So... just about two years ago, this was me: "Halloween is really not a holiday that's celebrated here...they just don't do it."
I was wrong. I was totally wrong. Kiwis DO do Halloween. I think I was labouring under this misconception due to living in the inner city where children make up a vanishingly small proportion of the population. There, we got lots of updates on topics like yachting and parties, but kid stuff just didn't make it onto the radar.
Out west, though, we've learned the lay of the land. Costumes are encouraged, and this is the first time I've lived in a suburb where the bedazzled children descend upon houses in droves with loot bags extended.
There are some notable differences to the US experience, though. Halloween is definitely a kids' thing here; there are no dressed-up adults and no costumed beer parties. Refreshingly, the 'trick' aspect doesn't seem to have made it over either, so there were no reports of TPing of trees or egging of cars. Or arson. And, trick-or-treating as a cultural phenomenon is quite new for NZ as a country. Apparently, few Kiwis my age would have done it as kids.
So, without further ado, may I present Noni the Pony and the Lone Ranger:
These were the costumes they requested. I had been sure Arram would want to be a policeman, but he was quite clear and adamant. They both also had stick horses to complete their costumes, but they proved to be poor pack animals out on the candy trail and so were left back at the paddock.
Amiri, as the oldest in our little trick-or-treating group, really took on a leadership position and demonstrated for the little boys how to knock on all the doors and holler the three magic words while we parents waited on the footpath. He also kept us going at a brisk pace.
Don't call me a cowboy!
When it started to get chilly and dark, it was time to go home. Look at their haul!
I was wrong. I was totally wrong. Kiwis DO do Halloween. I think I was labouring under this misconception due to living in the inner city where children make up a vanishingly small proportion of the population. There, we got lots of updates on topics like yachting and parties, but kid stuff just didn't make it onto the radar.
Out west, though, we've learned the lay of the land. Costumes are encouraged, and this is the first time I've lived in a suburb where the bedazzled children descend upon houses in droves with loot bags extended.
There are some notable differences to the US experience, though. Halloween is definitely a kids' thing here; there are no dressed-up adults and no costumed beer parties. Refreshingly, the 'trick' aspect doesn't seem to have made it over either, so there were no reports of TPing of trees or egging of cars. Or arson. And, trick-or-treating as a cultural phenomenon is quite new for NZ as a country. Apparently, few Kiwis my age would have done it as kids.
So, without further ado, may I present Noni the Pony and the Lone Ranger:
These were the costumes they requested. I had been sure Arram would want to be a policeman, but he was quite clear and adamant. They both also had stick horses to complete their costumes, but they proved to be poor pack animals out on the candy trail and so were left back at the paddock.
Amiri, as the oldest in our little trick-or-treating group, really took on a leadership position and demonstrated for the little boys how to knock on all the doors and holler the three magic words while we parents waited on the footpath. He also kept us going at a brisk pace.
Don't call me a cowboy!
When it started to get chilly and dark, it was time to go home. Look at their haul!
4 comments:
Looks like the boys had so much fun! I'm glad that Halloween has such an air of innocence in NZ - like it used to be the States.
It looks like the boys' booty for the night has very little - if any - chocolate in it - but does have lots of "lollies".
Thanks for sharing with us!
I loved seeing these pictures. Amiri and Arram both had totally cool costumes. Amiri sounded like a great leader also. I was very impressed with the spread also! I am sure they will remember their experience for months and will look forward to next year.
I am so glad that the adults did not take over the holiday there. That is my pet peeve here in the U.S. I never like when adults make holidays about them when a certain holiday is meant to be for children. Love to you to all. Also, Allie, Jeanne and Doug did a
great job on the costumes.
p.s. Sadly, Fred and I did not get "any" children for the second year in a row. Our association must have a bad reputation or there are just not many kids around here. There are many seniors here that would have loved to see the kids. We gave our two bags of candy to the church for the kids down in an area of Kentucky who do not get candy very often.
Oh! Also! No jack-o-lanterns! Pumpkins are a common vegetable (pumpkin soup yum) here. Their flesh is waaaaay harder when raw than the pumpkins we're used to, and their skin is gray, not orange. I think they would be tough to carve, given their texture, and just not that satisfying, given their colour. I miss pumpkin patches and carving!
Yes, a lot more innocent and child-centred here. Reasonably frequently we comment that life here is a lot like US life in the 1960s (70s, 80s, depending on our perspective) so this would be a nice example.
We gave out chocolate but apparently we were one of only like three houses in the neighbourhood that did.
Arram has insisted on dressing up in his full costume every day since, so that gives you an idea of how Big a Deal this was.
Gray pumpkins? bleah...oh, well...the kids had fun anyhow!
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