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Many Aussies love Halloween – not least because it’s a great chance to dress up, explore the neighbourhood and if you’re a kid, shoehorn as many lollies into your trick-or-treat bucket as possible.
In fact, Halloween is now so popular in Australia, it’s estimated over five million Aussies dress up and celebrate the spooky event each year.
Of course, not everyone’s a fan: we all know someone who’s anti-Halloween and spends the week before grumbling about the waste, the landfill, the fake spiderweb, and why Aussies have latched onto what’s a ‘commercial American thing’.
But as we learned, Halloween didn’t start in America – far from it in, fact.
Let’s take a look at the history of Halloween and if you like, how you can make it a fun event in your ‘hood – whether you’re a renter in a share house, a homeowner hoping to meet the neighbours, or a family with little kids.
How did Halloween even start?
We all tend to think of Halloween as an American event Aussies latched onto – but actually, historical records show the celebration has its origins in an ancient Celtic festival known as ‘Samhaim’ – a celebration held to welcome the harvest at the end of summer, complete with bonfires and costumes worn to confuse evil spirits.
Halloween later became fashionable in the US, where October 31 is now marked by carved pumpkins, bowls of sweets and kids going trick-or-treating when the sun goes down.
Halloween has been adopted in other parts of the world too – for example, in Austria, there’s a Pumpkin Festival, which includes costumes and a lantern procession. In Belgium, it’s known as All Saint’s Day and on Halloween night, a Belgian may light a candle in memory of a departed relative.
In Latin America, Mexico and Spain, people celebrate the Day of the Dead (or Dia de los Muertos). It’s believed that on October 31, spirits visit their families and depart again on November 2 – and the families decorate and leave out food for the arrival of the spirits, celebrating death as opposed to mourning.
Why we wear costumes
During the original Halloween in ancient Ireland, as we mentioned above, costumes and masks, or animal skins and heads, were worn in the hopes that any roaming ghosts would mistake the mask-wearer for other spirits.
These days, most of us don’t believe in this stuff – we just wear costumes because it’s fun to dress up (whether you’re a scary warlock, white witch or Spiderman). Anything goes on Halloween, so wear a costume you already have, buy one online or make your own – perhaps the easiest costume is to grab an old white sheet, cut out some eye-holes, and hey presto: you’re a ghost!
How to celebrate Halloween
Whether you throw a themed Halloween party for family and friends or get the neighbourhood kids together for some group trick-or-treating, it’s easy to get involved in this spooktacular annual event.
Simply grab some decorations for your garden or house to let trick-or-treaters know to knock on the door. You can also make some funny signs with slogans such as ‘Witching you a very happy Halloween’ or ‘No tricks, just treats!’. Make sure you leave a big bowl of individually-wrapped sweets, chocolates or other lollies on your front step.
And while it’s fun to meet all the pint-sized trick-or-treaters ringing your doorbell, don’t miss the chance to do the rounds of the neighbourhood yourselves. It’s a great way to build fun memories with your kids – plus you’ll see how much effort some Halloween fans put into decorating their houses (always a good conversation starter).
Hope you have a ghoulish good time!
Who is looking forward to Halloween this year?
I thought I'd mention that resident Bunnings D.I.Y. expert @MitchellMc has shared a fun step-by-step guide How to make a spooky Halloween tombstone. It's a perfect project for beginners to tackle this weekend.
I'm also keen to see what displays community members have set up. I know @Walter, @Gwandalan_Tales and @Renowayoflife are big Halloween fans.
Jason
@Jason you're right, I am a big Halloween fan, or rather a fan of any excuse to decorate the house and throw a party for the kids.
This year we kept it minimal inside with some witches' hats and an abundance of bats. Our front yard is a little more maximalist!
Looks brilliant @Gwandalan_Tales. Many thanks for sharing. You've set a high standard for the rest of the community!
Jason
This year we are at sea for Halloween, but we've been big on celebrating Halloween for years.
As an english migrant from the 60's we celebrated Halloween, dressed up, and had a ball.
Naturally, I get into making.my own decorations (yep, 3D printed).
I modified a 3D skull design to accommodate a couple of LEDs in the eye sockets, a battery in a cutout at the back, and strip magnets to hold it up. Add 2 creepy hands, 3D printed, and it's great on the door.
