Halloween has always been, a superficial holiday in Australia. It is bad enough in the US, let alone here. I never went trick-or-treating as a child and hence never had much interest in it.
However the previous two Halloweens in Sydney, have opened my opinion on the subject.
Last year I went to the extent, of creating a somewhat plausible giant spiders web enclosing the whole on my front entrance.
There was a fake spider,eggs, fingers, toes, active background noises (screams,shouts from computer aided sound etc.), and a scary costume. http://www.instructables.com/id/Gian...d_surviving_i/
The night before Halloween last year some inventive little girl, was obviously having a conversation with her parents, on the fact that Halloween is not a celebrated event here, yet she still wanted to go.
She went around the immediate streets and put flyers in everyone's letter boxs. They read-
"Happy Haloween! We realise not everyone celebrates this event and we would like you to put out some orange, to let the kids know whom not to bother.
Thankyou."
Needless to say my orange went out straight away, so did ever other house on the street. Even the old grouch across the road put out orange.
The community spirit was amazing that night. I have never met many if any of my neighbours. That night I did. Not only was is a great bonding experience, it was something out of the ordinary.
The fathers of the children obviously got to take them after work and you could see how happy they were trying to convince their young ones to venture into the webbed trap.
So I was wondering, are you doing anything? Will you hand out candy? Will you avoid the whole event? Do you think, we need our own national event, in which we as a neighbourhood can interact?
What are your thoughts?
As much as I dispise Halloween US style, kids simply want to have some fun. I am not going to take that from them.
I am off to think of a last minute costume (I am good at that), not doin' the house up this year, so the costume needs to be scary good and big... I am thinking a giant paper-mache spider that I can get inside and move..
Thanks Guys and Gals, look forward to your thoughts.
If anyone is looking for some last minute decent wound fx, to go with their costume try my "Last Minute Laceration" easy instructions, made with products around the home. http://www.instructables.com/id/FREE...rm-laceration/
If anyone is looking for some last minute decent wound fx, to go with their costume try my "Last Minute Laceration" easy instructions, made with products around the home. http://www.instructables.com/id/FREE...rm-laceration/
I wanted to share a Hallowe'en trick that the little gaffers pulled on this old troll. Usually it's the other way around - but not this time.
Knock knock trick or treat! was heard at the open front entrance way .. they had quietly made their way up the wooden stairs leading to the front door. "Trick or treat everybody!" I said; to the two little gaffers standing in their clown outfits (you know the kind - standard one piece jump-suit idea - probably sewed from old bed sheets) with the standard Hallowe'en pie-plate type face masks on.
Trick or treat the little gaffers whispered - oh well I thought ... cute little kids - can't expect too much from these little guys .. I'm probably a pretty scary old troll - glad they put in an appearance ... so their they stood .. trick or treat Mister! with their goodies sack outstretched before them.
Well here you go gang .. a little something for you and a little something for you and now boo! run along and have a safe Hallwe'en. They laconically looked into their sacks and said (quietly) "thank you Mister" and ran off down the stairs - ran off backwards! Hello ??? WHAT ARE YOU GUYS THINKING?? YOU'RE GONNA BUST YOUR HEADS OPEN - RUNNING BACKWARDS (Without having turned around) DOWN THESE STEEP STAIRS ...
Well I think you're starting to figure things out - the gaffers had snuck up the stairs and then stood 'facing' me with their backs turned and the cheesy Hallowe'en masks placed backwards on the backs of their heads
I saw the parents having a good chuckle - out on the street .. I still chuckle over it.
One bigger kid and their younger brethren. Candy well-spent. Almost gave me an infarcation - sneaky rascals. Thnx for sharing
Aren't we more intelligent in Australia than to follow the lame brain American culture?
Why do we promote something that represents the perpetuation of conformity in human cultures rather than establishing and celebrating the unique diversity of all world cultures. In OUR southern hemisphere, we should out and celebrating the coming of summer, where the winter chills are forgotten, and we can all be out in the open air, enjoying our skies and country.
Bugger the yanks!
I ask you...Where is the old venom of Midnight Oil and Peter Garrett when you need them? I.e. In the lyrics;
"U.S. Forces, give the nod…
It's a setback for your country…."
or the "Sell My Soul Lyrics;
"America’s great now, if you don’t talk back…
Celebrate, I just want to celebrate
I’m not going to sell my soul to him!!"
Damn right !
Now I need a bex, liedown, and a nice cup of tea….
Aren't we more intelligent in Australia than to follow the lame brain American culture?
Halloween predates the USA. They just turned it into a sales opportunity.
