Spring is here! In Australia the seasonal celebration at this time of year is the increasingly popular Halloween night.
The balmy weather and lighter evenings help to make Halloween in Mosman, and all across Australia, a sociable and fun community event. Adults and children alike enjoy dressing up and meeting friends in their local neighbourhoods.
Halloween is a relatively recent phenomenon in Australia, hailing originally from the USA. Despite the fact that it is not a traditional holiday for Aussies, each year the festivities on October 31st seem to grow in popularity. Nowadays, shops begin stocking Halloween costumes and paraphernalia as early as September. It is easy to find decorations for your home and treats to hand out to the kids.
The history of Halloween
The name comes from ‘All Hallow’s Eve’, a Christian day to celebrate the dead as a precursor to ‘All Saint’s Day’ on 01 November. Originally an ancient Celtic pagan ritual called ‘Samhain’, the Irish Catholics adopted it and then brought it across to America in the mid-1800s. From there, Halloween has ballooned into one of that country’s biggest national celebrations, creating a multi-billion dollar industry in the process.
Where to go trick or treating in Mosman
Mosman is lucky to have a vibrant community atmosphere where several neighbourhoods make a big effort to welcome trick or treaters. This year, Halloween falls on a Thursday. Expect kids to be hitting the streets in their costumes from around 4.30pm.
Some of the better-known Mosman Halloween hotspots include the streets around Memory Park and Clifton Gardens, Holt Avenue, Spencer Road, Medusa Street, Somerset Street and The Esplanade. You can expect to see plenty of ghouls, ghosts, witches, superheroes and of course, Disney princesses!
Spook up
If you’re keen to welcome eager trick or treaters to your own street, remember to decorate the outside of your home in time for witching hour. This will make it more scarily inviting and create a fun Halloween vibe.
Adorn your front porch with some lanterns lit with fake tea lights, spooky giant pumpkins and creepy spiders on their webs. This will create an artful combination of blacks, whites and shades of orange. Add in some copper, silver or gold skulls for a touch of glamour.
If you prefer gruesome and grotesque over fancy and fashionable, check out online costume stores like www.costumebox.com.au. Here, you can find everything you need to create a gory asylum, spooky graveyard or creepy haunted house scene in your own front yard. Invest in mechanised skeletons, ghosts and Draculas that sit up in their coffins and you can reuse them for many years to come. Of course, don’t forget the bowls of sweets and chocolates that you can ‘mummify’ with tissue paper and goggle eyes for a fun touch.
Don’t want your doorbell to ring on Halloween night? Avoid using any decorations or use a polite sign on the door to deter the spooky sweet-hunters. Just don’t indicate that you’re not home or you may get some cheeky older kids playing tricks!
Trick or treating etiquette
If you’re joining the throng to celebrate Halloween in Mosman this year, these tips will make it fun and safe for all.
- Only approach decorated houses or ones you know to be welcoming trick or treaters
- All children under the age of 12 should be accompanied
- Station someone at your house so you can pay forward the favour your neighbours are doing
- Encourage children to use their manners by saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’, only taking one sweet per house and not touching the decorations
- Remember to be safe when walking along the road
What’s on in Mosman at Halloween time?
From Friday 18 to Sunday 27 October Mosman residents can enjoy the many activities on offer during the biennial Festival of Mosman.
In particular, on Saturday 26 October, there will be a special Halloween-themed Cinema Under the Stars outdoor screening of ‘Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation’. This offers a fun family pre-Halloween night out with popcorn, hotdogs and snowcones. Magician Adam Axford will be heading up the show, and children are encouraged to come dressed in their Halloween costumes so they can go into the draw to win a prize.
From all of us at De Brennan Property: Happy Halloween!
