Massachusetts / North America / USA

The Halloween capital of USA

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We try to go to Salam to see the old town and explore a bit of the history of the witches in the town. But it is the second last weekend before Halloween and the town is going crazy with Halloween fewer. People come out from Boston and further away to visit the Halloween market of the city. It takes ages to get the city the traffic is stalled with thousands of cars trying to reach the center.

 

Inside the center it cost 20, 30 or 40 dollars to park a car – which is pretty much more than they charge for a day’s parking on Manhattan – but even if we wanted to pay for the parking it was an option – all the parking lots are completely full and we have to try to drive out of the center again. We manage to find a little street half a mile from the center where it is possible to park for free and there is actually a single space left free just for us so we take it and park the car and walk to the city.

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We go to the city and try to visit the famous witch museum of the city but it is impossible since all tickets for the day has been sold long ago. At least we see the witch who is posing outside today. We give up on the museum and look a bit at the overcrowded market and then decide to leave the Halloween celebrations to the Americans and just go around the town for a bit and look at the old houses. We get to a small witch cemetery which is extremely crowded today so we can only manage to go slowly around the place seeing the old graves of the people who have been accused for witch craft.

We walk shortly down to the harbor and visit a little house which used to be the custom house of the important harbor of Salem. Then we decide this is just not for us to visit the town of Salem so we cut the visit short and leave the market behind. I guess if you want to explore the city which is pretty worthwhile it is better done on a week day outside Halloween season.

18 comments

    1. Well I consider it an import from USA. Halloween was nothing when I was a kid in Denmark and now it is starting to take off. I guess it is the night of all saints which is a Catholic tradition – and hence a Southern European tradition. I guess they took it to Mexico and South America and you just got it from there – not so much from Europe.

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      2. Ok so it is one of those traditional parties you had before Christianity the church just incoorporated. Just like Christmas which used to be a pagan festival in both North and South of Europe. In the Norse tradition it was the Youle feast celebrating the return of the sun – in Denmark it is still called jul we haven’t taken the Christian name for the party despite they tried to change it into Kristmesse which is pretty much just a direct translation of the English name.

        Though the tradtion of All Saints Day is a catholic tradition and we haven’t celebrated in the North for many years. Not untill it became popular in the American version.

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  2. Growing up in the UK we did (sort of) have Hallowe’en, but I think now it’s been taken over by ‘Trick or Treat’ which I’m pretty sure originated in the USA. Good for stories though!!

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    1. I am pretty sure the trick or treat is an American invention. We do have something a bit similar at the end of lent in Denmark where kids dress up and can go around asking for candy/Money or they will make trouble. Not quite as popular though.

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    1. Have fun when you get there. We have to go back as well since it was too crazy for Halloween weekend. Next time we will go on a week day outside October 🙂 this way it should be posible to explore the nice Little town.

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  5. Wonderful! just to let you know that Halloween is a huge thing here in Thailand too! I think they stole it from America lol.
    It’s beginnings are not important, but what is interesting that as a pagan festival, it seems to be becoming more and more popular. Still what better place to celebrate than Salem itself! Magical Freja!

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    1. Salem went a bit overboard for my liking there was too many people in the small town so you couldn’t really see the attractions. Maybe ok if you went on a weekday and not a weekend.

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