I would be interested in knowing how Halloween is celebrated differently in the UK. I recall that it was not celebrated at all in Germany in the late 70s, except on American bases. Of course, there was Fasching, which just might have been even better.
We do jack-o-lanterns here in the U.S. and ghouls and goblins and such. The children, and some adults, costume. Most children trick-or-treat door to door for prizes and candy, some go to parties/festivals where their parents feel safer. We are pretty hard-core door-to-door trick or treaters; it's tradition. This year we have a space-girl, an astronaut, and death (yes, the 12-year-old. Today I caught him in front of a mirror wearing his horror robe saying in a deep voice, "I have come for your soul.")
Halloween is an awesome holiday. I have decided that I will have no costume this year, but instead I will be drenched in blood
Because that's what Halloween is all about these days
I'm in the UK and I detest Halloween. I don't, never have and never will celebrate it. A lot of people here dread it as lowlife, yobs, chavs, and out of control kids use it as a opportunity to harass and intimidate people. Over the years this time of year has become hostile and aggressive, with people banging on doors wearing scream masks demanding money, cars and property get vandalized and it is getting worse.
I HATE IT!!!
I also think it is a invasion of privacy to knock on someones door shouting "trick or treat!!!" I ignore the door bell at all times anyway as the people that know me know NEVER to turn up without prior warning, but Halloween night upsets and frightens my little boy when people are banging on the door.
Where I used to live in England, it was quite horrible..the trick or treating etc plus the local Vicar was in the news every year preaching against Devil worship!
When I moved to this area, I found it quite the opposite.
We decorate our houses to look really spooky...I love it to bits!!
The more creepy & spooky the better..ghouls cobwebs.... the lot.
I was very pleasantly surprised the first time the children came round, they dress up & put a lot of effort into it, come in small groups (the little ones assisted by the older children) & must each say a poem, joke, story or sing a song before they are given their ' poke ' (bag) of sweets, fruit & peanuts in shells, NO money ever.
Like Tigger says in Ireland because it is a farming community, many of the children are driven into the village in order to participate.
Most years there is a spooky walk through the forest, with paper lights leading the way & floating on the loch, at strategic spots there will be a child using a flute, or an adult dressed up singing or saying poems, at the end of the walk there will be a witch complete with cauldron who usually tells a long spooky story.......lovely.
When the Village hall community is active there is a ceidigh, which is great fun...people come & go,so there are seldom so many people there that it is overwhelming, it is close by so when someone has had enough, they can go home & return if they wish.
I would go out with my friends, usually body-guarding the younger teenaged ones from chavs and the like scum, or if they are all busy, go out with my older friends, not trick or treating, but the chavs are out in force, so its a great time to mask up and go kicking *** out of chav NTs :evil:
whats a chav? or rather sence there poeple who are chavs?
While 5yo is scared to death of SCARY Halloween stuff, we manage to make do with our church's scare-less halloween event.
This year she will be Wendy. Her imaginary friend will be Peter Pan (because he is THE Peter Pan, why would he dress up?). Little one will be Tinkerbell.
I attempted the impossible and made them both costumes. Nick is thinking of being Captain Hook. I was going to be Tinkerbell (a very spandex-free fairy, mind you!) until the youngest decided she didn't want to be Captain Hook. So now things are crazy and (thankfully) I don't have to dress up!
So yea, we're very Peter Pan crazy at our house. We tried to talk her into letting her little friend who's a boy be Peter Pan and that was ludicrous. "Why would we have two Peter Pans?" FYI- She knows the whole invisible friend thing isn't real, she's just a wierd kid.
A wierd kid with wierd parents that encourage her wierdness.
Happy tricking.
Wow about the marauding gangs. Things are more courteous around here. And people who do not have an outside light on are left alone.
Wow about the marauding gangs. Things are more courteous around here. And people who do not have an outside light on are left alone.
I wish people were more respectful here, but that's the state of the UK for you.
Wow about the marauding gangs. Things are more courteous around here. And people who do not have an outside light on are left alone.
I wish people were more respectful here, but that's the state of the UK for you.
Well, in the U.S. there is the very real possibility of getting capped if you take something too far.
Can anyone remember having eaten theese candies I told about earlier in the thread?
(triangle-shaped orange and...yellow in the tip(I think) candies and brown caramells with black paper wrapped around.)
Besides I also got a sceleton which lid up the dark.
candy corn and peanut butter chews?
Gemma wouldn't go down your street WFM!
but over here it used to be common for most of the mothers to make ' toffee' in a tray for Guy Fawkes night ( we had to bash it up with a wee hammer, as it set as a large slab.)
