More Russians Are Celebrating Halloween

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – October 31, 2012)

Many Russians know about Halloween, and a growing number plan to dress up, don masks or celebrate it in other ways Wednesday, according to a new poll.

Still, only about one in 10 Russians ­ or 9 percent ­ are going to mark the holiday this year, according to the independent Levada Center pollster. The figure is 3 percentage points higher than last Oct. 31.

Meanwhile, nearly two-thirds of respondents said they are aware of Halloween but do not plan to participate in the celebrations, the poll said, according to Interfax.

The Russians most opposed to celebrating the holiday are aged 18-24 (72 percent), 40-54 years (74 percent), people with higher education (75 percent), Muscovites (79 percent) and those who can afford to buy a car (79 percent).

Only 27 percent of respondents had never heard of Halloween.

No margin of error was given, but Levada’s polls usually have a margin of 3.4 percentage points.

Halloween is celebrated on the night of Oct. 31 to Nov. 1, and its roots go back centuries to harvest festivals and festivals of the dead. It is named after the Western Christian feast of All Hallows, or All Saints’ Day.