Halloween in South Africa – Playing Catch-Up Since 2016

Ever since Al Gore blessed the world with his prized invention – The Internet – The world has ceased to be the culturally-segregated place it once was for countless generations. In a prior, less technologically-dependent world, letters, books, word-of-mouth & even the occasional National Geographic w/tribal-based nudity were the primary forms of spreading and sharing knowledge of the unique cultures, traditions & ways of life of those “across the pond.” Fast forward to the present day, and we now live in a society where over 6 billion people own a smart phone (!!!), and thus, have access to endless catalogs of information, videos and of course, this gem.  Not only are we as connected as ever, but our inherit regionally-based individuality has slowly molded into a worldwide culture. A culture that has an odd obsession with self-importance, and of course, the other-worldly derriere of Kim Kardashian.

Just over a decade ago, when most of the advanced world was relishing in the productivity-destroyer now known as “high-speed internet,” South Africans were still content with any form of connectivity, even if its relative velocity was still measured in kilobytes per second. Attempting to load a Youtube video of a self-made 5-year-old millionaire who opens presents for a living (pause for depression to subside) was about as time-consuming as waiting for your own 5-year-old to come up with a multi-million-dollar business plan. However, this era of modem-level speeds did not last long, as only a few years later, technology caught up with South Africa. And with it, a new culture emerged.

Officially deemed by the writers of Not Another Damn Travel Blog as “Netflix Culture,” in essence, it is a phenomenon whereby the presence of a “hit show” causes an entire generation to abandon prior cultural beliefs and traditions, and transform themselves into mirror images of the characters in front of their eyes. And with that, Sex and the City inspired a generation of South African divas to find new purpose - Day drinking. Friends helped a society rife with unemployment, justify that existence with countless hours spent at newly-built neighborhood coffee shops. And Breaking Bad inspired drug dealers nationwide to “mix things up a bit.” But most importantly, for those children of South Africa, their naïve little world was truly upended when two words entered their daily domain – “Hi Neighbor.”

Thanks to Daniel Tiger, South African children everywhere were welcomed to a new realm. A realm full of toys, games and activities never before seen, let alone known. A literal visual onslaught with the only lasting repercussion being that of a never-ending chorus of “I want that.” And of all the “I want that’s” that followed, the one that seems to have had the greatest impact right around the end of October is none other than Halloween. A holiday, once only celebrated in South Africa by the most dedicated satanic worshippers, now in literal “catch-up mode,” as 60 million people vie to partake in the most Instagrammable holiday of the year.

And what better way to describe this “catch-up” then by breaking down Halloween into its most foundational elements:

• Costumes – With only a handful of “party shops” selling costumes, and the largest online retailer (thehalloweenstore.co.za) comprising a mere 42 potential selections (in comparison, Spirit Halloween has over 1,500), the majority of costumes in South Africa fall more into the “traditional” spectrum (i.e. lots of princesses, pirates, and skeletons galore). Disney Marketing Team, start your engines.
  • As a note, the 21 to 35 age group in South Africa wasted no time following the age-old American tradition of removing the “upper-most,” “lower-most” and “mid-section” of these costumes (all for posterity’s sake of course).

 

• Trick-or-Treating – With the majority of houses in South Africa surrounded by concrete walls and electric fences, the neighborhood ambiance is not one that seems to actively promote an activity such as trick-or-treating. Nonetheless, the practice does exist, although tends to primarily occur within “fenced/gated” communities or those with affordability levels in the “unaffordable” column. And ends before the sun even considers setting in the sky. Let's be real here.

 

• Pumpkin Carving – The idea of taking a perfectly good food product, and then letting it rot away on the curb is slightly insulting to the several million South Africans who go to sleep hungry each and every night. Thus, as to avoid needless waste, yet still stick with customary tradition, South Africans instead draw faces on the unpeeled exteriors of oranges and clementine’s. Touché South Africa, touché.
  • On an interesting note, almost half the US population (~150 million people) carve jack-o'-lanterns, using over 1.5 billion pounds of pumpkins in the process. USA! USA! USA!

 

• Decorations – The concept of adorning one’s house with light fixtures, decorations and other, easily “re-possessable” items, is a recipe for the ultimate Ebay sale come November 1st. While some households do participate, the effort is relatively minimal, and would be the American equivalent of “phoning it in.”

Overall, partaking in South Africa's version of a "pared-down" Halloween was actually a very sentimental trip down memory lane. To a time when Halloween was at its most basic -- Smiling jack-o-lanterns beneath brightly lit porches. Hoards of kids dressed in whatever $10 get-up their parents bought the day before. And enough candy to last you til spring (if of course the suffocating mask your mother forced you to wear allowed you to make it that far). At some point in our lives, Halloween abandoned this simplistic notion, and instead morphed into, what seems to be, an “internet winning contest.” And while the award undoubtedly goes to this lady, it makes one wonder why this happened. And whether it takes away any of the authenticity of the Halloween from our childhood. When for one night, our parents ignored concepts such as "kidnapping" or "poisoning" and just rolled the dice on our lives. Ugga mugga. 
 
Onto the pics: