It shouldn’t have come as surprise. A quintessentially American holiday has swept parts of the world including Australia. Carved pumpkins in shopping centres, Halloween cakes and sweets in shop windows, adults in party costumes, trick or treat in the streets and taking candy from strangers.
Bah-humbug… I hear the popping of fireworks in my quiet ‘burb.
Pizzavelly Italian Kitchen, Clovelly, Sydney
Little monsters roam the streets, screeching, snatching, grabbing and making a run with bags of sugary evil. I watch three little devils with long black hair and pointed forks, eyes darting in my direction ready to curse me with their spell. I stare back and shrug. And return an evil grin at the thought of parents with kiddies in a post sugar haze.
This is not Día de los Muertos in Mexico. Or the festival of Obon in Japan. Consumerism, greed and Americanisation. This is the erosion of our she’ll-be-right Aussie way of life.
When will someone put a stop to it before we start walking on the sidewalk, catching elevators, going on vacations, eating ANZAC cookies and wish everyone Happy Holidays? Oh wait…
As for me, I have Halloween all down pat. I’ve locked my front gate so none of the tricksters can find me. I’ve switched off the lights in my house. There’s an ethereal glow from my laptop. No one can see me now. I say with evil laughter. My pumpkin pie is in the oven. I’m wearing my lycra Halloween costume and I’ve cranked up the stereo to practise dance moves from Thriller!
Happy Halloween from Sydney!
Mogliano Veneto, Italy
Como, Italy
Bellagio, Lake Como, Italy
Lenno, Lake Como, Italy
Mazara del Vallo, Sicily, Italy
Padova, Italy
Norton St, Bondi Junction, Sydney
Supermarket, Sydney
Supermarket, Sydney
Nice one Ms G! 😉
Thank you, Mr Chris!
Forget the kids! I was in the city yesterday(Melb) and there were so many 20+ year olds dressed in over the top costumes and incredible makeup, all having a great time. Any excuse for a party!
Lots of parties around this year I noticed. But the kids I saw were over the top…
I’m chuckling. Hallowe’en has even spread to Turkey – more for the older ones though as Jenny mentions above. A lot of the bars are decorated and the young, trendy Turkish 20-somethings will part the night away in costume. With you all the way – not my bag at all. Still gonna make a scary face in our slice of pumpkin later on, though. 🙂
Julia
It seems to grow every year here. I remember a friend (from another part of Sydney) telling me about his kids doing trick or treat almost 9 years ago and I was baffled then. Now it’s insane!
Halloween… pfft. An excuse for kids to take ‘candy’ from strangers and for the older ones to dress up in silly/skanky costumes… Killjoy? Yeah, ok.
You and I will dress up as ghouls next year and hit the booze 😉
Fun post! Halloween’s Americanism doesn’t annoy me too much, but I don’t think it’s truly caught on here to the same extent AS oZ by the sound of it. Only seen 4 pumpkins in our hood. You almost sound British when you get into your rant there though!
Living in a tenament flat on the third floor we rarely get trick or treaters..except tonight the buzzer went in a shorter burst than usual. I answered it and was greeted with ‘Requiem!.’ They didn’t sound like little kids and it genuinely spooked me for a minute, I actually forgot it was halloween, told em they must have the wrong flat!
Don’t mind the young going out and having fun, but I don’t enjoy the gangs of youth that confront homes! One of the advantages of living in an apartment in the centre of Paris!!!
Halloween seems to have skipped the South of France! I heard it used to be popular here but then went out of fashion…oh well, I indulged in a ton of chocolate in order to keep “the spirit alive” 🙂
It’s only getting bigger every year here! Well done on the chocolate 🙂
Im still not sure how I feel about Halloween. Its so massive in the US but really only the past couple of years has it hit here properly. I like the dressing up etc but Im a sucker for a good party lol
Halloween dress up parties are fun for adults, but kids doing trick or treat is such an American custom. And kids eat enough sugar as it is!