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October is the time to put on your scariest costume and collect hoards of candies and treats as Halloween comes around once again. Over the past few years, Halloween has increasingly become one of the most commercially successful celebrations worldwide, with more countries joining in. While dressing up in costumes and going trick-or-treat remains a Halloween staple, there is far more to celebrating Halloween than just receiving candy.
During Halloween, houses and shops are decorated with typically scary icons such as skeletons, spider webs, witches, ghouls and bats. The most iconic Halloween decoration is the jack-o-lantern – a hollowed out pumpkin with a monstrous face carved out, which is illuminated by a candle or light inside it, much like a lantern.
Halloween parties are also very common, with people playing typical Halloween games such as 'bobbing for apples', where using only their mouths, players must gather apples which are floating in a basin of water. In some countries, it is also common to light bonfires, tell ghost stories, or even have parades.
Here in Hong Kong, the popularity of Halloween has skyrocketed in the past few years. Every year, not only do more and more children take part in trick or treat, but more and more people, both adults and children, make their way to Lan Kwai Fong to parade their costumes for the hoards of people who flock to the area to enjoy the festivity.