It's gonna be 70 degrees for halloween!! FINALLY something we can walk outside and trick or treat in!!!
YAY!

Do Uk ers celebrate Halloween? NZ? Canada?
Is it celebrated differently than ours?

Have fun!

Ellen

It's not a particularly big thing where I live in England, but it doesn't get ignored completely.

I did some trick-or-treating when I was about 10 with some friends and we ended up getting chased by a policeman. I never quite understood why as we were always so well behaved.

How is it actually celebrated in the States? I only get to see things on TV (like the Simpsons Halloween shows) and my perception might be a bit skcewed. Does everyone get involved? For the trick-or-treating are the "tricks" nasty or does everyone play it safe and give out treats?

Beetroot (taking no risks with a big bag of Milky Ways by the door ready-to-roll)

We do have Halloween in Canada. And we celebrate it just like you in the U.S., by sacraficing a lamb and dancing to the "Monster Mash".

Texas celebrates Halloween in a big way. I'll be attending Halloween partys for the remainder of the week into Friday night! Scarry!

This past Sunday I attended the best and scariest party yet. But believe it or not, I wasn't enjoying myself very much after a short while. The makeup and costumes on some of these people was too good! I mean having a cocktail and standing next to a guy who has a carpenter's hammer protruding from his forehead can only be so much fun. Another had grossly accurate and realistic looking burns and scars on face complete with blood stains on costume. Some of the theatrical costumes were a bit overwhelming as well.

Some of these folks really knew what they were doing or knew someone when it came to Hollywood makeup. I wish to erase memories of that guy with the hammer in forehead. Standing there starring at "brain matter" surrounding the hammer and listening to him talk politics and saying "You really ought to try the little sausages on a stick....or at least they look like little sausages (evil grin). He kept me from hitting the buffet line for sure. Ugh....
Also present was the fellow dressed in formal western attire, blood running down his forehead and over face, holding up a glass of wine, and with English accent saying "Great pahteeee isn't it?" - some of you may remember him from Stephen King's "The Shining". Yeah the movie that scarred yer pants off. God! could you put just a few more chills up and down my spine.

The next one I'm invited to is this coming Wednesday. Maybe hammer boy will stay home.

My favourite Hallowe'en story:
(Which I am hereby giving others to use as you so determine.)

I have an Aunt (Uncle's wife) who came to Canada with her family as a refugee due to some unrest in their African country.

They were supported by a host family and community. They arrived on Canadian Thanksgiving weekend and stayed with the host family.

They were very excited when a few weeks later they were shown the townhouse that they would be moving into (on October 30th as it happened.)

My Aunt was a young teen at the time and she remembers her parents being delighted when they moved in and the next day the neighbours came to greet them.

No one had told them about Hallowe'en. They were delighted with the Canadian custom of getting dressed up in costume to greet people who have moved in on your street. They were honoured that their neighbours would welcome them in this manner.

When the door bell rang, they opened the door to see people dressed up with open bags of candy. They didn't want to be rude...

So, they only took a few pieces of candy and thanked their neighbours.

* * * * *

The next day, they told their host family about the visitors the evening before. The host family realized and explained Hallowe'en. My Aunt's family had no idea that it was a big event. As they pointed out, only a few people came to their door. They wondered why?


(I can imagine the kids on the street talking to each other. Don't go to that house. Some trick they play taking your flipping candy.)

Cheers - El Lamo

Hahahaha!!
that's very funny El Lamo!!

Now, to answer Ellens question..
We don't traditionally celebrate Halloween here, although there are a few parties around (any excuse to get together, dress up and have fun!!). However it is becoming more popular over here, with some kids starting to trick or treat in the last couple of years.

No offence, but I really hope it doesn't take off over here. I don't think there is anything wrong with the holiday at all, but he only reason it would take off is becuase it is a big thing in America. It doesn't relate to our history/culture at all, so it would be good to see it stay small. Heck, we are even in completely the wrong season for decent pumpkins down in the deep dark southern hemisphere!!

Chris is it summer yet there? Another dumb question--where are pumpkins from (like sweet potatoes--weren't they from south america or n. america--made by the native americans?) Anyway--do they grow pumpkins there?

