being a month-long thing. Denmark has also started to see it that way, so you can go to many different events throughout October to celebrate this holiday. Many amusement parks like Tivoli, Legoland, and Dyrs Sommerland will be decorated for the holiday. You can also get into the world of witchcraft and magic at the Magical Days in Odense, Denmark, which happens every October. There are many different things to do to get in the Halloween mood in Denmark!

Tell me your favorite Halloween memory in Denmark or anywhere!

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