BEVS

We had toffee apples tied upside down and you had to try and bite 'em without using your hands.

Himself , from Wolverhampton , says he did apple bobbing and the upside down toffee apples on strings. They also stayed up a bit late. Lit candles and then his mom and dad would tell ghosty stories. Himself says their ghosty stories were really very good and i can imagine they were TBH. They were mostly based on 'true stories' as they felt them to be.

T'was the same for me down south.

Jokerman

Do you notice that the argument against Halloween seems to be that it is an American tradition?

Right.

Take off your jeans, put your car in the garage (permanently), stop listening to any music (All modern music based on early blues), stop watching the TV, take off your hoodies, don't use certain english/american phrases (e.g. cool) , put away your BBQ, hide your lap-top and don't read this on the internet!

Kiwis are OK about the USA when it suits them.

lapsed kiwi

...and this anti-americanism is a trait unique to kiwis, of course...Yeah right!
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz/...can-brits.html

BEVS

edit< to make clear this is in response to Jokermans post>

Eh? You lost me.

This is New Zealand and we all can choose what we feel is OK and not OK for families and this country in which we live. It will be a blend of overseas influences and then it will be it's very own self . That is the same for so many countries of today. Live with it. Mix with it. Enjoy it. Reject it. It really is up to you.

Jokerman

In some quarters there is. Not from me, though. Good point by Fry about the inadequacy of people who mock the USA...

Is it worse in NZ or the UK? I think we will see a big change now that Obama has his fingers on the button.

Bev, my simple point is that without the USA most of things you enjoy today, you would not be doing :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...tes_inventions


I mean, you never hear Kiwis say "I am not using a computer, or a mobile phone, becuase it is an American tradition", do ya? Nope. Happy to use those traditions alright! Also, where would NZ be without the brits who invented rugby? Haha

BEVS

The mocking of another country or culture is intrinsic to human nature.

The world evolves.Some go with the flow. Some do not. Meanwhile the fruits of a new discovery will always be enjoyed no matter the inception. It's always been that way & is nothing new.

There is the influence of yesterday and the influence of today and , you know, there will be the influences of what tomorrow brings.

pumpkinlou

Ah! Great memories Bevs!! So it wasn't just us in the midlands getting fillings from all the toffee apples and candy floss lol!!!!

I think i remember the toffee apple on a string now too!! And we used to take it in turns to tell a ghost story and try and frighten each other.

Also, did you used to do Harvest festival and take tins of food to school? They don't seem to do that anymore.

Lou
xx

Jokerman

That's probably true, to some extent, why do you think people in NZ get so upset when you dare to take the p out of NZ? Small man syndrome?

Am Loolah

Interesting - I actually know a few Kiwi's who won't buy from Starbucks as it is American - I kid you not! Blimey, coffee's coffee surely?!

CarolineSwan

i remember that 2 lou every year you'd be in your mums/grans cupbpoard etc stealing cans to take in lol


we did all that for halloween too along with bobbing with apples . every year my mum would make us a cool costume and we would go around trick or treating and had so much fun telling wee jokes and songs to neighbours, who would then have us bob for apples etc, them were the days huh when everyone got into it. Last 3 years i have had not one caller in house even though i have stocked up in bits and there are lots of kids up here.. I was thinking of taking my 2 year out but when i asked my friends in the street from toddlers none of them were so i didnt bother hey ho ill try next year i suppose

Browner_

One of the posters on the website said:

"364 days a year we tell our kids not to take candy from strangers and on the 365th we send them out to ask for it!
It's dangerous, stupid, intrusive and rude."

Seems spot on to me.

Another didnt want gangs of rough looking teenage hoodies extorting sweets at his doorstep, which is understandable.

I had to laugh at the American who said "Unfotunately one trick or treater was shot this year". I guess thats one way of making sure you dont get any unwanted callers the next year.

weejie

We did all that this year too.Where we stay there is a larg-ish cul de sac and all the kids were dressed up. We all went out together and had a ball.At the kids school they had a harvest festival to take in tins to pass on to Glasgow City Mission for the homeless. They also do eggs at Easter and selection boxes at Christmas too.

Phyl x

CarolineSwan

i think the reason for where i stay is there are loads of kids but all around the 2 year mark so im sure it will be ok in a few years with them all going out, but by then i shall be in NZ yay

i love to see the kids all dressed up, and really it doesnt need to be strangers i think going around your own street is fine , we have a great culdi sac and we all know each other , take turns every week to have a coffee during day to let the kids all play together, though i admit i hate all the tidying after the kids leave lol but hey they love it and we love a wee gab

BEVS

Oh tosh. It is not to some extent. It is intrinsic to all cultures. Yes. I do see the defensiveness here in NZ sometimes with some people & it does do my head in but it is not all pervading by any means ,thank goodness . If it was, I would be gone. I also see the exact same happening throughout the expat world. As suggested, please do take a step outside of the NZ BE forum. It may help you gain some balance. Sometimes the viewpoint comes from within ones own defensiveness & untimely inability to adapt and not from the culture you enter. Of course, sometimes people just do not like you & sometimes you get those nits that feel there is a need to illustrate a break in a fence rather than mend a gate.

As for the small man syndrome. Me 5 foot 1. Himself 5 foot 5. His cozzy 5 foot 3. Both had trials for prof footie/ rugby teams. Both were athletes. I did good too. The only people I have heard/read that match the small man syndrome thing have been from people taller than us who feel they have something to prove and cannot accept that they have nothing to prove.

BEVS

OMG we DID. Sing after me. 'We plough the fields and scatter the good seed on the land'.
I so distinctly remember the year I took a box of chocolate fingers which were the most popular on the trestle table. I took in those chocolate fingers which I did not get even one ( I so remember that . Boo !) and also 2 tins. I think one was sardines.
We, the school, sat at trestle tables and had a sorta hogworts feast I s'pose. It followed the harvest festival service which, even to this day in my mind.It was magical. I can still see it.