When it comes to the last day of October, the streets of many Western countries are decorated with orange pumpkin lights and are crowded with children dressed in colorful spooky costumes. It's the yearly celebration of Halloween.

Halloween has been influenced by Celtic yearly rituals performed as far back as 500 B.C. on every November 1 to welcome the beginning of winter and to ward off bad spirits. It has now become somewhat of a global festival, enjoyed across many regions. It's one of the most exciting and entertaining days for kids. Clad in ridiculous ghost costumes, they visit the neighbors to ask for candy with the question, "Trick or treat?"


Halloween celebrations are taking root in some parts of Korea, too, becoming somewhat of a domestic cultural event. Theme parks are one of the best places for people to enjoy the vibe. Particularly, Everland, in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, is hosting the Halloween & Horror Nights festival, and it is already well underway.



Beautifully colored with autumn foliage, the amusement park is romantic. Also, a celebratory atmosphere is in the air with a variety of gigantic fairytale pumpkin carriages and jack-o'-lanterns carved with funny, silly faces. Visitors with friends and family are busy taking photographs to capture the happy moments of the festival.

During the festival, a Happy Halloween Party takes place twice a day. It's a dance parade where all types of ghosts and goblins show up. Visitors can dance, too, following along with the parade.

At 6:00 p.m. every day, groups of zombies -- policemen, soldiers, nurses and high school girls -- show up at the Horror Village Square for a flash mob and musical performance, and to take pictures with visitors. To add to the fun this year, the zombie groups include actors and actresses featured in season five of AMC's "The Walking Dead," a U.S. post-apocalyptic TV show.




Visitors who want something more fearful are encouraged to visit the Horror Maze, a type of haunted house. People in groups of four to six will be given the chance to bump into many types of ghosts and ghouls during their journey through the maze.

Every Friday and Saturday, the Horror Club Festa With Walking Dead, a dance party, takes place at the Jungfrau Special Stage. A number of hip-hop bands will take to the stage, including DJ DOC, Swings and Ssamdi. Along with their music, there will be a wide variety of events, including horror-themed trompe-l'oeil art and a Zombie-Guising Salon that will dress you up like a zombie.

Visitors should watch out for flocks of zombies who suddenly appear out of nowhere at the Walking Dead Square. For normal visitors, entrance to the square requires an extra charge, but visitors dressed in perfect zombie garb are free to enter.

Everland's Halloween & Horror Nights will continue until November 2.

More information is available at its website
(http://www.everland.com/web/multi/english/everland/main.html).

By Lee Seung-ah
Photos: Jeon Han
Korea.net Staff Writers
slee27@korea.kr