“Halloween is our family reunion,” my mother used to tell me each October. After several attempts of catechism classes to fit in with her then boyfriend’s long-term plans, the wooden cross was tossed aside with a deep sigh of relief.
“I just…I burn when I walk into a church.”
Contrary to popular opinion in Switzerland, I feel a childlike giddiness as the sky turns overcast, presenting a bland backdrop as marmalade orange- and scarlet-colored leaves take center stage. Informing those around me that Switzerland’s shoulder season- when the days become darker and ski season has not yet begun- is my favorite time of year is often met with odd looks. The Swiss are not lining up for pumpkin spiced lattes and give zero (fill in the blank here) about your hayrides and caramel apples.
Halloween, which has grown in popularity amongst families with small children in recent years, is largely viewed as an unfortunate capitalist import. And to be fair, Americans are expected to spend $11.6 billion on Halloween related purchases this year, a cut from 2023’s record breaking $12.2 billion1.
The origins of Halloween are less commercial than its present-day revenues. All Hallows Eve is rooted in the Celtic tradition of Samhain, a spiritual celebration falling between the fall equinox and the winter solstice to mark the end of the harvest. Samhain celebrants believed that on the 31st of October, the present world and that of spirits and supernatural beings were closest, allowing for those of the Otherworld to cross over. To avoid trouble with dark spirits lurking nearby during Samhain, people wore animal skins and heads in the hope that the creatures of the Otherworld would mistake them for one of their own. The festivities were an opportunity to honor the deceased, with windows and doors left open for spirits to enjoy offerings left behind2.
To fully embrace Halloween and my favorite season of the year, I’ve taken steps towards adding hauntingly beautiful experiences into short weekend getaways or cozy weeknights at home. Below is a short list of ideas to celebrate the magic of October in a place where Halloween is less present:
1.) Visit a nearby vineyard to admire fall foilage and taste local wine
Looking from the tops of the terraced vineyards of Lavaux reminds me of an elaborately constructed ant hill. As leaves begin to turn crimson and gold, we’ve made it our tradition to head each autumn to Lavaux to explore its gecko-filled pathways overlooking Lake Geneva.
While establishments such as the luxury hotel Le Baron Tavernier or pop up spa Swiss Wine Therapy cater to international tourists, the region attracts locals alike, eager to explore the trails interwoven amongst its 11th century vineyards. The Lavaux vineyard terraces was granted the title of World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2007, considered a living heritage through its centuries-long interaction between people and their environment. According to UNESCO, strict measures have been taken to protect the site from creeping urbanization from nearby towns of Lausanne and Vevey-Montreux.
“Three kilometers from here is considered exotic,” our waitress said when sharing the wine list at the Auberge du vigneron. According to this article published in Le Temps, only 1% of Switzerland’s wine is exported, a rate that has remained stable over the past 20 years. While the country is better known for its cheese and chocolate, wine production in Switzerland dates back to the Roman Empire, and 101 million liters of Swiss wine was produced in 2023. The region predominantly cultivates Chasselas, a white grape nicknamed fendant, literally meaning “to split”, as the grains crack underneath the tooth. The Chasselas grape is harvested into a fruity white wine, pairing well with local specialties such as fondue and raclette. From April to November, the Lavaux Express allows visitors to ride throughout the vineyards and, dependent on the route chosen, taste wines in local cellars or visit the village market.
2.) Find your pumpkin and carve it, too
Royal acorn squash, Hungarian blue squash, butternut squash from Provence, Siamese gourds… the selection of autumnal gourds at our local supermarket seemed endless. And while the first jack-o’-lanterns were carved using turnips and potatoes in 19th century Ireland, I wanted a pumpkin reminiscent of the Legend of Sleep Hollow. On a quest for traditional Halloween pumpkins, we went for a 30-minute drive outside of Geneva to the Ferme Courtois, where we were welcomed by a wooden farm wagon piled high with squash, including pumpkins.
