Halloween's Coming

I may not have been back in Singapore a week yet, but despite being here last Halloween and seeing decorations etc. then, this year Singapore really does seem to be embracing it wholeheartedly.  Decorations are appearing everywhere, Halloween related items are available to buy in the shops and special events at venues are being advertised everywhere I turn.

In the UK I would say that Halloween is not that big a deal or a huge event that is celebrated.  As a child I only went Trick-or-Treating once and that was only because it was the school holidays, I was staying with my cousins and as they were going I was allowed to as well.  Even then we were only allowed to go on the road where they lived and I suspect only to the houses of people my cousins family knew.  Everyone gave us sweets so there was no chance to play a trick, though I don't know what we would actually have done if the need had arisen.  I somehow doubt it would have been much, if anything at all, for fear of the consequences.  The TV channels do usually show the odd horror/spooky film or programme in honour of the day.  Personally I like that as I've always been a fan of that genre and of watching programmes where I might get a bit spooked, but they do not usually broadcast lots of programmes with a Halloween theme. 

My one real memory of a Halloween special programme on TV was a spoof documentary (which many people thought was real at the time) of a family being terrorised in their home by a poltergeist.  The 'documentary' was called Ghostwatch and was hosted by a fairly serious TV presenter/interviewer in the UK.  It was presented as being a live programme and included supposed live footage in the house of phenomena occurring and culminated with things going very awry in the TV studio.  I expect if I watched it now it would probably be laughable but at the time, and given, when it was broadcast, I was only just fourteen, I was pretty spooked by it.  You can read a bit more around the controversy this programme caused here and if that does not put you off there is plenty of YouTube footage available if you want to see a bit of the programme for yourself.

Whilst I lived with my parents we never had Trick-or-Treaters come calling (probably because finding their front door is quite a challenge), but even when I went to University and then subsequently lived in London I don't recall ever getting a caller.  The most I think I have ever seen are a few young children dressed up going from house to house with their Mum or Dad supervising and when I was in London especially a few revellers dressed up and going to a Halloween themed night out. 

For me therefore to see so many eateries, bars and shops decked out is actually quite fun and a bit of a novelty.  I imagine that perhaps the efforts here to some would still seem a bit tame in comparison to what they are used to?  Do let me know.  I'm also interested to know whether celebrating Halloween here is a fairly recent thing or if it has been celebrated for many years and, indeed, if it more popular now than it initially was?  Regardless though I'm enjoying going out somewhere and finding a maze of cobwebs, a zombie or a load of pumpkins and skulls looking back at me.

Even the Post Bar at the Fullerton Hotel is getting into the Halloween spirit

Whilst Halloween may not be a huge event in the UK I do associate it with cooler and usually cold Autumnal weather so I still have not got completely used to it being celebrated in 30 degree heat.  In fact with my love of all things a little spooky it seems right to me that if all the ghosts and ghouls are going to come out that night that the weather should be suitably wild to match with howling gales whistling around houses.  This feeling though, of the wrong sort of weather for events is not just confined to Halloween and is something I plan to come back to again in due course.

I shall and am enjoying the Halloween build up here and perhaps I'll watch some spooky films or programmes on DVD to celebrate in my own way in Singapore.

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