Story: Mom Who Celebrates Halloween

Tania Borzutzky Roubillard (34) speaks about celebrating Halloween as a family.

“When Halloween started in Chile, my mother was one of the few people who celebrated it at home. It was around 1997, when it wasn't as common as it is now. My parents traveled a lot to the United States and those customs began to stick. From there they brought innovative decorations and although at first we celebrated inside the house, when there was no decoration in the gardens and it was not customary to give out sweets en masse, later we began to go out in the neighborhood.

When my children were born I acquired all those things that my mother had saved and I kept buying more to continue this tradition. Now, unlike when I was a girl, the vast majority of houses are decorated and people are willing to participate in the celebration. That's why I like to prepare beforehand with the children, doing crafts or buying some things for that day. In the sector where I live, people are also very motivated. The Day of the Dead has been celebrated for some time, like in the movie Coco. The neighbors make an altar in the square, where they take photos of people who are no longer there, we put flowers and make a caravan.

With the pandemic we did not want to interrupt this tradition and we adapted. I remember that, in addition to decorating the garden, we made bags of sweets glued to the gate so that the children could take them and take them away. As things come out, I buy them to make the celebration more entertaining. On Pinterest there is a lot of inspiration for that, so I get ideas from there too.

I think that with my way of celebrating, I have instilled that spirit in my children. Because when they realize Halloween is coming, they start asking me what we're going to do and what we're going to dress up as. This celebration became a family gathering space. It is a good excuse to meet up and break the routine, to get together and celebrate in a different and entertaining way.”