Trick or Treat: Halloween in Canberra 2015

Posted on 27 October, 2015

Ghosts and goblins, spooks galore, scary witches at your door, Jack-O-Lanterns smiling bright, wishing you a haunting night! Happy Halloween!
~ Author Unknown

You know something spooky is in the air when you see huge cobwebs with black spiders strung over shop window displays alongside dancing skeletons, laughing witches on broomsticks, mischievous monsters, and grinning Jack O Lantern pumpkins.

Yes, everyone, Halloween is almost here!

Halloween is celebrated every year on the last day of October. It’s a holiday that’s always been huge in the United States and other parts of the world. It presence hasn’t been as huge here in Australia though with many Australians who either tend to dismiss it or condemn it outright as ‘that’ American holiday.

However, over the last few years more and more Australians seem to be embracing Halloween. Shops like Big W, Woolworths, Aldi and Dusk certainly are, and there are also quite a few suburbs dotted around the nation’s capital where children and their families put on their costumes and go trick or treating on Halloween night.

Unfortunately, there is still so much misinformation out there concerning Halloween. And yet, there is just so much to love and appreciate about this beautiful holiday, one of the oldest celebrations in the world! Here are a few things about Halloween that you may not know, as well as a few ways you can celebrate Halloween in Canberra…

The Origins of Halloween

The biggest misunderstanding many Australians have of Halloween is that it’s Made in America. But Halloween is not an American festival. I repeat: Halloween is NOT an American festival. The origins of Halloween can be traced back to pre-Christian Europe and the Celtic celebration of Samhain. On the Celtic calendar, Samhain marked the end of summer and the beginning of winter. Pre-Christian Europeans were a pastoral people, dependent on the volatile natural world, so Samhain was the time when the last crops were harvested and stored, cattle and sheep were brought down from their high summer pastures to the stables, and families and communities took stock of their supplies in preparation for the long, cold, dead winter months ahead.

With the rise of Christianity in Europe, Samhain (like other pre-Christian, pagan celebrations) became incorporated into the Catholic Church’s liturgical calendar. It became All Hallow’s Eve (or Halloween) which is the night before All Hallow’s Day, or All Saints’ Day, on November 1, followed by All Souls’ Day on 2 November, the memorial of the dead.

Witches and Ghosts and Ghouls, Oh My!

Another HUGE misunderstanding that many people have about Halloween is that it’s all about celebrating the devil and all manner of evil, nasty things. But if we look at Halloween’s pre-Christian origins there is absolutely nothing evil-glorifying or devil-worshipping about it! More than anything, the Halloween festival has its roots in the mainly agricultural festival of Samhain.

Samhain marked the transition from one season into the next, from the life of summer and all of its fruits to the death of winter and its decay. And because of this time of transition from one season into the next, the Celtic peoples believed that the veils separating our world from the ‘Otherworld’ of beings and the souls of deadfolk were at their thinnest. Death was seen very differently by the Celtic peoples compared to how we view it in our modern Western culture today, where we tend to shut death out.

For the Celtic peoples, death was a part of life. Indeed, warfare was very common among the Celtic tribes and so death was something people would often see. Therefore Samhain was also a time to honour those who had passed away, especially the ancestors-like many indigenous peoples today, the Celts fiercely worshipped their ancestors. And because the boundaries between the natural and supernatural worlds were at their closest during this time, the Celtic peoples believed that the ghosts of the dead were able to mingle and communicate with the living.

However, not all that came out of the Otherworld were friendly spirits. Fairies-and these were probably not the Disney kind!-were also out and about, and they could harm you or play tricks on you. That was why if anyone was forced to go out on Samhain, they wore disguises (turning their clothes inside out or wearing animal skins) to avoid the beings and spirits that were roaming the land.

Trick or Treat!

Modern trick-or-treating can probably trace its origins back to the practice of souling in Britain and Ireland during the Middle Ages. On All Hallows’ Eve, children and poor people would go from door to door singing and saying prayers for the dead. In return they would receive ‘soul cakes’, a small round cake traditionally made for All Hallows’ Day.

Then there’s guising, a tradition which was recorded in Scotland in 1895 where people dressed up in disguise on Halloween night, carrying lanterns made out of scooped out turnips and visiting homes to be rewarded with cakes, fruit and money in exchange for a song, a poem, a joke or another ‘trick.’

