Every Hallo-Week, Graded’s spirit metamorphoses: elementary hallways fully decorated, niche costumes that excite students, and candy that seems to appear out of nowhere. But, living in Brazil, we have two versions of Halloween that blend and reshape our perspectives of what Halloween is – not just the classic American “Monster Mash”. What emerges from this combination is a unique celebration of our school’s multicultural identity.

At first glance, Halloween feels distinctly American, with pop-culture costumes and sour patch kids. Your out-of-school friends make fun of your all out costumes and find it weird that your English teachers are dressed as “‘Punk’tuation”. Students show up as characters from the latest news, such as the Louvre robbers or trends like the Labubu’s. Even teachers go all out as tea bags and “Suspension Sergeants”. The ambience is like an American suburb – a little fall-culture in São Paulo.

However, you notice the instant you step outside our gates, the atmosphere changes. Sure, Brazil has Dia das Bruxas but it has completely different elements at play. People may even argue that we have our version of “Trick or Treat”–“Doces ou travessuras” — but let’s be honest: how many kids do you think are getting candies from strangers in the streets of São Paulo? None. But, our Graded community found a way to change that by making trick or treating on a smaller scale: in condominiums and apartment buildings. This way, children can still get sweets (from not total strangers). With the integration of the Brazilian ambience and culture, Halloween becomes less extreme and mainly more playful – a reason to party and dress up. And with every mix, opinions differ. Some may think it is too Brazilian, others think it is too American…but the truth is that it can be as much of one culture as someone wants. 

Now, entering the holiday season, Graded’s cultural tension rises. You can hear it with the switch from Frank Ocean’s “Pink and White” to J. Eskine’s “Resenha do Arrocha”. You can smell it when someone brings brigadeiros to the Halloween bake sale. You can see it when Felipe dresses up as Chaves for the parade. This results in an “in-between”, a Halloween that doesn’t fit any particular box but somehow fits perfectly by being a nuanced blend of our school’s cultures. 

Maybe that is exactly the point. Graded’s Halloween isn’t about choosing between traditions but merging them. It is about the overlap of customs and languages that generate relevant traditions. It is about celebrating a fusion of creativity and culture that creates a stronger sense of our community’s identity. 

Now that the spiders are being replaced with turkeys, the hybrid essence of our holidays remains. At Graded, festivities emphasize our bilingual, big, and blended community – that strives to build a sense of belonging.