Call me dumb, but I didn't know Canadians celebrated Halloween. Hey, you didn't have to call me dumb that quick. It's just that it seems Halloween isn't as widely (or as wildly) celebrated outside the U.S.
When I found this arch-backed black cat emblazoned with the Canadian Maple Leaf (not to mention the word "Canada" for those symbolically challenged), I wondered why our neighbors to the North would create what appears to be a tourist item using such a traditional American Halloween icon.
As it turns out, Canadians do indeed celebrate our beloved holiday and have for over a century.
According to this article by Canadian Geographic from 2013 entitled "10 Things You Didn't Know About Halloween in Canada", Canadians spend $350 Million a year on Halloween candy with an average Canadian spending $70 CAD ($55 USD). The average U.S. citizen will spend $86 USD for a total of a whopping $9.1 Billion.
The rest of the facts from the article relate more to Halloween itself, but it did have this cool photo of Canadian children celebrating Halloween in the late 1800's.
When I lived in Canada as a young teen, we trick or treated every year so the Canadians definitely celebrate.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the confirmation, Lady M.
DeleteYes we do Halloween, and we also have "Cabbage Night" the evening before (however I don't see that "celebrated" as much any more, perhaps because of the huge number of security cameras around compared to the old days, or the kids are too busy playing on their phones to be bothered).
ReplyDeleteWe also used to have the Unicef "penny" boxes, and a common candy was these nasty orange and black Halloween kisses molasses candies (I don't know the real name but they were cheap and plentiful). On the other hand there were always a few houses that gave out full sized chocolate bars, which made our night.
One thing I have noticed over the last few years is I am seeing fewer houses lit up and handing out candy during Halloween in my neighbourhood than in the past.
>we also have "Cabbage Night" the evening before
DeleteDoes this entail throwing cabbages at your neighbors' houses? Boiling cabbages? Making Cabbage Jack O' Lanterns? Explain!
>We also used to have the Unicef "penny" boxes
I've read about that as well. I vaguely recall it here in States, but I never participated.
>a common candy was these nasty orange and black Halloween kisses
We had (and still have) those. I actually like them. I think they're just called Peanut Butter Kisses.
>there were always a few houses that gave out full sized chocolate bars
I remember that too which is why I hand out full-sized at my house on Halloween.
>One thing I have noticed over the last few years is I am seeing fewer >houses lit up
Same here. The number of houses participating each year is shrinking. I think Trunk or Treats have ruined Halloween. Personally, I'll continue to hand out candy until I'm the last in the neighborhood.
This comment has been removed by the author.
Delete>we also have "Cabbage Night" the evening before
Delete>>Does this entail throwing cabbages at your neighbors' houses? Boiling cabbages? Making Cabbage Jack O' Lanterns? Explain!
This is our "Mischief Night", and doesn't have anything to do with Cabbages anymore, but the name has stuck. From Wikipedia:
In rural Niagara Falls, Ontario, during the 1950s and 1960s, Cabbage Night (French: Nuit de Chou) referred to the custom of raiding local gardens for leftover rotting cabbages and hurling them about to create mischief in the neighborhood. Today, the night is still celebrated in Ontario but is commonly known as "Cabbage Night" in parts of Vermont; Connecticut; Bergen County, New Jersey; Upstate New York; Northern Kentucky; Newport, Rhode Island; Western Massachusetts; and Boston, Massachusetts.
>a common candy was these nasty orange and black Halloween kisses
>>We had (and still have) those. I actually like them. I think they're just called Peanut Butter Kisses.
There is no peanut butter in these, they are a hard salt candy made from Molasses. Google "Halloween candy: in defence of Canada's molasses kiss" for an article and picture.
>One thing I have noticed over the last few years is I am seeing fewer >houses lit up
>>Same here. The number of houses participating each year is shrinking. I think Trunk or Treats have ruined Halloween. Personally, I'll continue to hand out candy until I'm the last in the neighborhood.
Very possibly. Every kid I see now (except for the very older teens) have parents with them now. When I was out even at a relatively early age (7 and up) we were all alone with our friends, no parents. We have begun giving little containers of Play-Doh to the young kids (I let them pick the colour), and they love it. The older kids get a variety of candies in a bag.
>There is no peanut butter in these, they are a hard salt candy made from Molasses.
DeleteNow that you say that, it rings a bell. I've never seen them, but we had a similar misunderstanding on a Halloween Facebook group I belong to. Half of us kept talking about Peanut Butter Kisses and the other half was talking about these Molasses Kisses. Must be a regional thing. Despite being so reviled, I'd like to try one.
>Every kid I see now (except for the very older teens) have parents with them now.
I know what you mean. I see it here too. I understand safety concerns, but in a well populated area with other trick or treaters, I don't see an issue with letting kids run. I trick or treated our street alone when I was a kid and it was desolate. Often, I was the only one out.
>We have begun giving little containers of Play-Doh to the young kids
That's a cool idea. In addition to full-sized candy bars, I also have a mixture of plastic skeletons, rubber bats, finger puppet monsters, etc. for the kids to grab. It's always a hit.
If I should come across a few of the Molasses Kisses this year I will see if I can get them to you, I doubt I will have to do any major convincing to get a young niece to hand some over.
ReplyDelete