“Are these easy to carve?” my Swiss husband asked the woman working at the counter, a bit nervous as a first-time pumpkin-carver.
“Well, how old are your children?” she asked.
“These are for us,” I chimed in.
3.) Explore a nearby château
Château de Gruyères (top) and snapshots from the surrounding village
“It’s not something extravagant, just a small château,” I heard myself say while organizing our wedding. I caught myself feeling ridiculous mid-thought, while the sentence was quickly projecting out into the open for critique. I’ve always felt that if you randomly threw something in the air in Europe, that it had a 50% chance of landing on a medieval fortress, historical home or castle (mind you, I did not study probability). Friends of ours just purchased the former farm that belonged to a French château, and my boss is renovating her home from 1642. Although there were historically no royal houses in Switzerland, there are 500 castles here, significantly fewer than in neighboring Italy (estimated 45,000) and France (estimated 40,000). My imagination longs to renovate a medieval estate in the south of France, gaining inspiration from Youtubers restoring the Château de Purnon or Château De Lesigny.
Château de Chillon
Besides illustrating power and serving as important defense mechanisms against attacks, castles could also be used as places of court trials and prisons. The Château de Chillon, Switzerland’s most visited historical monument, was made famous in part thanks to Lord Byron’s poem The Prisoner of Chillon, inspired from the life of François Bonivard. A nobleman with an unwelcome habit of political activism, Bonivard was imprisoned in the dungeon of Chillon Castle for his unfailing committment to the independence of Geneva, vocally opposing the House of Savoy’s efforts to control the region. When describing his time from 1530 – 1536 in prison, Bonivard is quoted as having “wore away the floor, creating a path in stone”.
4.) Embrace a cozy Fall atmosphere at home
Throughout the month of October, I’ve gone to bed reading the infamous gothic horror of all gothic horrors, Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula. As someone who gears more towards Jane Austen and similar period pieces, I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how much I look forward to finding my way back to this book. The first pages of Jonathan Harker’s diary throughout his carriage journey in Transylvania left goosebumps on my arms as I drifted into sleep, dreaming of wolves howling beneath a full moon, hypnosis, and crucifixes.
In addition to atmospheric reading, my dear friend Polina spent a weekend with us recently in Geneva, which we dedicated to all these autumnal. Winter is welcomed with twinkling lights and hot coco, so why not celebrate the magic that is October? I lit a salted caramel scented candle and slipped on my fuzziest oversized turtleneck. With our 11-pound cat in one arm, the remote control in the other, we began a fall-themed movie marathon.
A few October film favorites include:
To close out the weekend, we woke up early on Sunday morning and made homemade cinnamon rolls (a French take on American cinnamon rolls is found here). I still remember the smell of Sunday morning, my mother making teddy bear pancakes and the scent of bacon grease wafting through the air, the smell nearly clogging our arteries. My favorite weekends entail discovering something new, whether it be a new destination or recipe. This fall, I long for weekends full of sleeping in and cozy, homemade, high-calorie meals.
5.) Curate an autumnal-inspired outfit
Autumn is a season in which introverts shine. It’s a time where I find myself writing most and reorganizing my life from the inside out. Gaining inspiration from what is already on the shelf, I enjoy creating outfits from mom’s hand-me-downs and thrifted items. This year I pulled inspiration from Lorelai Gilmore, although my secondhand ’90s leather jacket, with its enduring stench of diesel that coats all layers beneath it, is presumably smellier than hers. My fall fashion favorites that seem to make an appearance each year include shades of burgundy, olive and chocolate brown, as well as warm wool and soft cashmere fabrics.
- Watts, L. (2023, September 20). Halloween Spending to Reach Record $12.2 Billion as Participation Exceeds Pre-Pandemic Levels. NRF. https://nrf.com/media-center/press-releases/halloween-spending-reach-record-122-billion-participation-exceeds-pre ↩︎
- Zapata, C. (2024, September 27). Samhain – Traditions, Halloween, Wicca | HISTORY. HISTORY. https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/samhain ↩︎
