CALÓ Community: Latino families share their favorite Halloween traditions

With Halloween approaching, families are embracing the festive spirit early. CALÓ News asked Latino parents how they celebrate the holiday and what some of their favorite family traditions are.

Jesielle Valles, the mother of a toddler, shared that one of their favorite Halloween traditions is dressing up, house decorating, listening to spooky music and watching movies. Two of her all-time favorite movies are “Halloweentown” and “Hocus Pocus.”

On Oct. 31, Valles explained that they celebrate by going trick-or-treating in their community of Pico Rivera, where she has lived the majority of her life.

“It is such a wonderful experience, especially with family, because we get to make memories wearing all sorts of costumes,” she said. “I personally love seeing [my son] get so excited to choose his Halloween costume and I enjoy admiring everyone else’s costumes as well.”

Candy Cerezo told CALÓ News that she celebrates Halloween in a way that’s becoming increasingly popular — through a trunk or treat. She believes it’s a safer way to celebrate with her kids in the community.

“Unlike walking in the dark door to door, trunk or treating provides a safe way to celebrate Halloween with fun decorated cars handing out candies through games and being social,” she said. She added that she also enjoys seeing children and adults display their creativity, with grown-ups embracing their inner child and bringing imaginative costume ideas to life.

Cerezo said that her favorite Halloween tradition as a mother of two is ending her family night with pizza. This year her older son will be dressing up as a taco again while her daughter will be a cat.

Ricardo Vargas, a Bakersfield resident, shared that for him it’s all about making memories with his son, also a toddler. “Seeing him get excited and scared at the same time is something I’ll always remember. He’s still little, so I enjoy seeing him experience these things and watching how excited he gets over the little things,” he said.

Vargas explained that Halloween offers an annual opportunity for both children and adults to get creative with their costumes. “I like seeing the funny, scary and crazy costumes people put together. It’s cool seeing how into Halloween people get and seeing all the kids having fun too," he said.

Karissa Garcia, mother of two kids, said that Halloween allows them to connect with their kids and step away from daily responsibilities. She shared that her family traditions include trick-or-treating and carving pumpkins.

"It's something I’ve done all my life, and I want to keep it going. I want my kids to always be as excited as I was when it came to Halloween,” she said.

Garcia also explained that today’s younger generations are often more connected to technology than to playing outside. However, she admires how the holiday brings everyone outdoors to socialize, explore the neighborhood and join in the festivities together. 

Garcia said that even as a parent, she also appreciates the simple joy of collecting candy.