Quote: Halloween has origins in the ancient festival known as Samhain (pronounced sow-in or sau-an), which may be derived from Old Irish and may mean roughly "summer's end", but see also Samhain. This was a Gaelic festival celebrated mainly in Ireland and Scotland. However, similar festivals were held by other Celts - for example the festival of Calan Gaeaf (pronounced kalan-geyf) which may similarly have been held by the ancient Britons.
The festival of Samhain celebrates the end of the "lighter half" of the year and beginning of the "darker half", and is sometimes regarded as the "Celtic New Year".
And: A time of pagan festivities, Popes Gregory III (731-741) and Gregory IV (827-844) tried to supplant [Halloween] with the Christian holiday (All Saints' Day) by moving [All Saint's Day] from May 13 to November 1.
Halloween predates the USA. They just turned it into a sales opportunity.
Quote: Halloween has origins in the ancient festival known as Samhain (pronounced sow-in or sau-an), which may be derived from Old Irish and may mean roughly "summer's end", but see also Samhain. This was a Gaelic festival celebrated mainly in Ireland and Scotland. However, similar festivals were held by other Celts - for example the festival of Calan Gaeaf (pronounced kalan-geyf) which may similarly have been held by the ancient Britons.
The festival of Samhain celebrates the end of the "lighter half" of the year and beginning of the "darker half", and is sometimes regarded as the "Celtic New Year".
And: A time of pagan festivities, Popes Gregory III (731-741) and Gregory IV (827-844) tried to supplant [Halloween] with the Christian holiday (All Saints' Day) by moving [All Saint's Day] from May 13 to November 1.
Yeah, you are absolutely right.
That is exactly why I said "In OUR southern hemisphere, we should out and celebrating the coming of summer, where the winter chills are forgotten, and we can all be out in the open air, enjoying our skies and country."
However, my grip is that the Americans who have wantonly commercialised it! We never celebrated Halloween in Australia because we are not going to the darkside, nor do we need "stand between the candle and the flame". We are really rapidly approach the light!
In the southern hemisphere, we should be dancing 'round the maypole, not celebrating the misery of the coming of winter. Really dressing up in black as if we are ready for a funeral, when the world around me is buzzing with life and energy.
We should join with colourful Flora, and NOT with those bloodsucking Vampires !
Forget Halloween. let's do something else and something original, like those Irish and Celts, but do it the Australian Way and not copycat others.
As for the Celts…. I think I'll celebrate playing some music by Enya or Clannad the rest of the day!!
Note: You remind me of the beautiful Enya song "Once You Had Gold". The lyrics in the second chorus is;
"Now you can see
Spring becomes autumn,
Leaves become gold
Falling from view.
Ever and always.
Always and ever.
No-one can promise a dream come true,
Time gave both darkness and dreams to You."
I also thought of Enya's song. Flora's Secret, which sums up the passing of winter…
"Some they know as passion
Some as freedom
Some they know as love
And the way it leaves them
Summer snowflake*
For a season
When the sky above is blue
When the sky above is blue."
* Summer snowflake or "white violet", is a bulbous fragrant flower that blooms in early spring in the far northern countries. (See attachment)
Perhaps instead of Halloween , we should all celebrate the colourful the blooming of the purple Jacaranda Trees, like they do in Brisbane, Grafton NSW, Pretoria in South Africa, etc. (though those poor flowers in Grafton on the NSW northern coast recently were mostly destroyed by the rainfall!)
Give them young kiddies something that mark the southern seasons, and not just copy those northerners unrelated festivities - which have little meaning to us.
Note: As to the mythology legends of Flora, which is the name of the eighth discovered asteroid in 1847. There is a good summary, that appears on the webpage http://homepage.mac.com/andjames/PageFlora000.htm . The mythology is discussed in the latter half of the webpage
You might also want to apologise to our numerous American IIS members while you're at it
There were some fairly anti-US sentiments expressed in here.
I know you were aiming your comments more at what you see as an American tradition, but comments like "bugger the yanks" and "Aren't we more intelligent in Australia than to follow the lame brain American culture?" don't come over too well.
We celebrate plenty of our own traditions, by the way. There's no reason we can't embrace a few more even if they're not 'our own', if just for the fun of it.
Halloween back in rural Canada has turned into an even which I hope to never see here. The amount of vandalism and random acts of defacement that happen on that night is truly appalling.
From what I recall of the Halloweens that I was in California for, it isn't as bad there, but my memories of the post-halloween clean-up have spoiled the whole thing for me and leave me with no desire to introduce my children to it.
,
Thnx for sharing 
Halloween?? What's That??????
)
Here's a brighter thought...
, we should all celebrate the colourful the blooming of the purple Jacaranda Trees, like they do in Brisbane, Grafton NSW, Pretoria in South Africa, etc. (though those poor flowers in Grafton on the NSW northern coast recently were mostly destroyed by the rainfall!) 
