Halloween
Halloween, short for Hallows’ Eve or Hallows Evening, is a cherished and time-honoured European, Celtic and now American tradition. Although it has religious leanings, it has gradually become a ubiquitous secular event. It is a candy-based event characterised by superstition and child-friendly activities such as trick-or-treating. Children get to dress up and express their creativity.
Trick-or-treating might have evolved from the ancient Celtic tradition of putting out treats and food to placate spirits who roamed the streets at Samhain, a sacred festival. People believed ghosts could disguise themselves as humans and knock on doors to ask for food or money and if they were denied, the spirits could haunt the person who refused the treat. To avoid being recognized by these spirits, people would wear costumes when they left their homes so that they would be mistaken for fellow spirits.
As part of the PTFA’s efforts at commemorating Halloween, an MKV version was re-enacted on Saturday, 5th November 2016. On that eerie morning, there were some strange sightings around the MKV community. A group of fifty scary and gory creatures roamed the streets on a trick-or-treat frenzy. A-haunting they went, dressed as everything: Bat Man, Ghosts, Fairies, Harry Potter, Halo Commander, the Grim Reaper, Mal Descendant, Cerise Hood, Dracula, zombies, Minion, a knight, a bride, Princess Elsa, a Mummy, a Pumpkin Witch, a Fire Fighter, a Cookie Monster, Chuckey’s mum, Clowns, Pirates, you name it!
The group met at the forecourt of the school and went trick-or-treating in thirteen houses across MKV. At each house, trick-or-treaters would knock and shout the proverbial “trick or treat?” after which they would be handed out treats, usually candies. Children left with swollen loot bags and the collection was done in classes for orderliness. Even spirits like some order!
By 10.00am when the sun was nearly at its highest, the group was clearly exhausted; they made for the Play Room in the Club House where they were appeased with refreshments and games such as Spider racing, cup cake decoration, mummy making, colouring etc.
The school would like to express our deepest appreciation to the PTFA, ATS, and all those who contributed in diverse ways, to a spooktacular Halloween. Happy Halloween…whatever you were! Trick-or-treat?