It was Irish and Scottish immigrants in the early twentieth century who brought the traditions of souling and guising to the United States-in fact, it was immigrants from Ireland and Britain who brought Halloween traditions to the United States in the first place. Today souling and guising are known as trick-or-treating. And instead of scooped out turnips, there are now scooped out pumpkins.

Jack O Lantern

Perhaps the most well known symbol of Halloween today is the pumpkin with the eerie, hollowed out eyes and grinning mouth with light flickering inside. And if there is anything truly American about Halloween, then it’s the pumpkin.

Throughout Ireland and Britain, lanterns carved out of vegetables such as turnips were carried by guisers on Halloween night or left on doorsteps to ward off evil spirits. But immigrants to the United States used the larger, more available, and easier to carve pumpkin for their lanterns.

These lanterns (whether made out of pumpkins or turnips) are named after the jack-o-lantern, also known as will-o’-the-wisp, the strange, natural phenomenon of ‘ghostly’ lights flickering over peat bogs, swamps and marshes.

Other Halloween traditions and customs

Here are some other fun Halloween traditions. You might just want to try some of these on Halloween night!

• If you’re a woman and you’re single, light a candle and look into a mirror on Halloween night whilst combing your hair or eating an apple. You may just see your future husband appear behind you! If you place an apple or a sprig of rosemary under your pillow, you will also dream of your future husband.
• Anoint your farm animals with holy water on Halloween night to keep the bad spirits away.
• It is wise to finish your journeys on Halloween before sunset.
• Fairies and goblins try to collect as many souls as they can at Halloween so if you happen to meet them, make sure you throw dust at their feet. Then they will have no choice but to release the souls.
• If you ring bells on Halloween, the sound will chase away evil spirits.
• If you are indeed brave enough to venture out on Halloween night, then go to a crossroads and listen to the wind. The wind will tell you everything important that will happen to you over the next 12 months. Or put your clothes on inside out and walk backwards to meet a witch!

Ways to celebrate Halloween in Canberra this year

Zombie Walk

Take part in the Canberra Zombie Walk 2015 and raise much-needed funds and awareness for the Brain Foundation. The Zombie Walk involves participants dressing up as zombies and the undead who then limp, shuffle and walk through the city’s streets and malls. The Zombie Walk takes place on November 1. Meet at Regatta Point at 3pm. This is a FREE event for ALL AGES, but it’s best to register in advance.

Halloween Carnival Funhouse by Canberra Roller Derby League

CRDL and Hellenic Club in the City present a Halloween Carnival Funhouse! Want to play a game? There will be classic carnival games with a halloween twist. Wear a costume and you could win a prize!

There’s a kids session from 4-6pm while the adults can party on from 7pm til late.

Tickets for the kids session are:

Mini terrors 0-4 years: $5
Mini terrors 5-17 years: $10
Mini terrors adult supervisor: $10
Mini terrors family ticket (2 adults, 2 children): $30

All children must be accompanied by an adult.

Mega terrors 18+: $15

Purchase tickets here.

All Night Fright Fest at National Film and Sound Archive

Where else should you spend Halloween but one of Australia’s most haunted buildings? Join us for a seriously spooky old-fashioned, all-night movie-thon in Arc cinema. We kick off with a haunting ghost story from local ghost hunter Tim the Yowie Man (left) at 10 pm, followed by a program of locally-grown celluloid horror.

Doors open at 9 pm. Our ticket price includes all-night tea and coffee (served in the Gallery) and breakfast of bacon and egg burgers for those who last the distance. Our café will also be selling the kind of fuel you’ll need to make it through the night.

09:00 pm – Doors open, food and drink served in Gallery
10:00 pm – Ghost story from Tim the Yowie Man
10:30 pm – Razorback
12:10 am – Road Games
02:05 am – The Loved Ones
03:40 am – The Babadook
05:35 am – Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead
07:15 am – 100 Bloody Acres
08:45 am – Breakfast

Tickets are $25 per person.

RSPCA ACT ‘Spooky’ Cat Film Festival

RSPCA ACT is purring to announce Canberra’s first ever Cat Film Festival to be held on Friday the 13^th of November at the Old Bus Depot Building in the Kingston Foreshore precinct.

