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The 31st of October is Halloween.The day is often associated with orange (my favourite colour) and black and is strongly associated with symbols like the jack o' lantern which is usually carved out of a massive pumpkin and a candle put inside. It looks really creepy and its fun to make.This was one of my favourite holidays growing up in Scotland and unfortunately they are not big on celebrating this holiday in South Africa. Unfortunate because I love dressing up. Anything to be behind a mask and completely different and usually a bit dippy.As young girls my mum always made us wicked home-made costumes and we traipsed around the neighbour hood trick-or-treating.
At our house, it was always triangle-shaped treacle scones hanging on a string from our kitchen doorway and trick-or-treater got a turn to try to take a huge bite out of the treacle-covered scone. It was always very messy but great fun.
After the Treacle Scone, it was time for apple bobbing. This involved my mum hauling out her largest plastic basin and filling it with water and filling it up with apples. We had to put our hands behind out backs and stick our faces in the water and bite into an apple. Score! I didn't like this activity at all (never did like water up my nose) but at least it washed clean the treacle-face -the only concilation - as I've never been that fond of apples either.
Only toffee apples...scrummy...
Our schools used to have cool costume parties and some enjoyed ghost tours, bonfires, visiting haunted attractions, playing scarey pranks on each other, reading scary stories or watching horror films.
You don't know what you're missing, South Africa. Dressing up is truck-loads of fun and the best is, you can be someone totally different for a day. Incognito.