Um--Beetroot...here's a quick explanation of what may happen for halloween here.
You buy lots of candy. Your neighbors--some are here--may go way out and put a graveyard, giant spider, fog machine, grim reaper and more in their front yard (we are not--I have 3 pumpkins). What kills me is the new kind of "halloween lights" which are trying to be like x-mas lights--I get so sick of them--people leave them up forever!
On halloween--because of safety now--younger kids go out right after dinner around 530 or so--so there's a little light out. They are usually dressed in character costumes from TV or a specific theme or movie. They go to the door--say trick or treat, get candy, and that's it. Some teenagers try to TP your trees (toilet paper), or do other dumb pranky things--eggs thrown on your door etc...Since our neighborhood is young families and the teens are in the neighborhood streets over--we don't really get that. The worst was some kids knocked over the candy bowl we left out while we were bringing our kids out to T or T.
Americans will usually watch the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown (a classic for kids--even when us 30 yr olds were young). There will be parties at schools for kids where they will dress up.
Older kids may go to local "haunted houses" in their towns.
That's about it. It's fast and over with.

I can understand about chris not wanting it to invade nz culture--american culture has invaded too much anyway (tokyo for example).

But here's a question--why are we the big ones for Halloween--isn't it a pagan holiday (or is that christmas). Where did this come from??Now I know--day of the dead (mexico)--but that's a little different.

Anybody dressing up their kids? Mine will be a scarecrow and a wicked witch. I will pass out candy with my pet rat on my shoulder!

Ellen

PS) Randy--love to see those guys at the party! Have fun at the one tonite!

Most Holidays are Pagan in Origin. Halloween is the Christianized (All Saints Day Eve) version of the Celtic Holiday of Samhain (pronounced Sow-in) which more or less was their version of new years eve.
It was popularized in this country by Irish immigrants who arrived here in great numbers in the latter part of the 19th century.
A good short history of this holiday can be found here
http://www.new-life.net/halowen1.htm

Sounds a blast, Ellen. I didn't get anyone come to my door last year or the year before. Occasionally there'll be a couple of kids with a sheet thrown over them and some people are starting to put the odd lit pumpkin outside, but not much more that that.

We have Bonfire night on the 5th November and there are big firework displays all over the place so people are probably more focussed on that. One thing that happens around this time is boys (generally) making a "Guy" which if you don't know is like a big floppy doll made out of old clothes and stuff made to look like Guy Fawkes (the bloke who tried to blow up parliament and ended up being burnt at the stake in days of old). They then sit at street corners saying "Penny for the Guy" to passers by and try to make as much money as they can.

A favourite technique of some boys is to dress one of their unwitting friends up as a Guy and drape him in a wheelbarrow under the pretence of it being the best way of making a convincing Guy then wheeling him up to someone's door and asking "Penny for the Guy". What actually happens is they wheel him up to the door, ring the doorbell and then scarper leaving the poor soul slumped in the barrow when the resident answers the door

Back onto the topic - have fun all!

We've had quite a few trick or treaters here in Manchester, UK already. It's a bit rough where I live though so if you don't give them at least a pound then they tend to smash your windows, as a result we pretend to be out until the little rascals have gone to bed.

Ellen, we are just coming into the start of summer really. I think it is officially summer, but the weather doesn't feel that way!
Christmas is in the middle of summer over here, so its a bbq on the beach to celebrate instead of curled up by the fire, or making snowmen!

How's the water on the beach? warm/clear? I'd love it!

Thanks for the link Payne.

Ellen

Depends which coast you go to. Calm and clear on the east, and great for surfing on the west. And the two coasts are only a couple of hours drive apart!

We don't get the tropical (fiji, samoa) type of water down here, its more....oceany!

I like Oceany!!! Surf's up...Big Kahuna!!

Any body ever notice how you have horrible nasty weather, cold and rainy, to trick-or-treat in. The year you decide you are too cool to trick-or-treat, the weather is beautiful from then on.

Yes, we celebrate halloween in Canada by overindulging on candy. However, here in Calgary, we've been hit with winter earlier than usual. It's sitting right now at a balmy -19°C (-2.2°F) and about a foot of snow & ice.