In the past few years, Halloween has quietly crept into Addis Ababa. Clubs and hotels host “haunted” parties, and social media is flooded with costumes and pumpkin selfies. On the surface, it looks fun, trendy, and harmless but let’s pause and ask: should Ethiopians really celebrate Halloween?

Halloween is not just about candy and costumes. It glorifies horror, blood, witches, zombies, and evil spirits things that are at odds with Ethiopian culture and values. While Westerners may see it as playful, for us it can feel unsettling because it celebrates the dark and supernatural in ways our traditions don’t. Dressing up in bloodied costumes and “scaring people for fun” is not something that aligns with our heritage or beliefs.

Ethiopia has a rich tapestry of festivals Gena, Meskel, Timkat, Enkutatash that honor faith, community, and joy. These are celebrations of life and light, not fear and evil. Borrowing a holiday that glorifies darkness and horror might look trendy in Addis parties, but it’s culturally out of place.

Just because something becomes “normal” in the city doesn’t mean it’s right for our people. Halloween parties in Addis may seem harmless, but they normalize celebrating evil for entertainment, which is not a value we want to pass to our children.

So, should Ethiopians celebrate Halloween? The answer is simple: no, not really. We can admire the creativity of costumes and fun from afar, but we don’t need to adopt the horror, blood, and dark themes that come with it. Let’s stick to our festivals that celebrate joy, faith, and community, keeping our culture alive and bright.