All Hallows Eve

Halloween was celebrated here on October 31st. Now I realize that that sounds redundent, but Halloween isn't always on the 31st here. If, for instance Halloween falls on a Sunday, it is rescheduled to the Saturday (can't be celebrating ancient Celtic holidays on the sabbath don't you know). Halloween here differs in a couple of respects from most other places. For one thing Trick or Treating is scheduled. An announcement is made on local radio of the hours that Trick or Treating is scheduled for (usually 4-6 or 5-7) and everyone sticks to it.  And there is really no tricking or fright night stuff like you get down south, its a pretty positive day.

Travis was a Komodo Dragon this year, but once again found Trick or Treating just too scary, and quit after only a couple of houses.  Another thing you don't see down south is someone Trick or Treating from an amautiq  (in this case Travis' cousin Bradley).

After trick or treating is over, everyone gathers at the gym, for a costume contest, a little unlike any I've ever seen.  Part of the goal of these costumes is for your identity to remain completely hidden, and they are pretty successful in this regard.  The costumes are all homemade and are mostly bizarre outlandish getups.  As Gary says, the basic theme is to cover your face, stuff things in your legs and stick something to your a**. 

They are truly remarkable get ups and often have various items attached as accessories.  These pictures (darn this point and shoot) are not very good at portraying this, however check out this person (the winner of the adults -- the one on the left).  The costume includes a narwhal tusk, a muskox horn, a tea pot, a dress, two different shoes, a caribou parka, and another "person" attached to the a**. I'm sure not a soul knew who she was until she removed her headgear.

The next one includes the second place winner, the one in the pink.  Note the cooking pot for a boot, and I'm not really sure about the face on the belly (please let that be the belly), but what's not to like about a costume that has a collander for a hat and a hockey stick for an accent piece.

Halloween is a pretty unique event up here, and one of the highlights of my calender year.  Maybe I'll do up a costume next year.  Now where did I put those caribou antlers?