Cat lovers with cat-titude will have the purrfect time with plenty of activities to sink your paws into including a cattoo parlour, photo booth, dress up competition, full moon night market and plenty of delicious food to make you purr. On the night, a meow-nificent film will be shown that will sure entertain local Canberrans of all ages. The reel is produced and curated by the Walker Art Center and will feature approximately 100cat videos submitted by individuals from around the world within the categories of Comedy, Drama, Animation, Musical, Action, Vintage and Documentary.

Cat-ivities include a whiskers photobooth, spooky dress up competition, cattoo parlour, full moon night market, games and tasty food to make you purr.

Friday, 13 November.  Doors open at 6:00pm. Film screening will commence at 8:00pm at the Old Bus Depot Building, 21 Wentworth Avenue, Kingston

Tickets: From $15 with all funds going towards helping animals in need. Buy them here. 

Boogong at Googong Township 

Bewaaare! Those who miss out on Boogong – our frighteningly fun Halloween event – are destined to regret their choice… FOR ALL ETERNITY. Not surprising, really, when you consider all the great things happening.

So dress up as your favourite Halloween creature, pack a picnic, enjoy the live music and let your little monsters out to play in our specially spookified Beltana Park. It’ll be so fun… it’s scary!

See googong.net for more details.

Bars & Clubs

Knightsbridge Penthouse: Ladies and gentlemen, boys and ghouls – Knighty is hosting it’s second Penthouse of Horrors after the huge success of last year’s spine-tingling affair. For one night only, Knighty will be transformed into a haunted house complete with ghosts, goblins and graveyards.

Mooseheads: Mooseheads & Smirnoff will ensure our National Capital is left scared & screaming as we bring you our Halloween Black Party, Canberra’s Biggest Halloween Night, for the 7th Year in a Row! Featuring performances from Rogue Dolls Australia, Illusions from Nyte Mare – Australia’s Best Horror Magician, Special Effects from Canberra’s Coolest SFX Team and Promotional CDs from Canberra’s DJ Felixx & Cali – AUS.

Lucky’s Speakeasy: Part of 100 Days of Summer, the Lucky’s Halloween Party promises to trick or treat you with DJ Sebastian Marley. VIP Members receive 2x Magic Potion Cocktails (7-9pm). Happy Hour (7-9pm) $5 for Basic Spirits, Beer and House Wine, $10 Select Cocktails. Members are encouraged to bring their own ‘walking dead’ entourage. All members guests will recieve 1x Magic Potion Cocktail (7-9pm). Prepare to be SPOOKED!

Bentspoke: Your zombie entourage can cool off at Bentspook, with prizes for best dressed.

Hopscotch: Hoppy Halloween party – prizes for best dressed and special drinks on sale.

Halloween at Home

Decorate your house for Halloween. You can buy a wide range of inexpensive Halloween decorations that are spooky, cute, fun, or just plain tacky! Check out the range at Big W, Woolworths, The Reject Shop, Aldi, Spotlight, Dusk, and bargain/discount stores like Dollar King at Westfield Woden and Top Bargain at the Tuggeranong Hyperdome.

Watch some scary horror movies on Halloween night. Her Canberra’s movie buff, Ros Hull offers her take on films worth screaming with terror for. Make these easy-peasy Halloween crafts with your kids or play some of these simple Halloween games.

Throw a Halloween party or dinner with family and friends. Check out these simple but eerie edibles for ideas on what to make. Or put on your costume and go trick or treating around your neighbourhood, but check with your neighbours first!

Brave the grave

Visit the grave of a departed loved one, offer some flowers and light a candle. Visiting the graves of deceased relatives is a common practice on All Saints’ Day/All Souls’ Day in many countries around the world including the Philippines, Romania, Austria, Poland, Spain, Belgium, Mexico and Portugal.

Halloween is certainly not the ‘creepy’, very American festival that it’s often made out to be. This ancient festival, dating back to pre-Christian Europe, thousands of years before being popularised in American culture, symbolises the end of the life of summer and the coming of the death of winter. More than anything, Halloween is a time when we can remember and honour our ancestors, and all of our loved ones who have died and gone before us. What a beautiful celebration it is indeed!

Happy Halloween, everyone!