Halloween Tales From Around the World

Get ready for spooky houses, zombies, ghouls, ghosts, and candy! Halloween is in 3 weeks, and it’s time to get into the spirit! One of the coolest things about living around the world is realizing that every country and culture has their own traditions and norms for different holidays, life events, and seasons of the year. So, let’s look at some cool, spooky stories from Nigeria, Mexico, The Netherlands, and Japan! Get ready for some awesome folktales that are just in time for Halloween!

*Just a quick note. Some of these stories are a bit scary. I don’t usually write about things like this. Make sure you check with your parents before you read about scary things like ghosts. And remember it’s always brave to walk away from anything that makes you feel uncomfortable! I won’t take it personally! :-)

Madam Koi Koi

Madam Koi Koi is a Nigerian urban legend featuring a ghost who haunts dormitories, hallways and toilets in boarding schools at night. In day schools, she haunts toilets and students who come to school too early or leave school late. She usually is seen wearing a pair of red heels or wearing a single heel. She is one of the most popular boarding school ghosts in Nigeria.

In Nigeria, she was a very beautiful stylish teacher at a secondary school. Her shoes always made the sound “Koi Koi”. She was very nasty to students, though, and was eventually fired when she slapped a female student and injured her ear. (Yikes!) While she was going back home, she got into an accident and died. Before she died, she promised that she would have her revenge on the school and its students.

The horror series The Origin: Madam Koi-Koi on Netflix is loosely based on the urban legend. There is also a horror movie, Ms. Kanyin, on Prime video. It is based on Ms. Kanyin turning into Madam Koi Koi and taking revenge on students. I’m not allowed to watch horror movies, and I don’t really want to. I’m just adding these here to show how popular this story is!

La Llorona

La Llorona, which translates to “The Weeping Woman,” is a famous ghost story rooted in Hispanic American folklore, with its deepest origins in Mexico.

A common version of the legend tells of a beautiful woman named María who marries a wealthy man. They have two children, but the husband eventually becomes unfaithful and leaves María for another woman of a higher social status. In a fit of grief and anger, María drowns her own children in a river to hurt her unfaithful husband. (Bigger yikes!)

Upon realizing her actions, María takes her own life, drowning herself in the same river. When her soul tries to enter Heaven, she is turned away and told she cannot rest until she finds her children. She is cursed to wander Earth, crying “¡Ay, mis hijos!” (“Oh, my children”) as she searches for them for eternity. Not what I call a happy ending!

The Flying Dutchman

The Flying Dutchman is a famous ancient maritime tale of The Netherlands (“maritime” has to do with the sea). The story is believed to be based on real events, but has been mixed with supernatural elements.

According to legend, it was a ship captained by a man sentenced to wander eternally due to a deal with the devil. All various versions of the legend agree that the ship and its crew are trapped in a state of lasting punishment on the world’s oceans. (Let’s hope they like fish!)

The appearance of the Flying Dutchman is described as sinister. Many sightings claim that the ship appears in the middle of violent storms, sailing against the wind, which has led to belief that its sighting is a sign of marine disasters (think shipwrecks).

This legendary figure of the ghost ship doomed for forever is a basis for the popular “Pirates of The Caribbean” film saga (also not old enough to watch yet). It’s also seen influencing the popular cartoon Peter Pan (which I’ve watched lots of times and totally recommend).

Yotsuya Kaidan

Yotsuya Kaidan is the most changed Japanese ghost story. the details of Yotsuya Kaidan have shifted over time, leaving little similarities to the original Kabuki Play.

Yotsuya Kaidan is the story of Oiwa, a woman betrayed by her husband Tamiya lemon, who poisons here to marry rich Oume for her money. Oiwa dies an awful death, curses her husband, and returns as a revengeful ghost to torment and eventually cause the deaths of lemon and those that caused her murder. (Looks like she wasn’t in a forgiving mood when she died!)

The legend, originally a Kabuki play from 1825, is considered one of Japan’s most exquisite ghost stories.

Legends and folktales evolve over time but they’re still fun to research and read! I’ve celebrated Halloween in many countries, most recently The Netherlands. And I’m about to have my first go in Nigeria. Most of my personal Halloween experiences are shaped by my parents’ American traditions and the fact that I’ve usually gone to American or international schools. So, trick or treating, trunk or treating, and fall festivals are the traditions I know best. And of course, I’m always in costume! Here’s a sneak peek at this year’s look! (And click here if you are inspired and want to match me!)

Thanks for reading! I hope you come back soon for more. And if you want to take a deeper dive into the Halloween traditions I wrote about, see the list below of the websites I used to get my info. It’s not a perfect works cited page, but I’m only 10 (for three more weeks)! 

🌍 The Kids Explorer Club With Jed

Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yotsuya_Kaidan

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madam_Koi_Koi

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Llorona

Other websites

https://nauticalchannel.com/new/the-flying-dutchman