Sunday, October 19, 2008

October and Halloween

Halloween!!!!

Since we arrived home after living in the USA for 3 years, Sarah, Matthew and Elizabeth have been asking for a Halloween party! Finally, this year I have relented. We have so many wonderful items that we bought in the USA, so it is time to dig them all out and go mad decorating.

This year Halloween falls on a Friday, so it is going to be a perfect night for a party. We are having about 6 of Sarah's friends, one of Matthew's and two of Elizabeth's around for a few hours from 6-9pm.

We are planning lots of scary games, (a treasure hunt in the dark); icky Halloween food and dress-ups! Everyone is so excited.

Of course it is not 'Fall' in the southern hemisphere but with a little work, we can celebrate this ancient Celtic festival. Yes, the Americans seem to have completely commercialised the whole Halloween festival, but it is an ancient Celtic celebration of Samhain or All Hallows Eve, when the end of the Harvest season was celebrated. It is also the night when the boundaries between the living and the dead are supposed to be at their thinnest. Dressing up in masks and costumes allowed people to mimic the spirits during this time of celebration.

Look out for lots of photos and more stories after our party on Friday October 31st and Happy Halloween to you all.

1 comment:

Jenny Adams said...

Isn't the halloween festival fun! We decorate the front porch and have little treats and scary things for the neighbour kids - we only get about 8 or 9 visits though - might be more this year! Enjoy your party!