Comments on: Hallo-what? http://www.sugarlemon.com/blog/archive/2007/10/hallo-what/ sweet:sour Fri, 27 Aug 2010 11:43:46 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Joanne http://www.sugarlemon.com/blog/archive/2007/10/hallo-what/comment-page-1/#comment-1246 Joanne Mon, 05 Nov 2007 04:51:44 +0000 http://www.sugarlemon.com/blog/?p=284#comment-1246 We had one trick or treater, a teenager with no attempt at dressing up at all. We had one trick or treater, a teenager with no attempt at dressing up at all.

]]> By: Kate http://www.sugarlemon.com/blog/archive/2007/10/hallo-what/comment-page-1/#comment-1245 Kate Wed, 31 Oct 2007 22:47:11 +0000 http://www.sugarlemon.com/blog/?p=284#comment-1245 No trick or treaters here in suburban Sydney last night. Although we do live down a battleaxe driveway, so no one would really bother anyways. There were smashed eggs on the footpath and roving packs of screaming teens on the main streets. The only place I saw decorations were in the sweets isles of the shops. As a friend mentioned yesterday, it's hard to get into the spirit of halloween in Australia, when the nights aren't spooky and dark - it's light until 7pm and 20 degrees outside! No trick or treaters here in suburban Sydney last night. Although we do live down a battleaxe driveway, so no one would really bother anyways. There were smashed eggs on the footpath and roving packs of screaming teens on the main streets. The only place I saw decorations were in the sweets isles of the shops.

As a friend mentioned yesterday, it’s hard to get into the spirit of halloween in Australia, when the nights aren’t spooky and dark – it’s light until 7pm and 20 degrees outside!

]]> By: Christine S http://www.sugarlemon.com/blog/archive/2007/10/hallo-what/comment-page-1/#comment-1244 Christine S Wed, 31 Oct 2007 21:51:34 +0000 http://www.sugarlemon.com/blog/?p=284#comment-1244 You know, it was just today that I was talking with a coworker and he told me that Halloween isn't celebrated in Australia! For some reason I thought it was a worldwide thing, not just North America. You know, it was just today that I was talking with a coworker and he told me that Halloween isn’t celebrated in Australia! For some reason I thought it was a worldwide thing, not just North America.

]]> By: Melanie http://www.sugarlemon.com/blog/archive/2007/10/hallo-what/comment-page-1/#comment-1243 Melanie Wed, 31 Oct 2007 21:41:49 +0000 http://www.sugarlemon.com/blog/?p=284#comment-1243 Jenn, you're right, of course it is the right time of year for the Northern Hemisphere to be celebrating Samhain/Halloween, however if <em>we</em> were going to mark the old festivals, we should be doing so on a six month different time frame from you, since the Pagans were all aout following the seasons of the earth. I know that Halloween is not a lot about its origins anymore, but surviving traditions (pumpkins, for example) don't translate well to this hemisphere - we're busy putting our pumpkin seedlings <em>in</em> over here, not harvesting them! In the same way, when we celebrate Yule/Christmas, all the ice and snow makes absolutely no sense in an Australian context. Jenn, you’re right, of course it is the right time of year for the Northern Hemisphere to be celebrating Samhain/Halloween, however if we were going to mark the old festivals, we should be doing so on a six month different time frame from you, since the Pagans were all aout following the seasons of the earth. I know that Halloween is not a lot about its origins anymore, but surviving traditions (pumpkins, for example) don’t translate well to this hemisphere – we’re busy putting our pumpkin seedlings in over here, not harvesting them! In the same way, when we celebrate Yule/Christmas, all the ice and snow makes absolutely no sense in an Australian context.

]]> By: Jenna http://www.sugarlemon.com/blog/archive/2007/10/hallo-what/comment-page-1/#comment-1242 Jenna Wed, 31 Oct 2007 17:29:28 +0000 http://www.sugarlemon.com/blog/?p=284#comment-1242 No offense taken. I think that a lot of countries tend to become Americanized. Too bad your trick or treaters weren't a little more into the spirit of things. I suspect it had to do with their age. We used to get trick or treaters like that when I was a kid and the teenagers rarely dressed up much. No offense taken. I think that a lot of countries tend to become Americanized. Too bad your trick or treaters weren’t a little more into the spirit of things. I suspect it had to do with their age. We used to get trick or treaters like that when I was a kid and the teenagers rarely dressed up much.

