Halloween, a pagan celebration, is celebrated on the same day as Reformationstag. It is the day on which in 1517 Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the church door in Wittenberg, critizising certain aspects of the Catholic Church and thus starting the Reformation in Germany.

It is a bank holiday mainly in the eastern part of the country. Click here to hear a simple explanation in German: http://bit.ly/uZTni0

In our western part of the country, namely the Rhein/Main area, which is more international and commercial, we also celebrate Halloween at the international school and at private get-togethers among expats.

Forget the religious part, we are only interested in the campfire and mulled wine, and talking with friends.

German schools do not have any Halloween celebrations as this would be in conflict with their mandatory Religious Instruction lessons. Students without a confession have to sit in Ethics class instead.

Our Jack-O-Lantern, carved by my husband, last night.