Akwaaba! Well it’s Halloween in North America but not in Ghana. As you can imagine, our children are feeling pretty ripped off right about now as they have been denied their yearly haul of sugar-infused booty. (It is worth noting here that the parents were also feeling somewhat slighted as they were always sure to buy "more than enough" candy for the trick-or-treaters!) Not only that, but the build-up to Halloween—including costume selection (and several re-selections), events such as Boo at the Zoo and various costume parties—has also been stolen from them. I feel the word stolen is not too strong a word as Halloween, culturally speaking, is a right of passage and falls only just behind birthdays and Christmas in the hiearchy of events cherished by kids. It was a significant moment in my life when my mother lovingly sewed my Ace Frehley (of Kiss) costume, my father spray-painted my rubber boots silver, and I did my own makeup, before hitting the streets as a rather campy looking member of the Kiss Army. If I were in Canada I would scrounge for the photo evidence of my grade three costume selection so that you could eat your heart out but alas, I am not, so you will have to rely on your imagination and Googled pictures of ol’ Ace.
But enough about me…this is entry is about The Amazing Race: Halloween in Ghana Edition. We are pretty big on family traditions, particularly as they have been an important touchstone when we travel to a new home. One of our traditions has been to watch The Amazing Race together. This last year we even had a family pool wherein we picked our favourite pair and then cheered them on. What’s really important about this is the time spent together (does it still count if it’s in front of a TV?!) and that we had fun. Oh, and that I won this year’s selection pool. Well, to make a long story at least a little shorter, we decided to plan a Halloween scavenger hunt, Amazing Race Style.
Challenges included recounting the ring tone of our driver Douglas (“You are blessed in your family…you are blessed in your relationships…you are blessed in your finances…”), balancing a pillow on your head like a street seller, eating a banana like a baboon, doing African drumming and dancing (the kids take this at school), counting in French or German (also at school), or doing an impersonation of a tro-tro driver.
Clues were hidden throughout the house and the race concluded with each of the kids having to throw together an impromptu costume and say “trick or treat” to their parents. For the trick, they had to bob for an apple, and for the treat, they each got a big bag of candy (of course!), much of which was given to us recently by the Manitoba school inspection team, the Manitoba hiring agent, and because some care packages arrived from home. The festivities culminated in a family movie night (usually Fridays, with popcorn and pizza…though this time with KD from a care package—woo-hoo!) viewing of It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and Fat Albert’s Halloween Special. (A special shout out to Graboid Video!)
Those who know us best will also know that there is a certain other family celebration that happens on this day: our anniversary! I continue to be the luckiest spouse I know and I have been enjoying the excellent company of my fabulous partner Carmilla for sixteen years (“unofficially” eighteen from the very beginning) today. Our tradition always includes an evening of trick-or-treating, followed by Chinese takeaway and a movie, after the kids are in bed. This year, I am relieved to report, was no exception.
Akwaaba! Well it’s Halloween in North America but not in Ghana. As you can imagine, our children are feeling pretty ripped off right about now as they have been denied their yearly haul of sugar-infused booty. (It is worth noting here that the parents were also feeling somewhat slighted as they were always sure to buy "more than enough" candy for the trick-or-treaters!) Not only that, but the build-up to Halloween—including costume selection (and several re-selections), events such as Boo at the Zoo and various costume parties—has also been stolen from them. I feel the word stolen is not too strong a word as Halloween, culturally speaking, is a right of passage and falls only just behind birthdays and Christmas in the hiearchy of events cherished by kids. It was a significant moment in my life when my mother lovingly sewed my Ace Frehley (of Kiss) costume, my father spray-painted my rubber boots silver, and I did my own makeup, before hitting the streets as a rather campy looking member of the Kiss Army. If I were in Canada I would scrounge for the photo evidence of my grade three costume selection so that you could eat your heart out but alas, I am not, so you will have to rely on your imagination and Googled pictures of ol’ Ace.
1 comment:
Sounds like loads of fun!
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