This is technically news, but seemed more suited to the humor forum.

Article

Sleeping Man Dressed as Zombie Mistaken for Corpse on Train in Germany

A drunken Halloween reveller in Germany found his costume was a little too realistic when he fell asleep on a train and was mistaken for a corpse.

Fellow passengers thought the man, who was dressed as a gore-covered zombie, had been murdered and called the police.

Police in the northern town of Bad Segeberg revealed how the 24-year-old had fallen into a drunken slumber on his way home from a Halloween party in Hamburg.

Believing his hands and face were smeared with blood, passengers alerted officers after getting no response from him.

A first aid team which was called to the scene soon cleared up the confusion, however.

Police told the man to remove his make-up, after which he was allowed to continue his journey.

Police spokeswoman Sikle Tobies said: "Bad Segeberg is in a rural area, and Halloween isn't very well known there.

"So people weren't expecting anyone to be dressed up in the train."

Do you think so? You don't seem to realise that Halloween has no significance whatsoever in Europe... No tradition of dressing up, trick-or-treating, etc: nothing. Why should they be so ready to play along with every commercialised American nonsense? And of course, everyone has to know about it, and people who don't are, like, 'funny'.

Halloween is so stupid. My mom told me that the house in front of which she parks every morning is ''dressed up'' as a graveyard, with ''corpses'' hanging from the trees and tombstones everywhere. So stupid and pointless.

I simply thought it was funny that a man in costume was mistaken for dead, I wouldn't read any more into my posting it than that. That said, I know of quite a few Europeans (from several countries) and Australians and Kiwis who are very familiar with Halloween.

Also, I personally attended a large Halloween costume party in Amsterdam many years back during my travels through Europe, and I can tell you that nobody at this party was American, so apparently many Europeans are indeed aware of this "nonsense".

Quite a few homes near me are decorated like that as well, and I agree that they look pretty ridiculous.

Yes, I know, the slobberati and the New Middle Classes are quite fond of aping the former colonies and importing foreign traditions in order to be part of A Multicultural Society. And even better, a lot of money can be made in the process, too. Native traditions are forgotten and swapped for empty commercialism bereft of any meaning. Great, just what the world needs.
And don't try the 'It comes originally from the Old Country' line- I know that one too.

The Ardbeg bottle's empty, Jenkins!
Where is the bally man?!

Ah, Eurocentrism. How are you, schiffshul? It's been a while since I've read your rants on how everything American is vulgar everything European is cultured.

The way it is celebrated, yes. But what would you know about the date's original significance? I'd say it's none of your business, really.
I mean, you wouldn't take very kindly to someone saying something along those lines about, say, Sukkos, would you?

1 and 2 are completely different. Halloween was "invented" in Europe (if a holiday can be said to have been invented and you consider the British Isles to be part of Europe) but the modern-day manifestation was developed in America.

Eurocentrism?! This is England, man!
I'm fine, thank you...*staggers a bit under the effect of too much pink gin*
Did you miss the White Russian thread, then?

Why yes, I did miss it.

I had a Belgian chavrusa for a while who spent the first 20 minutes of each morning berating me about how awful it is that Americans 1) eat ketchup on steak and 2) tend not to have wine with dinner, except on special occasions. Ah, old times.

Who does that? Ugh, that is barbaric.

You are of course, correct. BBQ sauce all the way!

I refer you to the last line of my post. It is an Irish/Gaelic tradition, although 'guising' is not quite the same as today's activities.
The original All Hallows' Eve, as observed by Roman Catholics, is something very, very different- very solemn. The traditional visits to the family graves, with its countless grave lights shimmering through the autumn mists, dark figures walking in almost compleat silence... belongs to my most cherished childhood memories.

What an idiot, it's not even Halloween yet......

That's what struck me first about the whole story...
Regardless the factual truth of this little tidbit, how could I possibly miss a chance for one of my Eurocentric rants?

I saw kids dressed up today and raw eggs cracked in the gutter. Now there isn't just Halloween day, there's Halloween week.

Or even Halloween month. A former Comp USA store near me became a Halloween superstore over the last month and a half, and many lawns have been decorated for Halloween for at least a month.

Oh, definitely. I read an article about how magazines have started publishing articles earlier and earlier about holidays. And you thought only Jews starting thinking about Pesach the day after Purim.