James & Vilija

Just a brief one… Halloween
In Australia we generally shun the Halloween tradition, saying that its all American hype and an excuse to eat more junk, however, we found out recently that Halloween was actually started by the pagan Irish who feared spirits and so sought to ingratiate themselves with candles and food for all ghouls.
What has surprised me here in Italy - not just Genova, but all the places we’ve been to lately - is how the Italians (or at least the entrepreneurial ones) have embraced this celebration. In so many shops that we’ve walked past for the last month there have been window displays dedicated to this Hallmark-y holiday. In particular the pasticerias have heaps of pumpkin-shaped treats.
Speaking to some friends of ours it turns out that this is the first year that Halloween has really been celebrated in Italy in a big way. On the way home from work last night I spied heaps of kids dressed up in whatever their imagination conjured and mum sewed. It was actually quite fun to watch. My friend from work Claire told us about a party that her partner’s friends organised for the occasion, so Jimbo and I went along for a look. Being totally too slack we decided that the best costume was creative use of black eyeliner to create a ghoulish appearance and a black eye for me
Not wanting to feel too touristy we decided not to take snaps of the others, but much credit goes to Claire for her mummy outfit, Maria the “assassin” chicken, and the witches and pirates of the night.
Also an honourable mention to the mini scooter-truck that was dumped at our local park that looked the part for the night.
Today we’re enjoying living in a Catholic country with a public holiday for All Saints Day - YAY!

Vilija