Halloween Revisited
I've just reread my Halloween post from 2 years ago and wow - was I a cranky bitch or what? As a commenter said, "who pissed in your WeetBix that day?" I admitted to be cranky, and I admit now to cringing when I read it. Sanctimonious much? My sincere and unreserved apologies for the tone of the post.
But I stand by the basic premise of the post - Halloween as it is known today in America has no place in Australia. And I loved Halloween as a kid, and even as an adult. Look:
It still has no place here, despite the efforts of retailers to make it so. Why wouldn't they? Halloween is the second most profitable holiday in America after Christmas, and there are no other holidays in Australia before Christmas to really rake in the dough. As kids are exposed more and more to American customs via television at younger ages they put pressure on parents to celebrate this holiday where they get to dress up and get chocolate and lollies. What kid wouldn't love that?
However, I still firmly believe that it is a holiday that should be kept out of Australia. It is a holiday that has a lot of religious significance, and if that didn't give it credence to be carried over by the original settlers of Australia - be they convicts or not - then there is less reason for it now. The Pagan seasonal reasons behind the holiday - the end of summer - are stood on their head here, quite literally. Even the Americans had to wait until the mass immigration of Irish to start celebrating Halloween, with the gradual evolution of the holiday as it is known today coming later than that. Had the original settlers carried their Halloween traditions over with them back in the 18th century, I doubt that the modern day version of Aussie Halloween would have ended up like the modern day American one. I lived in Germany for a few years and can tell you it's not the same there, so there is no reason to suppose it would be here.
American expats living in Australia should keep their traditions alive, if that is their wish. Go ahead and celebrate Halloween, and show your friends and neighbours how we do it. Go into the classroom and have a costume party, teach the little ones how to bob for apples or carve a pumpkin (if you can find one) and share some candy. But please remind them that it's an American holiday, and you do not expect them to adopt it but merely share it with you. When we start expecting everyone to behave like we do, we invite trouble and reinforce the "arrogant American" stereotype.
Happy Halloween!
9 Witty Remarks:
Aaaeeeiii!!! I remember that mask! You were an ape before you became a moose. Hellooo H Street!
Bah Humbug! That's what I say. :-)
But I did have a barrel of candy by the door, just in case. Master 12 is rather enjoying some of it now.
Happy Halloween to all of you from the U,S and Aiii.
You always did love Halloween! I remember the ape suit and have fond memories of the gorilla Mom handing out candy.
I'm embarrassed to say I forgot today was Halloween. What does that mean? *g*
I dunno... I guess I'm rather apathetic about the whole thing. If Aussies decide that they want to celebrate Halloween, that's fine with me. If not, no skin off my back. I'm not threatened by it any more than I'm threatened by the ever-expanding Chinese New Year celebrations. Cultures have evolved and changed and implemented things from other societies for centuries, and continue to do so. I reckon that if Australia takes on Halloween, we'll make it something uniquely our own, and claim we invented it! (can we say 20-to-1 and the thong??? hehehe) :-)
This was our third year living on the mountain where the halloween thing is done. The previous two years I've said NO NO NO NO, don't like it, just like begging, surely you get enough treats to not have to door knock for them.... blah blah... however... this year after nag nag nag, woe is me, not fair, etc etc, I let them.
So, any interested kiddies meet in the little park in "the blocks", a surburban type development on our mountain, and we all ooh and aah and pretend the littlies scare us in their costumes! We start our journey, (just after 4pm much to Master now 12's disgust, what's the point, its not dark) only visiting houses of people in the group unless others come out and beckon. It actually was quite fun walking around and chatting with the kids getting excited, some houses were a bit scungy but most were genourous. One house had a graveyard set up and spooky music playing on some type of guitar, another house had a man running at us with a chainsaw (minus the blade) all covered in blood. Very fuuny! We all screamed and were suitably frightenend. They even had a tunnel of terror which some of the younger ones were too frightened to enter.
Finished off by walking to the local hall where we all brought a plate of food and drinks and had a kids disco. It was great fun. My feet were killing me!
Still.... bah hum bug!
I'm off like a prom dress to take pictures of the kiddos in their costumes and begging for candy from strangers...I mean our neighbors. Even my non-candy eater will be trick-or-treating this year. Yippee!!
HAHAHAHA.... off like a prom dress. Classic Hermit's 'lil sis. I normally go for off like a bride's nightie, or off like a bucket of prawns in the sun, but I think I've just found my new saying.
Righto, I'm off like a you know what then :-)
You looked rather fetching in the gorilla costume; or is it a gorillette costume?
Anyway, I don't know what you were fetching, but I hope you got it.
I think I did. Poppa Mooselet called it "Gorilla My Dreams". Ok, go ahead and groan now...
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