Happy Halloween!

[Vegard T]

A friend of mine in Australia did something rather interesting for Halloween:

He hid on the roof of his house waiting with a Katana. Once a group of children rang the doorbell/came close, he would jump down and chase them down the street with his katana held high yelling "Tenno heika banzai!".

[talltom]

i wonder how many knocks on the doors by cops he had
damn good idea

tom

[Woolgar]

A friend of mine in Australia did something rather interesting for Halloween:

He hid on the roof of his house waiting with a Katana. Once a group of children rang the doorbell/came close, he would jump down and chase them down the street with his katana held high yelling "Tenno heika banzai!".

Wow, he would have got 10 years in prison in England!!!

Nick

[sandgroper]

.....would have got a bloody medal from me.

[HPL2008]

A friend of mine in Australia did something rather interesting for Halloween:

He hid on the roof of his house waiting with a Katana. Once a group of children rang the doorbell/came close, he would jump down and chase them down the street with his katana held high yelling "Tenno heika banzai!".

No doubt that chap would have got a visit from the police over here, and they wouldn't have come to beg for sweets, either.

I for one simply don't answer the door on the evening of 31st October.

It's not that I have a problem with Halloween (or kids) as such; but this whole thing really has no tradition in Germany and was actually still non-existent in my youth. I'm not one of those whiners constantly fearing the loss of our traditions or cultural identity or anything, but simply find it a bit silly to imitate American customs (yes, i know the tradition originates in Ireland) and in my opinion, it's just an artificially hyped commercial thing anyway.

Still, I got into the spirit a bit by re-watching my "Shaun of the Dead" DVD for the umpteenth time.

[talltom]

most of the kids round here actually expected candy there was no trick or treat being said it was just have you got any maiows there was even a few who were dressed normally!!!

tom
(legalised begging)

[M18922]

I didint go out trick or treating. Instead i went out with my mom and dad to a jazz pizza resturant and came home and watched Dead snow. My mom didint like the movie that much .

cheers,
Pat

[banksy]

Lol where i live we got a grand total of 1 child knock last year (really) so we just bolted the gate and went out ...

[stuka f]

....

It's not that I have a problem with Halloween (or kids) as such; but this whole thing really has no tradition in Germany and was actually still non-existent in my youth. I'm not one of those whiners constantly fearing the loss of our traditions or cultural identity or anything, but simply find it a bit silly to imitate American customs (yes, i know the tradition originates in Ireland) and in my opinion, it's just an artificially hyped commercial thing anyway.

Still, I got into the spirit a bit by re-watching my "Shaun of the Dead" DVD for the umpteenth time.

You are right when saying we shouldn't take over other customs coming from anywhere, but a custom has to start some where!!!??
On the other hand, we have customs we had for years here in Antwerp.
One is "Drie Koningen" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiphany_(holiday) that is on the first sunday after the first of january, thats when children can go in disguised from door to door singing for money or candy.
The second one is on the first monday
( Verloren maandag - Wikipedia )following the first of january, on that day all pub owners give a worstenbrood or appelbol (couldn't find the traduction so I posted a picture) to all his customer present in the pub.
But here it comes , it is very strange to see that most of the "new Belgians"(sort of green card holders) very quickly take over the custom when they can go and sing for money, but finding a pub in Antwerp run by a "new Belgian" is impossible to find....
verloren_maandag.jpg

[HPL2008]

You are right when saying we shouldn't take over other customs coming from anywhere, but a custom has to start some where!!!??
On the other hand, we have customs we had for years here in Antwerp.
One is "Drie Koningen" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiphany_(holiday) that is on the first sunday after the first of january, thats when children can go in disguised from door to door singing for money or candy.

Yes, we have that tradition, too. The singing groups disguised as the Three Kings are called "Sternsinger", in German, but here they collect the money for church-related charities.

You can tell which houses or flats they have visited by a chalked inscription on or over the door comprised of the letters "+C+M+B+" between the first and last two digits of the year in question. (For example "20+C+M+B+11" for 2011.)

[The "CMB" stands for the Latin phrase "Christus mansionem benedicat" = "May Christ bless this house", althogh it is often misinterpreted as the initials of the Three Kings Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar.]

The feast of the "Heilige Drei Könige" (6th January) is even a work-free holiday in the German states of Sachsen-Anhalt, Baden-Württemberg and - good for us - Bavaria.