Cultural Happenings: Halloween
BOO! EEK! AH! During October, our participants were able to experience American Halloween filed with spooky vibes and sugary treats. In Orlando, the WWCE team “boo’ed” our advanced professional training participants by surprising them with a decorated door and trick-or-treating approved candy. Program-wide, we held a halloween contest. We asked our participants to share photos that were representative of the season and tell us their favorite part of Halloween-time in America, along with how the celebration are different from their home country. Congratulations to our winner - Danielle Eva Sia!
— YOU’VE BEEN BOO’ED —
— HALLOWEEN CONTEST —
I am astounded how carefully pumpkins are carved. This is my most favorite thing about halloween. I remember just watching spooky cartoon pumpkins on the TV as a child and now I got to see these kinds of art up close. Back in my country, from the province I'm from my extended family come together and visit our passed loved ones and light a candle for them. Kids and cousins (including me) would gather melted wax from the candle and make it into our own sculpture. It is one of the best memories I have!
Danielle Eva Sia / Louisville, KY
This is my first time celebrating halloween and trick or treat coz we rarely celebrate this one in the Philippines. I’m so happy to do it with my friends. In this costume we portray the famous series movie on Netflix titled MONEY HEIST.
Jerald Gonzales / Louisville, KY
In our country we don't really celebrate halloween, like dressing up or go on a halloween party. The period from 31 October through 2 November is a time for remembering dead family members and friends. Many Filipinos travel back to their hometowns for family gatherings of festive remembrance. We filipinos still observe Pangangaluluwâ by going in groups to every house and offering a song for the souls of our love ones that already past away; we're offering a song in exchange for money or food. We usually cook rice cake every October 31st in observance of all saint's day and all souls day, unlike here in America where people dress up, go on a halloween party, go outside to do trick-or-treating, in which children, teenagers, young adults, and even some parents, disguise themselves in costumes and go door-to-door in their neighborhoods, ringing each doorbell and yelling "trick or treat!" to solicit a gift of candy. At work today, most of the employee's dress up a halloween theme and I was happy seeing those. It's because it's my 1st time celebrating halloween in other country and there's really a huge difference. I got so excited also to dress up and see those people with awesome costumes. I really love it! It was a great pleasure to celebrate hollowen here in United States! Happy Halloween everybody! 👻
Grace Ann Escaño / Louisville, KY
The best part of celebrating Halloween in America is you’re just being free of what you wear and what personality that you’re trying to portrait on your costume. For it’s not about how beautiful your costume is nor how expensive it is, as long as you can give happiness to other people surrounds you. I must say that it is big deal to celebrate here in America for Halloween because we all want to socialize with each other and bring some awesomeness in your own way. In the Philippines we rarely celebrate Halloween because for us in this times we would remember the souls and saints in heaven. We have a strong belief of this in our culture in the Philippines.
Kim Tristan Ramoso / Orlando, FL
We never had Halloween in my home country, Philippines, so I grabbed the chance to experience it here in Las Vegas. It was very overwhelming to finally experience it and be surrounded with lots of people who are wearing halloween costumes. Here in my picture, I went with my friends to a Pumpkin Patch and had a great time watching kids playing and we even played too. I was amazed by the pumpkins because that was the first time me seeing that big pumpkins. This is one of the most unforgettable experience I have ever had as a J1 trainee participant.
Claire Cristal / Las Vegas, NV
When you heard Florida, the words “fun” and “sunshine” come next. That’s how we celebrate halloween as an intern of Universal Cabana Bay Beach Resort. Where fun and excitement are experienced year round in the sunshine state while providing a work and life balanced environment. During our days off and free time, we get to experience free admission of all theme parks associated with Universals that includes Ripley’s Believe it or Not.. This September to November, we got the opportunity to feel the scary month through Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights. The said event occurs on selected nights started Sept.6 to Nov. 2 typically runs from 6pm up to 1-2am in Universal Studios. I can say that this is the BEST HALLOWEEN I experienced so far. I’m hoping that my co-interns from other states are having so much fun too!
Angelica Jones Nieto / Orlando, FL