Celebrating Halloween is not very popular in Thailand but in the past few years, especially in Bangkok, different bars and clubs have started celebrating this tradition.
Halloween is an occasion for dressing up, getting together and having a goulish party. Hua Hin is still new to this idea however we thought for the October issue we would share with you some tips about how to make a great Halloween party for the kids and the grown up “kids” at home. Follow our ideas for Halloween table decorations , cocktail presentations , food recipes and kids Halloween treat-bags. There are also easy Halloween outfits you can make so that this Halloween is a memorable one for everyone.
But First the History of Halloween.
Halloween originates dates back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). The Celts lived 2,000 years ago in the lands that are now Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom and Northern France.They celebrated their new year each on November 1st. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter. This was a time of year that was often associated with death. Halloween was a time of celebration of all things “dark” and superstitious.
Celts believed that on the night before the New Year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31st they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids or Celtic priests to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long dark winter. Many ideas from these times still survive in the United States and in other Western countries. Halloween is one of them.
But How Did We Get the Name Halloween?
In the 8th Century, the Catholic Church declared November 1st to be All Saints’ Day. The church calendar already had a number of days honouring saints. November 1st was picked to be the day to honour saints who didn’t already have a day named in their honour.
The mass that the Catholic Church celebrated on November 1st was called ‘Allhallowmas’. This meant “mass of all the hallowed [saintly people.]” It was commonly called “All Hallows’ Day.” The night before became known as Allhallowe’en, short for the “evening before All Hallows’ Day”. It was then shortened to what we now call Halloween.
Why Do People Dress Up as Ghosts, Goblins, Vampires, and Other Scary Creatures?
The people who started this Halloween party business many years ago believed that if they appeared scary, they would scare away the spirits of the dead who were roaming the earth on All Hallows’ Eve. These people also carried food to the edge of town and left it there, hoping the spirits would eat that food and not come to raid the village.
Trick-Or-Treating:
Trick-or-treating has been around for quite a while in America. However now it’s mostly about treats for kids. Along with other Halloween customs, trick-or-treating comes from Ireland and Great Britain and has to do with the souls of the dead coming back to earth. People would go from house to house asking for “soul cakes,” little baked items that people inside the houses would give in exchange for having a prayer said for their soul. People would also leave food and drink outside their houses in the hope that the spirits roaming the earth would take the offering and leave the house alone. It was said that both the people asking for the “soul cakes” and the spirits who didn’t find any food or drink outside a house would play a trick, or practical joke, on the people who lived in that house. Some people still play practical jokes however most people prefer to give treats to the kids who say, “Trick or Treat!”
Scary But Yummy Pizzas:
To make a Halloween pizza at home for four people follow these wonderful tips of Khun Gianni from Gianni Restaurant:
Ingredients:
- 500 grams of flour for pizza (from Makro).
- 20 grams of baking powder.
- 1 pinch of salt.
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- A little bit of water at room temperature.
- Your choice of toppings, including mozzarella cheese.
- Tomato sauce.
Method:
- Place all the flour on a clean surface like a kitchen counter or a table and create a volcano-like shape in the centre of the flour.
- Place baking powder, olive oil, salt and bit of water in the middle of that volcano shape.
- Use your hands and start to mix all the ingredients together slowly until there is a pastry ball shape.
- Take a bowl, put the pastry in it and with knife make the shape of the cross on the top of it.
- Cover with a towel to keep a little humidity and keep it for at least 6 hours in a dark corner of your kitchen. To be safe you can prepare the pastry in the morning to make the pizza at night.
- Spread out the pastry on the table and spread a little of butter or olive oil on the surface.
- Start to make a round shape with your fingers. Then use a rolling pin to spread the pizza according to your taste, thin for a crispy pastry or thick for a soft and airy pastry.
- Spread the tomato sauce that you have previously prepared on the top.
- Top with anything you like such as mushrooms, veggies, ham, anchovies, black olives or Italian sausage.
- Place in the Oven at 225C for 20 to 25minutes, depending upon the power of your oven.
- Remove the pizza and spread mozzarella over it. Put it back in the oven for another 5mins. Keep an eye on the pizza, the mozzarella has to melt not to burn.
- *If seafood is added it must be cleaned and boiled before it is added to your pizza.
- *If using Parma Ham, add it to the cooked pizza with some rocket salads just before to serving.
And if you don’t have time to make it yourself, visit Gianni Restaurant, 42-2/3 Dechanuchit Rd. Hua Hin, to enjoy his yummy pizzas and delicious pasta dishes.
Skull Sangria
Giving your Sangria a scary look is easy using apples that are sculpted into scary faces or using black grapes inserted into lychees to make it look as though the eyeballs are floating in the bowl.
Trick or treat Bags:
DIY your own treat bags for all the kids in your neighborhood: Easy to make ghost lollipops made with tissues and black/orange ribbons, candies put inside a rubber glove or a paper bag with scary prints on top.
DIY your own outfits and accessories:
*Painted Monster claws gloves
*DIY baby clothes -ghosts, pumpkins or skeletons, you can do this for adults clothes too.
*Rip an old white T-shirt to make it look like a skull on your back, or do the distressed look to black t-shirts and leggings.
