Halloween culture of your country?

[Rakmakallan]

Non-existent here. Our equivalent celebration would be carnival in February, but even so, the festivities are quite different from Halloween.
The Orthodox All Hallows' Eve, called Aghioi Pantes (All Saints) is June 10th.

[Aedilred]

recipes for carmal and toffee apples, They do seem comparable if somewhat different from each other.
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1...-toffee-apples

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/C...Caramel-Apples

Although this does look like something to do with the girl-scouts one of these weeks soon.

Given that those are sample recipes, they're basically the same thing. The caramel apple recipe there just includes a couple of extra flavourings. I've seen loads of different recipes for toffee apples, some of which were more involved like that one, and some which were very basic like the Good Foods one.

A toffee apple is just an apple, coated with some form of sugar mixture, as is a caramel apple.

[AtlanteanTroll]

Nothing really here. I could probably count on one hand the number of trick or treaters that we've ever had. Shops try and sell Halloween stuff but I have no idea how well they do.

I kind of wish it was bigger, maybe it would delay the Christmas creep.

It doesn't here. I was in a big superstore yesterday, and me and my friends went to go checkout what Halloween costumes they had for fun. They were already setting up the adjacent section section for Christmas. And us Americans actually have a decently big holiday *cough* Thanksgiving *cough* in between the two.

[Asta Kask]

As far as I know, around here in Aus we don't really celebrate Halloween. If anything it's an excuse for a party full of booze.

You need an excuse for that?

[scurv]

http://www.chow.com/food-news/54692/...-from-caramel/

edit// How Is Toffee Different from Caramel?

[The Succubus]

Toffee is considerably thicker than caramel and often has a more buttery taste to it. It also tears my teeth out which is why I never eat the wretched stuff.

Besides, who'd ruin a perfectly sweet and crunchy apple by dumping toffee or caramel over it? =/

[Malak'ai]

Toffee is considerably thicker than caramel and often has a more buttery taste to it. It also tears my teeth out which is why I never eat the wretched stuff.

Besides, who'd ruin a perfectly sweet and crunchy apple by dumping toffee or caramel over it? =/

Evil Dentists wanting more patients?

[noparlpf]

There is a tradition in the North of England where the night before Halloween kids go out and play pranks, but that doesn't happen in London. Halloween itself is a fairly minor, since we have another event at the beginning of November where we burn an effigy of the Pope Guy Fawkes, which tends to crowd it out.

BTW I think you are referring to Toffee Apples

Around here it's not so much "kids" as "teens" who go out and play "pranks". Pranks being vandalism, mostly.

[Coidzor]

Did someone mention dentists!?

[Malak'ai]

Did someone mention dentists!?

Holy Man Eating Venus Fly Trap!
I have not seen that movie in about 20 years! I remember watching with my mother when I was about 7 or 8 years old!

[Scarlet Knight]

I'm going to New York this halloween. Can't wait.

If you are coming to NY City to visit people, check with your hosts to see if you can attend the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade. It is probably something you will either remember or regret doing for the rest of your life.

[ForzaFiori]

Around here Halloween is pretty big:

most towns have their downtown areas all decorated and you can trick-or-treat stores, most churches do similar things were members of the congregation bring candy and everyone goes from car to car to get it.
Little kids trick-or-treat from as early as you can get away with it to as late as you can get away with it, teens tend to do pranks: TPing houses, smash pumpkins, egg houses, etc. Haunted houses are also very big - I live in a small town in a rural area, and there are at least 5 or 6 professional haunted houses. Once you can't trick or treat you go to a slutty halloween party (probably the best part of the holiday )

Are the negative clichés(the pumpkin smashing and such[not the false ones about poisoned candies/razor blades]) true in some places?, I've never encountered anything relating to them where I live, but they sound like a widespread clichés(though why anyone would tolerate them seems unfathomable)

I don't remember where I saw this (so the claim may be iffy) but I think that the only times that we can definitively say that candy caused the death of a kid, it was actually tampered with by the family of the children, rather than the person giving them out.

[ThiagoMartell]

There is not much of a halloween culture here. Kids usually have a small party at school and get to wear costumes.
Young adults throw costume parties with lots of booze.
Older people don't care.

[Adlan]

I don't remember where I saw this (so the claim may be iffy) but I think that the only times that we can definitively say that candy caused the death of a kid, it was actually tampered with by the family of the children, rather than the person giving them out.

AFAIK, the Origin of the tampered Halloween candy was the Satanic Panic of the 70's and 80's amongst certain christian groups and only after they publicised stories about satanists and pagan's poisoning and sabotaging, as well as 'cursing' the Halloween Candy did anything like that get recorded as a real incident.

[Ravens_cry]

In Canada I see a lot less Candy corn than in the States, despite being apparently a common Halloween treat to give away according to most media from the USA.
It might be just a British Columbia thing.

