Can someone please tell me what happened to Halloween?
You see I don’t think I saw one bedsheet-wearing ghost glide down my street, no mischievous trick or treater on the hunt for a bag of sweets or two, not even a carefully carved pumpkin or tacky witch’s wand in sight. Did Halloween bewitch itself into non-existence or did it eerily pass me by in the dead of night?
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| Photo credit: Arvind Balaraman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net |
When we lived in Canada, Halloween was a major event. Children spent days on end waiting in eager anticipation of ‘fright night’ and folks would go all-out in decorating their ginormous homes, covering them in every bit of creepy paraphernalia under the sun (or full moon). Pumpkin patches were a favourite of mine where you’d pick your pumpkin of choice ready for the messy carving session to come. Halloween was activity-laden during the day culminating in the costume wearing and trick-or-treating later that night.
”This house is truly creepy,” I said, as I started taking photos of the house for my growing Canadian Halloween collection. “What have they painted over there on the garage?”
Which makes it all the more confusing as to what happened to Halloween in Australia this week. Where did the good times and festive frolics go?
In pursuit of the truth, a conversation in my office yesterday went something like this:
Me: “Do Australians not celebrate Halloween then?”
Colleague: “No, it’s a Yank tradition. We don’t like Halloween”.
Me: “I think it’s actually an English tradition. All Hallow’s Eve or something. Burning witches at the stake. That sort of thing”.
Colleague: “Yeah, well we’ve taken the American version where kids get fat from eating too many sweets and I get my house egged if I don’t give them anything”.
Me: “Are you sure you don’t just need to lighten up and get into the spirit of it? Halloween is a lot of fun. It’s all about the kids dressing up and scaring each other”.
Colleague: “I hate Halloween and I hate greedy kids. It’s not Australian and I don’t want my house getting egged”.
Me: “I’d egg your house”.
Colleague: “What?”
Me: “Nothing”.
And that was the end of that.
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| Photo credit: digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net |
So did my co-worker accurately capture the entire mood of a nation? Have the Halloween fun police taken over the asylum?
So how did you spend Halloween night? And do you know what happened to it in the land down under?
Isn’t it an Irish tradition? I swear I learned that on a trip to Ireland a few years ago. Anyway, I’ve heard the same about it being Yank and it is my second favorite holiday, so that disappoints me. However, this year in my suburb I saw about 30 kids dressed up and trick or treating — so it is on the rise I think in the next generation 🙂
Halloween was alive and well in India, at least as celebrated by the expats. I must admit I wasn’t expecting it. In fact, I wasn’t expecting it so much that I was forced to turn into the scrooge-like neighbor that hid inside and didn’t answer doorbells due to my lack of preparedness. I’m not proud.
In Luxembourg I didn’t see a single trick-or-treater, and I only saw 3 jack-o-lanterns. I was in Halloween-candy withdrawal! However, Nov. 1st is a national holiday here. All Saints Day I think.
Hi Rachel, I guess we have to admit that Halloween is probably only an English-speaking thing in a few historically connected countries (I’m thinking the UK, USA and Canada). Still, it’s always a shame when you’ve grown up surrounded by jack-o-lanterns and sacks of sweets, then someone takes them away from you 🙁
I’ve already had a lot of reactions from Aussie friends to this post who inform me that “yes, we absolutely support and embrace Halloween here” so I’m going to stick at it and don my witch’s hat next year.
Thanks for commenting on the blog 🙂
Hey John, I’m astounded that Halloween was celebrated in any form in India. I wouldn’t have been expecting that either.
And I do sympathise with you. I’ve been in that situation before where I’ve come home late from work, completely unprepared for the little horrors who will descend on my front door at any moment, and have had to dim the lights, close the curtains, and hide… I’m not proud either. We can be ‘not proud’ together.
I think it does have its roots in Celtic folklore as it was an old festival called the Samhain. Then it developed as All Hallows Eve the night before All Saints Day in Britain. I also read that it was actually Irish and Scottish immigrants that introduced it to the US. And, yes, I can use Wikipedia when I want to 😉
I’m surprised you can remember anything that you learned on a trip to Ireland?!
I also think you’re right about the next generation here. Hopefully, they will take this thing by the reigns and run with it. My guide is the number of pictures of friends’ children on Facebook dressed up for Halloween. Most were from North America and the UK but there was a large number from Oz so I have high hopes for these youngsters!
Good to see you over here 🙂
I was thinking deeply the other day (doesn’t happen often and the results can be questionable) about the influence that geographical location has on peoples lives and attitudes and I think the issue of Halloween and Oz falls under the umbrella of this topic. If you think about it, Britain and North America are on the verge of winter; long, cold and depressing. Those occasions when we can forget the coming hardship and “party on down” are very welcome right now. Britain still has the warming flames and dazzling fireworks of Bonfire Night to look forward to. From an Aussie point of view, there’s no way you’d want to start fires when you’re struggling to put ’em out already! You’ve got 20+degree temperatures, the sun is shining – life’s good 🙂 Warmed apple cider is surplus to requirements!
