There was excitement in a small household on Saturday evening. With the song “Let it go” from the hit 2013 Disney movie “Frozen” playing in the background, my little niece proudly stepped out of her room donning her best Elsa costume. I had promised the excited four-year old that I would be celebrating her first real Halloween with her. With the prospect of bringing back a large bag of candy and meeting other costumed friends, we walked outside her family’s home and made our way to São Lázaro district, where we were greeted by the undead, anime characters and superheroes.
The distinctive cobblestone street was alive and taken over by men, women and children who were enthusiastically celebrating Halloween, albeit two days early. With my niece’s hand in mine, we stepped into the sea of people, gladly realising that Halloween is alive and well in Macau. “Tick-a-teeet!” she said while holding out chocolate from her orange jack-o-lantern shaped candy bucket to exchange it with other children, taking in her surroundings as she beamed with genuine happiness after her first real introduction to Halloween.
Celebrated on October 31, Halloween, according to Britannica, is a contraction of All Hallow’s Eve and marks the day before All Saints Day. On its origins, Don Vaughan in the Britannica article “Why do we celebrate Halloween?” says that the celebration may date back to Samhain, a Celtic festival held on November 1 in modern calendars, adding that people wore costumes and lit bonfires to ward off spirits as the day was thought to be when the souls of the dead came back to their homes. Today, we may simply know it best as that day to wear costumes for fun and go trick-or-treating, which is a Halloween custom where children go door to door for “treats” such as candy. Wikipedia adds that the word “trick” in the phrase “refers to a threat, usually idle, to perform mischief on the resident(s) or their property” as a consequence of not giving a treat.
For some adults, we might not see beyond the more commercialised aspect of the celebration as it may only seem to be the time where there is a sudden emphasis placed on buying something like decorations, costumes for themselves or their kids, and of course, the treats. However, for children like my niece, it could be the best thing ever, and it was her and the awe that she felt that made me look past my cynicism and appreciate the celebration once more. Not only did she see the fun in Halloween, but she had a great introduction after what we had experienced on Saturday. This reminded me of how much I looked forward to it every year while growing up, with a feeling almost akin to how I felt about Christmas.
A child’s perspective was what showed me that the celebration goes beyond the needless spending, attending large parties or simply being a date that we can cross out of our calendars when it is over. There is much to appreciate and have fun with, regardless of one’s age. Whether it is a “haunted” attraction where you and your friends deliberately enter to get scared, the specials on TV shows like The Simpson’s annual Treehouse of Horror or gathering a few friends and family to watch a scary movie or exchange supposedly true scary stories, or even miscellaneous things like walking into a shop or restaurant with Halloween themed decorations, there is something to see and look forward to. Though it is not at all as extravagant or as widely celebrated as Christmas, it is certainly not ignored or forgotten about.
People take part in Halloween related activities at the St. Lazarus district on Saturday.
– Photo: Rui Pastorin
