I’m tired of being embarrassed and making excuses for myself and other Americans regarding what we DON’T know about other countries and cultures.

You are all SO much more aware of our life style and traditions through all our media formats bombarding you that are pretty much a one-way street. Being a cost to cost continental occupier, with quiet, polite, northern neighbors, we do not have the daily familiarity of completely separate countries and customs being adjacent for the most part.

Tell us how you celebrate Halloween or if you even do. Maybe we can learn about White Boomers at Christmas time, but just tell us about your Halloween this time.

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Probably....Halloween is second to Xmas in sales from what I hear.

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<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>
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We do Halloween the same as our neighbours to the south. However, we do celebrate Christmas a bit differently in Newfoundland. The tradition of mummering started in England, I believe and it is related to Halloween b/c we do dress up and go door to door. 'cept it's Christmas.

Here's a link from some cutie kids:

http://www.algonet.se/~bernadot/christmas/16.html

Just type in 'mummer' or 'mummering' into google. We're weird. Any excuse for a drink, I tell ya!

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I hadn't heard of that either, Steph. Thank you for sharing that. It's very interesting. I may print a copy and give it to my wife. She works with kids and I bet they'd be interested.

Who else? ........ Where else? LMAO


Thanks Steph. Interesting to say the least. I especially like a couple of the accounts of "Jennying". My favorite-



Now I'm so happy I started this thread. That was both every interesting and exactly what I was hoping for.

Now what happens (or doesn’t happen) in England, Scotland, Norway, Germany, maybe New Zealand, Hong Kong …..and all the other corners of Pixieland?

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Great thread PF! I just might have to cum over there and pinch ya for this!

*lmao, cause I originally typed....I "might just" have to cum over there and pinch ya..........and it sounded so "Pa. Dutch" when I read it back to myself....that I had to re-type it correctly! Oh well....guess you had to be here! I got a giggle out of it! Looks around for the duct tape!*

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Minds are like parachutes. They only work when they are open.

~Thomas Dewar~

In England we have halloween, all the card shops and even the supermarkets have costumes for sale and pumpkin shaped this that and the other.

No-one decorates their house like the americans do, though a few small children will dress up and go door to door, but most people do not answer.

This isn't just because their are mean old scrooges but in england their has been developing for sometime a yob culture, and you will get teenage kids going round not even dressed up and shouting trick or treat and then throwing eggs or flour etc.

On my was through our local town around 11 pm this evening I saw yound adults (18-25) out drinking whilst wearing little devil horns and that is the extent of their dressing up.

Many parents are uncomfortable with their children knocking on the doors of strangers and I suppose also the malaise when no-one is actually answering the door. I think, If I had children, I would get together with a group of other mums of children of a similar age and organise a little party at someones house with scary themed foods and some decorations and party games. Much safer for the kids and the assorted parents could share the cost of the party.

However no-one likes it when children knock on your front door wearing a bin bag and a 50p plastic mask and expect to be rewarded with treats

Also, as a pagan, halloween or Samhain is the pagan new year

We have an almost identical "thing" going on in Scotland, too. By & large, 'Yob culture' does rule round here, unfortunately; although things have been getting a wee bit better of late, I certainly wouldn't be happy letting my daughter go around the houses alone, even though she and her mother live in a small, fairly safe, housing estate.

Purely in a personal way though, Hallowe'en doesn't really affect us as it does some others, because it is also my daughters birthday!! She was 10 yesterday, and is of the age where she is more interested in going out to her friends' houses for sleepovers, stuff like that! Though I have to say, we didn't get ANYONE coming round this year, either @ my "old" house, OR here at CA & my place!!

Kinda sad, in a way.... but it CAN be a bit of a pain sometimes, too!!

DM

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The selfish, they're all standing in line
Faithing and hoping to buy themselves time
Me, I figure as each breath goes by
I only own my mind

Replace syrup for a drink of rum or Screech for those of age

Remember - that link was produced by kids.

An acquaintance of mine revived mummering in Newfoundland. He received the Order of Canada part because of that.

That brings up another point - we honour distinguished Canadians with the Order of Canada, the Queen knights people . . . does America have a similar ceremony?

That’s why I enjoyed the young mans “concise” essay.


*OUCH!*
Without checking…….. not much comes to mind for civilian contribution recognition by my government. The box of military trinkets, tucked deep in a dresser drawer, seems to be all I can think of off hand. And these will buy you a cup of coffee……… along with a dollar bill. Even the USSR acknowledged exceptional citizens contribution.

Thanks a lot Steph!..... I needed something else to rethink. lmao

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So . . . did you come up with anything yet, deep thinker PF?

From what I've heard, a lot of people in Toronto reported low turnouts this year. I live in one of the poorest neighbourhoods so I wasn't surprised to not see many kids. Unfortunately, there was also a little girl who was abducted a few months ago and there's a little girl who they think has been kidnapped so that definitely makes parents nervous.