OP here, and I can't say as I 'like' candy corn much, but it's nothing gross. It's just that, a type of flavored and hardened corn syrup. Butterscotch like flavor.
Toffee I've never tasted, but I've been told it's nothing like caramel. Caramel for apples is usually quite soft and not very chewy. More like congealed honey, and not sure how to describe taste, except it goes amazingly well with apples and brings out their flavor.
Apparently some twits 'did' put razor blades in them, but you take one bite and know, so no one has ever swallowed one or died from them. Worst reported case was a guy who got a couple stitches in his gums.
Both though are as much 'Autumn' treats as they are Halloween though.
In my neck of the south U.S. TPing happens pretty often, but I've never heard of anyone actually being egged. Then again, TPing is mainly an ugly, if harmless prank, while egging can cause damage. Egg around here you'll probably get shot.
I like butterscotch flavour, but candy corn is just kind of nasty, in my opinion. I think I said that.
And I've never really liked candy apples or caramel apples. The flavours and textures just don't go together well for me.
Heck, isn't there some kind of television show about tossing a pumpkin as far as possible with a trebuchet before it breaks?
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Autumn celebrations (which would be around March-May) are very local, if they happen at all. I think the town where I went to uni had an autumn festival, and they were particularly proud of the colour of the autumn leaves they got. Other towns no doubt have their own, but there's definitely nothing even close to as national nor as culturally-ingrained as the US's Halloween.
Yeah, but those are hardly native trees.
But I said the same, except I saw this and then this. Maybe it's catching on.
Hm. Not sure how I feel about that. On the one hand: yay opportunities to dress up! On the other, blegh ever-more Americanisation
I think the problem is that Australia hasn't really developed its own traditions. We have Australia Day, and... That's about it. Even look at Christmas, we could have an amazing unique set of traditions for a summer festival, and instead we're still doing raindeer and canned snow. I'd like to see us stop trying to recreate pale imitations of the traditions of others, and start creating our own.
Hey, I've already declared mangoes and prawns to be the fundamentals of an Australian Christmas!
There seems to be some small tradition of having dress-up parties for Earth Day, so there's that...
There's also the after Christmas swim, great to do Christmas night if it's been hot all day. And there's New Years Eve when we explode the harbour bridge.
There's also the after Christmas swim, great to do Christmas night if it's been hot all day. And there's New Years Eve when we explode the harbour bridge.
If only you did it for real, and the Opera House as well .
I'll devise a plan to blow up that stupid eyesore called The Sky Tower up north in Auckland if you do .
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In my experience there is no Halloween activity in Shanghai, or probably anywhere in China. Expats with kids might observe it, but Chinese don't. There is a push among employers of English teachers to try and get them to dress up for Halloween, but hell with that, they don't pay anywhere near enough to put up the the crap from the rest of the population to give a few kids a laugh.
In the States, I put Halloween as my favorite holiday. And why not? It's a nationally approved day for adults to dress up in crazy getups and walk the streets without people thinking they're crazy/dangerous/mentally ill. And candy. Then there's the Halloween parties where you can see other people in crazy getups, drink booze if you're so inclined, and generally have a good time. And candy.
Yeah, that's part of my conflict over it: I fully support anything that formes an annual justification for dressing up and eating lollies 'til you chunder. But all the autumny stuff - the pumpkins, the apple-bobbing... other stuff - has no place in the middle of an Australian spring, especially since all those "seasonal" things are available here year-round.
On the other hand, costumes and chocolate!
There's also the after Christmas swim, great to do Christmas night if it's been hot all day. And there's New Years Eve when we explode the harbour bridge.
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Yeah, that's part of my conflict over it: I fully support anything that formes an annual justification for dressing up and eating lollies 'til you chunder.
Would that make you 'chunder-woman'?
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in Italy we get all Saints' Day on the 1st of November. being jewish I've had to read up on it though.. apparently the date was originally another, but it was bumped up following urging from the clergy in Ireland, who wanted it to replace the old Samhain of Celtic tradition.
I'm thinking most of it comes down to a liturgical celebration in churches.
The next day we have all Souls' day..where people mostly take a chance to go visit the graves of dearly departed and such.. there are plenty of local traditions that include specially made cookies or cake...but those aren't all that frequently held up...which is sad, because.. cookies!