]]> By: Jenn L http://www.sugarlemon.com/blog/archive/2007/10/hallo-what/comment-page-1/#comment-1241 Jenn L Wed, 31 Oct 2007 13:33:54 +0000 http://www.sugarlemon.com/blog/?p=284#comment-1241 Trust me, I too am upset about the overcommercialization of all of the holidays. Halloween has become totally about demanding sweets, and if my daughters weren't in full costume (and my teenager accompanying her little sister to justify her presence at all), they wouldn't go. I do withhold my normal distribution of candy from ... shall we say less imaginative teenagers. I live in an apartment, let em egg me for being a Grinch (although it hasn't happened yet!). Janine is absolutely right about the *rules*, and the police departments here do a very good job of going around to all the schools in the week leading up to Candy Day to make sure the kids know em: Only visit houses that have their porch lights on, no eating anything until your parents have checked packages (to make sure they aren't damaged, we've had instances of poisoned candies in past years), never go inside someone's home unless you know them personally and well, all homemade treats are automatically to be considered unsafe unless they're from a known trusted source. And in the last few years, the police have also been doing home visits to all registered sex offenders to make absolutely certain they know that they are NOT to have their porch lights on or to answer the door on Halloween. Last year some towns (including mine) were putting signs or flags or something on registered homes, that received a lot of publicity and news coverage and may have been discontinued. It was a great way of making sure the kids knew to absolutely NOT go to a certain home, but it was also decried as a Scarlet Letter sort of thing and a violation of the offenders' rights. I think one lawsuit over the Halloween alerts is still pending. As for the time of year, though, I know you guys are in mid-spring, but it *is* the right time of year for us!!! :D And I believe it was an extension of Samhain and was originally celebrated in what is now Ireland and Great Britain by the Celtic pagans. I might be wrong there... In any event, Happy Halloween from one of *you guys* up north!!! Trust me, I too am upset about the overcommercialization of all of the holidays. Halloween has become totally about demanding sweets, and if my daughters weren’t in full costume (and my teenager accompanying her little sister to justify her presence at all), they wouldn’t go. I do withhold my normal distribution of candy from … shall we say less imaginative teenagers. I live in an apartment, let em egg me for being a Grinch (although it hasn’t happened yet!).

Janine is absolutely right about the *rules*, and the police departments here do a very good job of going around to all the schools in the week leading up to Candy Day to make sure the kids know em: Only visit houses that have their porch lights on, no eating anything until your parents have checked packages (to make sure they aren’t damaged, we’ve had instances of poisoned candies in past years), never go inside someone’s home unless you know them personally and well, all homemade treats are automatically to be considered unsafe unless they’re from a known trusted source. And in the last few years, the police have also been doing home visits to all registered sex offenders to make absolutely certain they know that they are NOT to have their porch lights on or to answer the door on Halloween.

Last year some towns (including mine) were putting signs or flags or something on registered homes, that received a lot of publicity and news coverage and may have been discontinued. It was a great way of making sure the kids knew to absolutely NOT go to a certain home, but it was also decried as a Scarlet Letter sort of thing and a violation of the offenders’ rights. I think one lawsuit over the Halloween alerts is still pending.

As for the time of year, though, I know you guys are in mid-spring, but it *is* the right time of year for us!!! :D And I believe it was an extension of Samhain and was originally celebrated in what is now Ireland and Great Britain by the Celtic pagans. I might be wrong there…

In any event, Happy Halloween from one of *you guys* up north!!!

]]> By: Janine http://www.sugarlemon.com/blog/archive/2007/10/hallo-what/comment-page-1/#comment-1240 Janine Wed, 31 Oct 2007 11:55:54 +0000 http://www.sugarlemon.com/blog/?p=284#comment-1240 I agree Mel. We have been having door knockers for awhile and I told the kids that I would give to them this once but if they come back next year I want to see them dressed up properly. I would never let my boys do it. One year our American daughter was living with us at Halloween time and she lectured the door knockers good and proper. She told us that if the front light is not on (in the states) then the home dweller does not participate in the event and it is bad manners to go to the door. We are a bit lucky as people have to come through a front gate and the path is dark. They are generally to frightened to come to the front door after dark. No door knockers this year or last year for that matter. Janine I agree Mel. We have been having door knockers for awhile and I told the kids that I would give to them this once but if they come back next year I want to see them dressed up properly. I would never let my boys do it. One year our American daughter was living with us at Halloween time and she lectured the door knockers good and proper. She told us that if the front light is not on (in the states) then the home dweller does not participate in the event and it is bad manners to go to the door. We are a bit lucky as people have to come through a front gate and the path is dark. They are generally to frightened to come to the front door after dark. No door knockers this year or last year for that matter.
Janine

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