So with the Americanising of this day in Australia. Let's see how 2018 goes with Ozbargainers
Halloween 2018. Who Likes It
pformag on 31/10/2018 - 14:44
Poll Options
- 24Yes, love it, will have lollies for trick or treat.
- 49No, I turn off my lights and don't answer the door.
- 35It's Halloween today???
Comments
I love it. But then I also know the origins of Samhain and celebrate those.
Originally it was a celtic festival, but the US commercialised it.
From an OzB perspective, I hate it. How can sales of Sun Pool Loungers, Handbags, Books, Smoothies, etc., be linked to Halloween???
I went to the shopping mall today and santas groto was in full flow. They should hand out easter eggs as well….
it's my wedding aniversary.
I was living overseas when I got married. when I told my canadian and american co-workers they were like "you're getting married on Halloween!!, why the hell would you do that?"
Drag out the wedding dress, spray some blood on it - you are ready to trick and treat.
with 3 children I no longer fit into it.
Wear it by yourself then.
it's my wedding aniversary.
Condolences.
yet another benefit of living out of suburbia
.Give the trick or treaters strawberries.
Wink at them as you give them out too.
A berry good idea.
Every year I tell the kids trick and it just leaves us both disappointed.
Typical kids these days wanting something for nothing, they need to learn to follow through with their threats.
throws eggs @ cypher67
Is it a coincidence that Woolworths has a 50% off toilet paper?
Maybe kids should have a water balloon hidden in their pocket, ready to explode for tricks?
Also, why is that paper bag out the front of your house alight?
P.S. Kids, don't try this at home.
We were living in America, one time, when Halloween was on. We bought candy and waited for people to come past, but nadda. Apparently you are meant to put on the outside light to show you have candy. We were eating candy for a while after that. One of the cute things was they would get people to bring their kids, all dressed up, to work so they could trick or treat at people's desks. It was a safer way for the kids to do it.
I love horror/scary things in general how ever don't really 'Celebrate' Halloween, aside from Games that take on the theme and do something with it.
halloween? you mean the steam sale?
I just returned with a haul of funsize Cadbury and Mars chocolate. Lots of elaborately decorated houses this year and over a hundred trick-or-treaters out. The highlight for me, as a Mexican wrestler, was running into Trump. He seemed to be a fan as he offered a very apprehensive high five.
It is not an American thing but was a pagen festival from ye old England.
A celtic festival; so mainly Ireland and Scotland.
Having said that, the Celts were widespread. I saw a doco on the weekend that explained how they were in the Roman armies, usually the blood-thirsty ones.
Not a fan of cherry-picking events that we like from overseas cultures. May as well start running with the bulls, throwing tomatoes at each other, and celebrating thanksgiving. Bah humbug :)
I actually enjoy Thanks Giving, would actually like if this was a thing. We need to be more thankful for the life we have in Australia.
I am very thankful for the life we have in Australia, but adopting northern America's Thanksgiving Day is not how to celebrate it in my view.
I'd be very happy to have a national day of celebration, but let's do it in a way that celebrates this country and our people.
Alcoholism day?
You want to celebrate how the settlers took over the natives. Turning them into slaves, killing millions, raping the women and almost committing genocide. Hey we celebrate Australia day too which almost exactly the same thing happened. So why not
wow, you must be fun at a party.
Not a fan of cherry-picking events that we like from overseas cultures.
Would you care to explain why that is?
I don't see how anyone is obliged to be culturally consistent. And Halloween doesn't usurp any other cultural event on the 31st of October. So what's the downside?
I never said anyone is obliged to be anything. As far as I'm concerned, each to their own, live and let live, etc etc. Hey the hypocrite in me will still enjoy the Steam sale while it's on.
Its an American celebration
No business here in Australia.
Soon we will be celebrating 4 July too.
But anyway hard to tell the kids thatIt's all about the kids! Imagine what it's like for them. They get to dress up as their hero and get free chocolate/candy from every place they go to. If you're a kid that's the ultimate fantasy. I think it's great that they can have something like that to do. Then when you're an adult you get to have dressup parties where all the hot women dress up in revealing outfits. I don't see anything other than a win-win situation.
But what did the kids actually understand about Halloween?
And if adopting the word 'candy' is any indication, that is a further loss of our culture.
We did previously have 'cracker nights' (fireworks, bonfires) and those were more aligned to the celtic origins of this festival. Perhaps we should revert to that, as a community event, as I have seen others in different forums have suggested today.
Your "cracker nights" with fireworks and bonfires were on November 5th Guy Fawkes night. Not anything to do with Celtic origins but a plot by Catholics to blow up the British parliament.
@Cliche Guevara: I thought it was early June but it was a long time ago. Given the closeness in dates between Halloween and Guy Fawkes, I think it could be an acceptable merge of largely irrelevant 'celebrations'.
Guy Fawkes relates to a plot by
Catholicsa Catholic…Let's not get into anti-Catholic rhetoric for something that happened ~400 years ago.
@GG57: I don't want to argue with you, but my comment was in no way anti-Catholic - I was just stating the facts.
If you want to be pedantic perhaps I should have said "a group of Catholics".
In any case it wasn't the work of an individual and it was motivated by their religious beliefs.
Just read the wiki I linked to in my previous post.Here's a quote: Guido Fawkes while fighting for the Spanish, was a member of a group of provincial English Catholics who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605.
Candy… loss of our culture?? We have a mainly British culture, with a few changes here and there. Also candy is a forgotten term that was used so much in Australia throughout the earlier decades. Now there's mainly chocolate so no one uses candy. Who cares about fireworks or a little cracker show. Like I said taking away something like this from kids is awful. There's no definitive proof that it actually started as a Gaelic festival. Many latin and ancient cultures celebrated the day of the dead that has nothing to do with Celtic ways. It's a celebration and remembrance of the dead. There's nothing wrong with that or to tell the kids. So maybe if they change anything it's to dress up as your favourite idol that died.
No, it is a celtic festival (that North American countries adopted and changed). Unfortunately those that 'celebrate' Halloween in Australia tend to follow the North American version of the customs / traditions (which I don't like at all).
A person I used to know started giving lollies to children.
Ended up with a 5 year jail term.
Yeah but I've been released from jail now. Catch up with you soon :)
In the US this year catching up with family
It's pretty commercialised here and the house decorations are elaborate in some places while others just stick a few carved pumpkins on the porch.
DIL in LA said she has to carry her two year old past their front decorations and he flat out refuses to go to neighbours that are normally favourites.
Across the road had a really scary display, including severed limbs and bloody babies and clowns jumping out of coffins.
It was so good, but made grand daughter literally cry. There's a lot of emphasise on goryness probably driven by all the stuff you can buy
Maybe Australia is more like it used to be. Kids dress up in simple costumes and go door to door being given candy.Have a look at Costco they had man size Halloween displays that make noises, talk etc. not sure who buys them. America can be OTT. We were in New Orleans leading up to last years Halloween. People had the whole porch decorated.
I dint know if its Halloween today but will be more than happy to handout lollies…Option needs to be added in Poll