You’re just a little bit younger than me (ok, you’re young enough to be my child). When I was knee high to a grasshopper it was Guy Fawkes that was all the rage – penny for the guy, bonfires, sparklers, dodgy fireworks and a busy night at A&E. Halloween seems to be a recent re-introduction. Of course, some parts of London have had trick or treat for years – more commonly known as mugging.
BTW I’ve awarded you a Versatile Blogger Award, just in case you hadn’t picked it up. Well done!
http://perkingthepansies.com/2011/10/28/jack-the-versatile-blogger/
Growing up in Lancashire, no-one had heard of Halloween, but my Scottish father used to carve us jack o’lanterns out of the (soccer ball sized) swede turnips since pumpkins weren’t normally available. All the neighbourhood kids came to our place to tell ghost stories and bob for apples. It’s definitely always been a big thing in Scotland.
Hi Judith, I think I’d prefer the pumpkin but you’ve got to love the hardy turnip, the staple diet of Scots and Englanders for hundreds of years! We also used to bob for apples as kids and tell ghost stories but I’m starting to think those sort of traditions are dying out. Shame really.
Easy tiger, don’t overwork that grey matter too hard. You’ll need every morsel of strength for the upcoming Canadian winter 🙂
You’re absolutely right though. And, to some extent, the same is true of Xmas here. Much as we love to get into the spirit of things, it never has quite the same festive and cosy feel as back in the UK or anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere for that matter.
For us southerly folk, summer is here and Halloween is a stepping stone to long days, lots of BBQs and the odd drop of the funny stuff.
I’m older than I look, I’ll have you know. I’m actually in my early 50s and use copious amounts of Just For Men. Very pleased to have fooled you.
Sparklers were a personal favourite of mine, particularly when shown on TV with a warning sign and video of a small child grabbing the wrong end. Those ads would terrify me every time.
I think they should bring back Guy Fawkes in force. I used to love chucking my pals on the bonfire.
Thanking you kindly for the award, fine sir. It now sits pride of place on my mantelpiece where all and sundry can come and admire it. Very much appreciated.
This attitude annoys me to no end. (Then again I am Canadian…) growing up we were always taught it was an Irish/Scottish/English thing initially.
Australians love to bash the USA far more than any similar country (Canada/UK) I’ve ever lived in yet they’re absolutely desparate and clamouring for American clothes, American food (BBQ, Mexican & food trucks immediately come to mind as the current trendy ones) and American tv shows…
For a country that loves fancy dress for any random occasion, I don’t get why they like to openly hate a holiday specifically made for dressing in costume.
Hi Caz, completely understand. I think the key here is that they like to pick and choose from the American things they want and enjoy… versus those they don’t want and will therefore bash and claim as American and un-Australian. It’s a dilemma for sure and one that’s pretty inconsistent here.
I’m not sure why there are so many people like my good colleague who can’t stand Halloween. Maybe bad experiences in the past? Maybe they just don’t get it? But there are a growing number of those who enjoy it, even if they think it’s only about the giving and receiving of sweets/lollies/candy.
Your comment got me thinking about other US holidays here and I thought of Labour Day… isn’t that an American celebration that Australians also celebrate as their own (even if they fall on different days)? Just wondering…
Your trick-or-treaters headed north this year where they felt more welcome. We had a whopping 93 kids stop by, and the street was abuzz for a solid two hours as costumed children visited the handful of homes that participated. (That includes the French-Dutch woman across the street, who knew?!) Two years ago it was only 8 kids, last year it doubled to 16. I’m told by my neighbors that they had 30 or 40 children, but nothing like our house. You have to wonder how kids knew where the Americans lived; perhaps there is a bullseye we don’t know of. Regardless, we loved it and enjoyed every minute.
The Dutch children sing a little song that I think included I dress up and you give me a candy or something like that. (Wonder where that song came from? I’ll have to ask my neighbor Anneke.)
It’s funny your colleague was so focused on his house getting egged as it’s really not a very common occurrence in the US.
We had lots of trick or treaters and Halloween festivities in our pocket of Sydney (Chatswood), but nothing like in the US.
Yes, the US definitely knows how to celebrate Halloween. I’m going to look harder for these trick or treaters next year then – and most likely in a different suburb!
I think they must have, Linda. 99 kids? I don’t think we even had that many when in Canada. Something tells me they knew where the Americans were – and I bet your ‘treats’ were epic. I know your game… bribe the little ones with delicious treats and get the highest number on your doorstep each year 😉 Yes, the egging is either a tall story here or a reality. I haven’t seen it but talk of it is enough to put people off… What happened to the days of a good ole card trick or firecracker through the letterbox?