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Halloween, the Russian Way

Tourists from various countries dressed as Halloween characters enjoy the effects of the parabolic flight near the Star City outside Moscow, Nov. 1, 2001. Mikhail Grachyev / Reuters
Russians walk past a pile of Halloween pumpkins at GUM department store, Moscow, Oct. 30, 2005. Ivan Buslayev / Reuters
A boy holds a pumpkin which is sold on the roadside on the eve of Halloween in Ust-Mana village, about 31 kilometers south of Russia's Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Oct. 29, 2010. Ilya Naymushin / Reuters
Almaz, a three-year-old male white African lion, plays with a pumpkin inside his enclosure during the Zoo Halloween Weekend event at the Royev Ruchey zoo in Russia's Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Oct. 26, 2012. Ilya Naymushin / Reuters
A man, dressed in a Halloween costume, prepares before taking a rope jump from a 44-meter high old water pipe bridge in the Siberian Taiga area outside Krasnoyarsk, Oct. 28, 2012. Ilya Naymushin / Reuters
Young people in costume take part in the "Evil spirits Parade" flash mob as they celebrate Halloween in the center of Russia's Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Oct. 31, 2012. Ilya Naymushin / Reuters
Pamir, a six-year-old Tien Shan White Claw bear, sniffs a pumpkin during Halloween celebrations at the Royev Ruchey Zoo, on the suburbs of Russia's Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Oct. 31, 2013. Ilya Naymushin / Reuters
A member of the amateur rope-jumping group "Exit Point" wears Halloween make-up as he jumps from a 44-meter high water pipe bridge in the Siberian Taiga area outside Krasnoyarsk, Nov. 2, 2014. Ilya Naymushin / Reuters

Many Russians know about Halloween, and a growing number plan to dress up, don masks or celebrate it in other ways this Weekend.

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.

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