In Lausanne, Switzerland, a 30-minute drive from the Nestle World Headquarters, Halloween means much more than chocolate. With pounds and pounds of the creamiest, purest milk chocolate at their daily disposal, what do the Lausannois flock to taste on this festival characterized by scary movies, outrageous costumes and more importantly, free chocolate? The Lausannois seem partial to pumpkin soup, or soupe la citrouille, to be more precise.

Last year, Halloween fever slithered across the town of Lausanne. Up to two weeks before the day, shop windows were covered with the mandatory lashings of cobwebs and spiders and white fluffy stuff. Witches are apparently capable of manipulating their broomsticks over the peaks of the Jura and the French Alps as there were several hats and cloaks and green noses on sale at the department stores.

And who can forget the pumpkin soup? On Halloween, huge dark vats of thick, bubbly, orange stodge tantalized appetites as people passed the bakeries and specialty food shops. More than a few people, dressed in both elaborate and generic Halloween costumes, stopped for samples.

Pierre Badoux, a local baker, said that five years ago he would not have known how to pronounce the word Halloween. He thought it was some sort of English tea or a make of exotic jam. But now, in order to keep up with the demands of customers, he has had to learn to perfect his version of this strange, mysterious, "Alloween."

His bakery shelves last year were adorned with miniature pumpkins and gourds his special for the week of Halloween were pieces of sugared bread topped with orange and black frosting. He even offered pumpkin crepes on the day itself.

As most of the Lausannois business owners would agree, they have had to learn how to keep up with the rest of town on this holiday. As Monsieur Badoux simply states, in order do this, "il faut bien faire amricain" one must embrace Halloween, and one must do it with an American flair.

Halloween hysteria is evident throughout the world. Whether it exists as a novel American import or a long, evolving tradition, Halloween is quickly becoming one of those "global" words. It has started to cross language barriers, all the while allowing separate cultures to celebrate and dress and taste to their own accords and preferences.

The origins of the Halloween festival are Celtic coming from "Samhain" (pronounced Sa-Wain), the Gaelic word for November as tradition evolved, the celebration was moved up to the eve Halloween. In the rural areas of Ireland, characterized by chilling and spine-tingling October winds, the locals have been known to light huge Halloween bonfires in classic Celtic fashion.

Trick-or-treaters are sparse in most country villages however the Irish are no slackers when it comes to partying the Hallows" Eve away. For children, games like snap-apple are always popular. Snap-apple requires players to bite at apples hanging provocatively from trees or doorframes. The adults have made their own version of snap-apple, alcohol being the most necessary and stimulating addition.

Though Irish candy and chocolate sellers are no less determined to rot everyone"s teeth on Halloween, their customers might have a bit of barnbrach with it all. Barnbrach is a kind of thick fruitcake (not at all like the notorious American Christmas gift kind).

Eat it if you dare, for inside there lurks a muslin-wrapped treat which is said to foretell your future. If you bite down on a ring, you will soon be wed (broken teeth and all) if you find a straw, and don"t choke on it, a prosperous year is heading your way.

Jordan Reed, an RC senior, studied in Dublin last year, and managed to reap the most of her Halloween. Reed woke up in Sardinia and went to sleep in Dublin (University study abroad students tend to have adventurous, downright ghoulish travel whims).

"I don"t think Sardinians are really into Halloween," Reed said. "An island in the middle of the Mediterranean doesn"t have the whole autumn solstice in quite the same way we northerners do."

But a flight across a few countries and oceans enabled Reed to plunge into Dublin Halloween intensity. The contrast was no doubt extraordinary. Perhaps preternatural.

"Halloween is a big deal in Dublin, it"s huge!" she said. "Lots of drunk people there was a parade in Dublin only to be matched by the St. Patrick"s Festival."

On another continent, and in a culture that could not be more different, Halloween also permeates the lives of the locals. In Mexico, All Souls" Day, which takes place on Nov. 2, is commemorated with a three-day celebration that starts on the evening of Halloween. The festival honors the dead who are believed to return to their former homes on Halloween. In more traditional homes, families construct altars which honor their deceased loved ones they garnish the altars with flowers, photographs and candy.