ashby

We have only been here a couple of weeks and the 3 and 5 year old want to trick or treat. I have been told this is "american commercialism" and I wholeheartedly agree.
However, are there any family events in ChCh that I could take them to???
I fiind info for Auckland but nothing for ChCh.

Please help.

Anywhere they can wear a costume is GREAT!!

BEVS

I don't know about Xch but this Trick or Treating is definately alive and kicking here in the Nelson area. Hope you find something fun for them.

shirl

Not heard of anything for Chch. I have however got a supply of goodies in for the "little darlings" who may come a knocking at the door!!

P2L

I found it very bizarre last year, getting trick or treaters to the door in shorts and jandals, in daylight!!

shirl

Yes strange isn't it. So used to going around in the UK at 5 or 6 pm in the dark - really weird! Not so effective here with the lit pumpkins etc.

Kiwiprincess

I am very tempted to have my chocolates and sweets ready for the children but also to hand out teeny glasses of wine in disposable cups to the parents going with them.

I might get in trouble for that but i thought it would be nice.

I don't know if there is anything happening in Christchurch though. Sorry.

ashby

I dressed them up in their costumes and took them to the Lolly Shop. They about exploded!!
We bought heaps of candy and all is happy! Even better than trick or treating because we only got the good stuff.

I thought this was the best way to handle it--I didn't want to bring "american commercialism" to NZ--well, at least not with this american accent.

Thanks for the replies!

And Happy Halloween!

P.S. Beer and wine for parents is always appreciated

BEVS

my friend

Black Sheep

Those Americans and their crass commercial American traditions, where DO they get them all from ... oh yeah, immigrants

kiwi_child

Halloween... the whole thing saddens me that Australia embraces it so enthusiastically, and the idea the same is now maybe happening in NZ I find really depressing.

Growing up in NZ it was considered a strictly American thing. We had Guy Fawkes on Nov 5th instead. Guy fawkes was historically significant, and was fun. Having your mates over to let off fireworks and have a bonfire on which sausages and marshmallows were cooked/toasted was great.

Sadly GF no longer appears on the OZ calendar and I spose it's going that way in NZ too The PC lot killed off what was a great family tradition simply because some kids unfortuantely suffered injuries due to other kids not having been taught to respect fireworks and the safety of others.

The nanny state mentality won out

Pollyana

As this Hallowe'en is the fifth anniversary of my leaving the UK I will definitely be having some - not sure whether I am celebrating or drowning my sorrows, but who cares after a few glasses

BEVS

What?

Halloween was big on our Irish and English calendars when we were kids. We had apple bobbing , scary pumpkins, halloween costumes, hunts in the dark and spooky stories among other things. It was a part of the annual calendar.


Next one Guy Fawkes. Should he never be forgot .

Black Sheep

Nah, that's just your one experience - just because YOU had that experience doesn't mean anyone else in England/Ireland/UK has! Halloween is not "one of the oldest celebrations in the world, dating back over 2000 years to the time of the Celts who lived in Britain". It's American - coz NZers say so

Trick or Treating tonight in Chch - most doors knocked upon were not answered (either not at home or just purposely not answering - fair enough), 2/3rds of people who did answer door said 'We don't do Halloween' or 'We don't do that in NZ' - they generally didn't appear to have children and apparently hadn't noticed that the streets were quite full of small groups of NZ kids dressed as witches and devils and other spooky beings flitting about enjoying the beautiful warm sunny evening - and 1/3rd of those who answered their doors were quite happy, if also somewhat bemused, to be visited by scary little trick or treaters and had lots of questions to ask, the most common one being 'will you do a trick for us then?!' after they'd passed out the sweets (they haven't quite learned how it works - but they're getting there! . )It's pretty obvious that NZ kids, though also still a bit unsure about exactly how it works, are quite taken with this new custom. Halloween is here to stay, no question about that, but it will no doubt take on its own special NZ flavour over time....

BEVS

Ackerchally BS,I'm gonna have to disagree . It was very common in the area where I lived up to the age of 8 and then on the huge estate where I lived after that. In fact, things like the apple bobbing, pumpkin carving etc, were also organised at school. There was not the dressing up & one didn't go knocking on people's doors but Halloween was certainly as visible as Guy Fawkes down my neck of the woods.

shirl

Ahh poor kids getting the knock back sometimes. We only had one knock and that was the littlies across the road come with their mums and little siblings in pushchairs dressing as "Fairies' ??!!! Still good job I had the cookie jar to hand isn't it - AND they were NZ"ers! LOL !! For me I am glad it is waning. Sometimes in the UK we used to get eggs thrown at the windows if you didn't have treats for them - now that is barmy!!!