Since I experienced Halloween in both countries – the US and Germany – here is how this day is celebrated in both countries:
Halloween in the US:
Children, about 3 – 11 years old, are walking through the streets with their brothers and sisters, usually accompanied by their parents. They are dressed pretty inventive and ring at doors of neighbours whose houses are decorated in a nice “halloweeny” way. After saying their trick or treat slogan the neigbours give them lots of different sweets.
Halloween in Germany:
Already days before Halloween itself – preferably at the weekend before – teenagers hold big halloween parties where they drink a lot, as much as they anyways drink at any other party that they usually have at the weekends – the reasons do not really matter – just this time a few of them at least wear some halloween-makeup.
On halloween itself basically 14 – 20 year old people walk around carrying and drinking alcoholics, only a few of them are wearing the typical customs or makeup. The few younger children that are out too are intimidated by the older children or teenagers. The older ones ring at the doors, no slogan of course and if somebody does not open the door – which happens very often because many people don’t even know about Halloween or the traditions connected with that – a ballon filled with water lands in the mailbox or paintballs are thrown against the wall of the house.
Please, Germany, if you copy customs from different countries then copy them correctly.
