We live in Poland, where Halloween isn’t as widely celebrated as it is other places. You can’t go shopping for a costume, for example. Businesses are not decorated, nor are homes. You can get pumpkins at the market, and you might see them outside cafes in the main tourist area of Gdansk, but that’s about it.
This is partly because Halloween is such a very American tradition; while it’s filtered into many European countries, Poland’s recent history just hasn’t been as inclusive. Halloween behind the Iron Curtain? Nope.
The other reason is that November 1 is an important Catholic occasion called All Saints’ Day, where people honor the memory of their deceased relatives and decorate their family graves with candles and flowers. As one Polish person explained, it wouldn’t be right to jokingly dress up as a ghost on one day, then have this very serious religious holiday the next. A festive Halloween party, he said sternly, is not memento mori.
So you can see why it’s not really easy to pop down to the shops and choose a costume.
Nevertheless, Anna’s international school is having a Monster Party today, October 31. The hallways are decorated with pumpkins and gourds, and all the kids can dress up. Of course I’m dying to know where these costumes are coming from.
So for Anna’s: Last year on a business trip, I picked up a dog ear headband and tail on impulse. I often buy stuff like this to have on hand for those rainy or snowy days when I literally need to pull something entertaining out of the cupboard. And this week, it came in handy. A pair of black pants and a black shirt, some black mittens and brown shoes and I’ve got a happy little puppy dog.
As for whiskers? Well…I searched all over town for a face-painting kit of some kind but came up empty-handed. A good thing, since I offered to donate my eyeliner to the cause and Anna said, “I don’t want whiskers!” as if I was nuts to suggest it.
Then she scampered off, on all fours, to go to school.
Whether yours is spooky or sweet, Happy Halloween!
Love your blog Sara, adore hearing about your adventures with Anna. Beautiful photo of her today! Thank you for all the crafty inspiration. B.