It is a growth industry in New Zealand - it's one day a year that some of us celebrate, and some of us close all the curtains and hide . . .
Halloween is certainly more traditionally observed by Americans, but Kiwis are getting more into the "spirit" of things as the years go on. So, where did Halloween originate?
Around 2,000 years ago, give or take a few hundred years, the Celts who lived in what is now known as the United Kingdom, France and Ireland had a festival to mark the end of the year. Their "New Year's Day" was the 1st of November - the festival was called Samhain. This festival and the end of the year was the end of summer, the end of harvests, and the time to prepare for a long, cold winter. Weaker livestock were slaughtered for food at this time, as they would likely not survive the hard winter - this signified death to the Pagan Celtics. It was believed that during the night before the New Year (31st October) the wall between the living and the dead was opened, allowing both good and bad spirits to walk among the living.
There are differing stories about where the costumes and trick or treating comes into it. Some believe that the Celts dressed up in bizarre costumes and roamed the streets making a lot of noise to scare the spirits away. Others think that Faeries wandered during Samhain dressed as vagrants who went door to door asking for food. Those that failed to give food to the faeries were punished, and those who gave generously were repaid through prayer. Later accounts say that children would perform "tricks" such as singing or reciting poetry in exchange for "treats". The current practice of "give me a treat or I will play a trick on you" has only been a part of the tradition since the Great Depression.
Personally, I am more of a "close the curtains and hide from the children" kind of Halloween-er. Tania on the other hand embraces the occasion with open arms - as you can see by the photos of her well decorated "Halloween House".