Hallowhat?

So Halloween has made it all the way to Australia. Originally, in Australia Halloween was also known as Mischief Night or Danger Night as they celebrated Guy Fawkes Eve.

Guy Fawkes Night is an annual celebration on the evening of the 5th of November primarily in the U.K. It celebrates the foiling of the Gunpowder Plot in which a group of Catholic conspirators, including Guy Fawkes, attempted to blow up the House of Parliament in Westminster on the evening of 5 November, 1605, when the Protestant James I of England (James VI of Scotland), his eldest sons, and the majority of the English Parliament were within its walls.

Guy Fawkes Night seems closely related to the celebration of Reformation Night. But as with many old traditions and celebrations here in Australia, Halloween is another holiday that was brought into Australia through their ties to the U.K. Over the years with the influence of American pop-culture, it became a night for children to create mischief by doing tricks or getting a treat. Either way, overall most Aussies don't give it much attention anymore. There is no dress-up-to-school-frenzy, no trick-or-treaters, nor the candy-madness in grocery stores.

Last year Halloween wasn't even in our radar because we were so distracted with trying to start our lives here. But this year, we were reminded of it because an American expat girlfriend I met recently (who happens to have been a Kindergarten teacher like myself) baked me some muffins in the shape of Pumpkins and Ghosts; she was even all dressed up in black and orange! Also, we actually had TWO trick-or-treaters come to our house! Anyways, I found a picture of the pumpkin above and thought whoever carved it did a great job! Don't you think?