Trick or treat? How do Aussie moms celebrate the crazy Halloween?

Halloween culture is not as popular in Australia as it is in the United States, but since there's candy to eat and parties to attend, let’s celebrate it anyway!

There are many Halloween traditions, but the one most closely related to parents—like those in the movie Home Alone—is, of course, Trick or treat!Give us candy or we’ll play a trick!!

Before the kids came along, and when they were still very young, this holiday had nothing to do with us at all!The only thing was that on this day, we were always afraid someone would knock on our door asking for candy and we wouldn’t have anything to give. So every year on this day, we’d keep the big lights off all evening, pretending no one was home… (It was also kind of fun, sigh) Three years ago, when our daughter officially started school, peer pressure came along too!The first year I actually wanted to pretend to forget, but the other kids who took the same school bus in the area had already made plans to go ‘Trick or Treating’ together!So I had no choice but to drag my toddler son along, going door to door for candy.

Once we got a taste of the sweetness, there was no turning back after that!

Every year, not only do I have to rack my brain over the decorations at the front door, but I also have to go buy candy, prepare costumes, and then accompany them on an evening walk while feeding mosquitoes… Really, who did I offend!?

This year, we dressed up as a bloody nurse, a cute witch, a Q-shaped pumpkin, and a beautiful blonde witch (my family’s underachieving guide dog).

Speaking of Halloween and Trick or treat, we should briefly touch on the historical background as well!

Actually, the origins of Halloween are varied, but the most widely circulated versions include: The word “Halloween” itself originates from the Catholic Church. It is a corrupted form of “All Hallows’ Eve.” All Hallows’ Day, also known as All Saints’ Day, is on November 1st, a day the Catholic Church uses to commemorate the saints. The next day, November 2nd, is All Souls’ Day (also translated as the Day of the Dead). The word Halloween comes from All Hallows’ Eve (with “Hallows” meaning saints), referring to the night before All Saints’ Day on November 1st, which can be considered the origin of Halloween.

However, the customs and traditions of Halloween are said to have originated with the Celtic people of Ireland around the 5th century BC.
According to the Celtic calendar, summer officially ends on October 31st. This day marks the end of the sunny season and the beginning of the cold, dark winter. The Celts believed that winter was ruled by death, and when winter arrived, the underworld would merge with the world of the living, and souls would return with death to find replacements. This coincides with the Chinese legend of the Ghost Festival in the seventh lunar month. So, on October 31st, they celebrated a festival called “Samhain,” meaning “festival of the dead.” Of course, the living didn’t want to be taken as replacements, so on the evening of October 31st, people would extinguish all the lights in their homes, making the houses cold and unwelcoming. Then they would dress up in ghostly costumes and parade noisily through the village, hoping to scare away the wandering spirits. At the same time, villagers would also place fruits and food in their front and back yards, hoping to feed the ghosts so they wouldn’t harm humans or animals, or steal the villagers’ harvest.
Later, this custom continued and evolved into what it is now: children going Trick or treat—if you don’t give candy, we’ll play a trick!Dressing up and going door to door for sweets!

With the progress of the times, society also hopes to provide positive guidance for holiday activities. Trick or treat!has thus evolved some unspoken rules that both adults and children must follow for the game to last long!

1. As parents or caregivers, you should teach your children not to engage in frightening pranks. Children under adolescence mostly go out accompanied by their parents.
2. The targets for candy collection can be homes in your own neighborhood. Some people even drive specifically to “famous” areas. Why does this happen? Isn’t it okay to just knock on a few doors in the neighborhood for candy? Well, Western societies, whether they agree or not, generally hold an inclusive and open attitude toward various cultures. Of course, while expecting respect, you also have to learn to respect each other. Some families, due to personal, cultural (like ours), religious, or faith reasons, do not celebrate Halloween, and therefore will not prepare any ‘treats’ for you to ‘trick’!As a result, a mutual understanding has formed: only knock on the doors of homes that have Halloween decorations outside!
Isn’t that considerate and wise? (So, back then, because we didn’t understand the culture, we pretended not to be home for years… so embarrassing!)
Also, during the candy collection process, children must wait at the doorstep and are not allowed to enter the house. The collected candy must also be inspected by adults before it can be eaten. For the households that open the door to receive visitors, considering the seriousness of food allergies (a significant issue in Western countries, which is directly or indirectly reflected in school rules and daily life details—we’ll discuss this later), they do not provide homemade food.

Back to the topic!
This year, the timing (great weather, pleasant temperature), location (we happened to see some for sale), and people (my sister came to visit, and she had plenty of free time) all aligned, so we bought a big pumpkin to make a jack-o’-lantern:

This is a pumpkin with a story…
Outside the store, I saw a sign that said 2.98 AUD per kg. As a budget-conscious housewife like me, I thought that was reasonable for the market price of pumpkins—a single pumpkin is only about 6 or 7 kg, no problem!But before it was my turn to check out, my arms were already sore from holding it, so I had to sheepishly ask the lady in front of me if I could put the pumpkin on the checkout counter first (it’s considered rude to place items on the counter before the person ahead has finished paying!) When it was my pumpkin’s turn, the cashier put it on the scale, and the screen showed a price of 20.99 AUD. The cashier even asked me apologetically, “Is this price okay?”
What????
I almost said I didn’t want it on the spot!A pumpkin for 600 Taiwanese dollars???
But looking at my two little ones staring fixedly at that big pumpkin, hoping it would quickly come off the counter and into their arms… As a holy and kind mother like me, I had no choice but to grit my teeth and say it was fine……

The pumpkin’s story isn’t over yet, let’s continue reading……

Time to get carving—I was complimented on having a fierce look!

First step of the brain surgery completed!
The pumpkin, specially used for carving jack-o’-lanterns, is almost hollow inside!

Hard work pays off, and the atmosphere is amazing!

The kids were also thrilled and asked to take sparklers to dance with the pumpkins.<"< Reallyisstarttotease!

Speaking of jack-o'-lanterns, the Halloween tradition of carving pumpkins may be related to Irish folklore. It is said that there was a drunkard named Jack who once tricked the Devil into climbing a tree and then carved a cross on the trunk to prevent the Devil from coming down. Jack only managed to get away after the Devil made a deal with him, promising never to bother him again. It is said that because of his dealings with the Devil, poor Jack was denied entry into both heaven and hell after his death. The Devil gave him a small piece of coal to help him see better in the dark, and Jack placed this piece of coal inside a hollowed-out turnip (with many holes) to make it burn longer. Later, children in Scotland imitated him by hollowing out turnips and placing candles inside. The Irish used potatoes or turnips, while the English used beets. When they later immigrated to America, they discovered a plant that was easier to use and carve than turnips—pumpkins. And that’s how the Halloween decorations we see today became pumpkin-centric.

Looking forward to seeing you all next year, Up!