Do you celebrate Halloween in New Zealand? Has this Irish/American tradition come to New Zealand?
We are 2 Danish geocachers who are having a 3 week holiday "on the other side of the world", in fact almost as far away as we can get from Denmark.
We would like to meet both local and visiting geocachers with this small event and exchange stories and perhaps clarify whether the tradition of Halloween is something big in NZ or whether there are other local customs and whether some of these are geocache related.
We will bring some Coins and TBs from Denmark, if we haven't already had them put in caches here in NZ. If anyone has some small TBs (limited space in our suitcases) that are going to Europe, we may be able to help get them there.
In Denmark we have a tradition that is several hundred years old called Fastelavn, where children dress up.
They first gather, where they use a club to break a hanging barrel. Inside the barrel there are sweets and fruit. Then they go around the neighborhood and beg for more sweets. Here is a great article about Fastelavn in Denmark.
Unfortunately, this tradition takes place in the winter, when there is often either frost or snow. Therefore, many children have adopted the American tradition, which takes place in the Danish autumn, at the end of October, when it is somewhat warmer. Of course, the traders have accepted the new tradition and some shops are decorated.
In the area where we live, we have been doing a small geocaching event for several years and have dressed up and broken a barrel.
Halloween also coincides with an old church holiday from the Middle Ages, where people light candles and remember the dead. Therefore, the theme of ghosts and horror is not an unknown phenomenon, but it has never been a children's party with a costume.