As for halloween itself.. you'll find all kinds of stuff on the television reminding us of the american traditions..mostly reruns of shows that have a themed episode (think the Simpsons' halloween episodes). there may be occurrences of children trick or treating, but it's rather sparse.. and there's plenty of dress-up themed nights in clubs and pubs..because anything which is cause for celebration brings them money so they'll ride it.
Halloween used to be a big thing in many areas of Italy.. a little more than a thousand years ago.. all sorts of traditions about comuning with zombies contacting the spirits of the dead and so on were local things and were then either rooted out or died out naturally, replaced by all saints' and all souls' day
there's plenty of halloween themed stuff in the shops for a few days.. but mostly the dress up and the parties and the ensuing traditions is kept for carnival, which has as many traditions and variations as there are towns in Italy..ranging from parades to a city-wide street battle pelting oranges at one another.
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It is, yet for some reason everyone gives it out. :( It's even worse than the people who give out apples (really, who the hell thinks plain apples is what you should give kids on Halloween?!)
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Originally Posted by 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".
There are several places in the states that do this as well, as well as having laws preventing wearing full face masks on the 31st, because people would dress up and rob places. They're usually big cities, or places with bad crime rates though.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Coidzor
Heck, isn't there some kind of television show about tossing a pumpkin as far as possible with a trebuchet before it breaks?
Pumpkin-Chunkin': the best show the fall has. And why America is the great country it is: we build giant air cannons, trebuchets, and catapults to throw pumpkins, just for the hell of it, and the manage to turn it into a TV show.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Katana_Geldar
There's also the after Christmas swim, great to do Christmas night if it's been hot all day. And there's New Years Eve when we explode the harbour bridge.
Even knowing that Dec. is part of Australia's summer, this is SO weird to read.
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It is, yet for some reason everyone gives it out. :( It's even worse than the people who give out apples (really, who the hell thinks plain apples is what you should give kids on Halloween?!)
What's worse is the old people who give out pennies.
Not to be overly offensive, but just because when they were young children in 1940s does not mean they should ignore the fact that inflation exists.
Also, the people who give out pencils. Pencils! Who thinks that's a good idea?
Ironically enough, the dentist who lived in our neighborhood always gave out the best candy... full sized chocolate bars and the like. I think it may have been an in-joke with the other adults about "generating business."
What's worse is the old people who give out pennies.
Not to be overly offensive, but just because when they were young children in 1940s does not mean they should ignore the fact that inflation exists.
Also, the people who give out pencils. Pencils! Who thinks that's a good idea?
Ironically enough, the dentist who lived in our neighborhood always gave out the best candy... full sized chocolate bars and the like. I think it may have been an in-joke with the other adults about "generating business."
This is why I have always said Dentist's are evil .
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Also, the people who give out pencils. Pencils! Who thinks that's a good idea?
Someone who wants to encourage prodding and stabbing, is my best guess.
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I would say practically non-existant in Finland, as All Hallows' Eve is pretty much considered the one day in autumn when people visit graves of the dearly departed.
Same here in Sweden.
In fact this was the main reason the "import" of the American tradition failed, a lot of people became downright offended of the idea to have a party on the same day they go and remember the family's dead.
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Last edited by Avilan the Grey : 10-31-2012 at 02:52 AM.
Given it was originally the Christian festival of All Hallows' Eve I would expect it to be celebrated most places that have a long Christian tradition...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eldan
True, but that's not what I'm thinkign of. All the modern celebrations associated with Halloween seem to come more from the celtic festivals around that time, with some heavy changes. The disguises, the pumpkins, the ghosts... not very Christian. Sure, it's all hallow's eve here. But I've never seen a pumpkin or a monster mask in church.
It's not a universal cultural thing, but I'm going out with a bunch of friends tonight to collect canned/boxed/tinned/whatever food to donate to a couple local food shares.
I was going to be Dr. McNinja, but I was lazy and I didn't get the costume together in time, so I'll be Luke Skywalker instead.
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Two girls dressed as zombies just scared the crap out of me.
Sounds about right. There are some zombie flicks showing tonight for Humans vs Zombies and Halloween, but I don't think I'll go because I'll scare so badly I might hurt somebody. Like last time.
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Re: Halloween culture of your country?
On the other, blegh ever-more Americanisation 
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