[Serpentine]

I don't know what candy corn is :I Is it kernels of corn with sugar on them? Or is it like caramel popcorn? Or... I don't even know. And I'm too lazy to google it.

[Ravens_cry]

I don't know what candy corn is :I Is it kernels of corn with sugar on them? Or is it like caramel popcorn? Or... I don't even know. And I'm too lazy to google it.

Apparently it's tri coloured little marshmallows, coloured white, orange and yellow, shaped kind of like kernels of corn. It was only this year I actually saw it in real life.

[Megaduck]

In Sweden they do not celebrate Halloween but rather All Saints Day on November 1.

What happens is that family's go into the graveyards at dusk and light candles on the graves of loved ones. My in-laws are Swedish so I went to lay candles for my grandparents-in-law (Is that a word?) In some ways it feels like Halloween, lots of people in graveyards and the smell of candles everywhere. The tone however is completely different, like comparing lighting incense at a rave or a church.

The graveyard awash with flicking candles was extremely beautiful.

[Leon]

Last year some kids turned up at the door expecting lollies and my (then) Housmate gave them a bar of chocolate* and i got a earful about how she "wasn't notified that it was happening" - something i have never seen any indication that you get notified that kids are going to show up wanting lollies.
Lived in this city for 12 years now and last year was the 1st time i had ever seen anyone trick or treating.

Anyone who turns up at my door expecting me to give out free Chocolate is sorely mistaken










*and didn't she damm well freak out when i bought a replacement block of chocolate for her...

[Togath]

Apparently it's tri coloured little marshmallows, coloured white, orange and yellow, shaped kind of like kernels of corn. It was only this year I actually saw it in real life.

There also sometimes coloured black, orange, and white as well, and pumpkin shaped ones have become semi-common as well.
They have a texture sort of like a combination of fondant and stiff marzipan.

[Ravens_cry]

There also sometimes coloured black, orange, and white as well, and pumpkin shaped ones have become semi-common as well.

Huh, interesting,
What I do see a lot, and I love because, well, bad chocolate is still chocolate, are those little balls of chocolate (the size of a marble) wrapped in foil wrapping that looks like a jack-o-lantern.
I hate Rockets, what the US calls Smarties, but love little boxes of Smarties, basically similar to M&Ms. Pop open the box, throw down the hatch. Yum!

[Serpentine]

Candy corn sounds kinda gross...

[Togath]

It's sort of a sharp butterscotch flavour, or perhaps a buttery marshmallow. And the texture(I thought of a better way to describe it) is sort of like firm red bean paste.
Another autumn dish(sometimes out of season as well, if using dried pumpkin seeds) I sometimes encounter/make are fried or baked pumpkin seeds.

[noparlpf]

Apparently it's tri coloured little marshmallows, coloured white, orange and yellow, shaped kind of like kernels of corn. It was only this year I actually saw it in real life.

It's not marshmallow, it's like a sort of congealed corn syrup mixture dyed bright colours.

Candy corn sounds kinda gross...

Yeah, a bit. It also leaves a nasty aftertaste in my mouth.

[Traab]

Are the negative clichés(the pumpkin smashing and such[not the false ones about poisoned candies/razor blades]) true in some places?, I've never encountered anything relating to them where I live, but they sound like a widespread clichés(though why anyone would tolerate them seems unfathomable)

Sometimes. When I was younger, it was common for "Mischief Night" that the next morning you woke up to alot of toilet paper thrown around trees. There was less malicious stuff like pumpkin smashing and egg tossing however, though it did happen every once in awhile. Sometimes shaving cream on doors and windows. But it seems to have faded as a tradition around here. (Or maybe its the fact that its been 15 years and those who did it are adults now) You might see a tree or two with a bit of paper on them, but thats about it.

[Eldan]

I think the police in Zurich tried to enforce a curfew on the 31 for people under the age of 16, or something. Because a few idiots confused "Trick or treat" with "smash windshields and break into houses".

[tyckspoon]

Candy corn sounds kinda gross...

It's pretty nasty, yeah. IMO, candy corn is one of those "are you sure you're really human?" tests- people who like it have a high probability of actually being a robot/alien/pod-creature/etc.

[THAC0]

There was less malicious stuff like pumpkin smashing

Pumpkin smashing is pretty darn malicious IMO, since it usually involves stealing carved pumpkins (that some child has spend time and effort to carve) and brutally destroying it where said child will see it.

[Traab]

Pumpkin smashing is pretty darn malicious IMO, since it usually involves stealing carved pumpkins (that some child has spend time and effort to carve) and brutally destroying it where said child will see it.

I meant there was less OF the malicious stuff, like smashing pumpkins.

[Bulldog Psion]

It's pretty nasty, yeah. IMO, candy corn is one of those "are you sure you're really human?" tests- people who like it have a high probability of actually being a robot/alien/pod-creature/etc.

Uh-oh -- I've been unmasked.

Muahahahahaha!!!!