Easy to use and very well done the website also has some videos made by other people if your in need of ideas!
Enjoy – http://itwillbecomeyou.com/

Halloween: Temporarily unavailable.

Halloweenerrific had to undertake some serious server work over the past week as we moved the site to new hosting.
It was the sort of thing that should have been instantaneous and unnoticeable, but as with all things computer-related, there were complications.
So during that time, everything was on hold for us. Publishing, celebrating, everything!

Thankfully, our new hosts were super-helpful and everything is resolved – or seems to be.

Halloween is back!

So, now that we’re on new hosting you should notice a speed improvement and more importantly, Halloweenerrific should now be crash proof in preparation for that all important time of year – All Hallows Eve!
We’re not going to tolerate the same problems that we experienced last year. Remember that? When we went down the day before?! And before we could publish the second part of our Friday the 13th inspired cocktails feature…

Boy did we end up with pumkin on our faces (as opposed to egg).

Now that we’re back it would be great if you could take a look around the site and let us know if you notices something that isn’t working properly.
You can do that using our contract form here:
Halloweenerrific contact form

In the meantime, enjoy the site and get yourself ready.

Only 136 days to go until Halloween !

Of course, we have our guide to the history of Halloween, which goes into its origins, but what All Hallow’s Eve is today, varies greatly depending on who you are and where you’re from.

It’s interesting as a festival because unlike Christmas, there is a vast contrast in how Halloween is celebrated accross the population.

If you asked someone what Christmas was, they would probably say presents, Santa, turkey, crackers, Christmas pudding, watching rubbish TV and generally spending time with the whole family.
Try to do that with Halloween, and then compare that to what your friend says. Chances are, the associations will be entirely different.

What is Halloween in the UK

After dropping out of popularity with mainstream society many years ago, up until recently, Halloween meant little more than a few carved root vegetables (most likely turnips) and perhaps a bit of guising, although this was more prominent in the northern England, Ireland and Scotland.
During the 1980′s and 90′s the consumer potential for Halloween was realised overseas, but attempts to bring these concepts into British culture were largely unsuccessful, with the festival being seen as another American fad (many not realising where its true roots were).

Thankfully, in recent years it has become more popular all accross the UK. With sales in merchandise outselling all other festivals and in 2011 Halloween made retailers more money than any other holiday, apart from Christmas.
More importantly than just making money, Halloween has again become a time for celebration with many now choosing to host parties as well as taking part in the more traditional guising (in the form of trick or treating), apple bobbing and pumpkin carving.

What is Halloween to other countries?

Halloween in the US

Halloween is seen to be a product of Nothern America because of the fact that they go to such great efforts to celebrate it.
Their tradtions run from farming traditions like carving pumpkins and baking the seeds, fresh apple cider, pumpkin pies, hay rides, bonfires, fall dances, cornstalks, etc.
To newer (20th century) suburban tradions like home decorating and yard haunting, trick-or-treating, costume parties, scavenger hunts, professional haunted houses and events sponsored by businesses.
After being imported by the early Irish and Scottish settlers, Americans have clung onto the importance of All Hallow’s Eve, and to a great extent have put their own stamp on it, making the US the flag bearers of Halloween.

What is Halloween to this household? A good excuse for a crazy lawn decoration, that's what!

Mexico, Latin America And Spain

In Spanish-speaking nations, such as Mexico and Spain, Halloween is known as ‘El Dia de los Muertos’ or ‘the days of the dead’. It’s a 3 day festival which begins on the evening of October 31 and closes on November 2.
Although it has obvious links with death, it is a joyous and happy holiday – something that many in the west find curious. However, the concept of making Halloween ‘a time to remember friends and family who have died’ is a good one in my book.
Over the celebratory period, homes are decorated and great feasts take part, some even in the form of picnics beside graves, with the living being intent on sharing the celebration with lost loved ones.
There’s also lots tequila, mariachi bands and dancing. In fact, it is seen as being as much of a carnival as anything else.

What is Halloween elsewhere?

Austria

Here, some leave bread, water and a lit lamp on a table before retiring on Halloween night. This is to welcome the souls of the dead back to earth for one night.

Belgium

One Halloween custom in Belgium on is to light candles in memory of dead loved ones.

Canada

The roots for Halloween in Canada are similar to those for the USA. As a result, they share a majority of the traditions.

China

Halloween in China (or the nearest thing that they have to it) is known as Teng Chieh. Food and water are placed in front of photographs of family members who have departed and fires and lanterns are lit to light the way for wandering spirits as they walk the earth for that one night.

Czechoslovakia

Chairs are placed by the fireside on Halloween night. One chair for each living family member, and one for each member of the family that has recently departed.

France

What is Halloween in France? Well, differing slightly from many of the other nations mentioned, ‘la fête d’Halloween’ as it is known is very much the product of the American holiday which until very recently was unknown and uncelebrated in France.
It’s not seen as a particularly spiritual time, but is instead a good excuse for a party in costumes and along with that, there’s plenty of commercialism.
It’s still not overly popular, but that is changing as generally speaking Halloween becomes more widely accepted accross the world.

Korea

In Korea they celebrate “Chusok.” which is a time that families use to thank their ancestors for their living achievements by visiting their graves and leaving food offerings.

What is Halloween to you?

Thanks to a heads up from one of our readers, we got in touch with The London Dungeon to find out what awaits us on this exciting new attraction.

On the ride, guests will be tranported back to a Victorian seance at London’s (alledgedly) most haunted location, 50 Berkley Square.

When things take a turn for the worst, the riders can whip our their Victorian style laser pistols to shoot the numerous 3D ghosts and spirits that appear around them.

Vengeance is using cutting edge technology to help the ride really emerse the participants. With amazing visual effects, scare effects built into the seats and of course the ’5th dimension’ – the ability to interact with the nasty gouls and ultimately send them back to hell with laser bullets!

Vengeance looks to be an excellent addition to what’s already an amazing list of things to experience at London’s premier horror attraction.

Best of all, we’ve been invited to a special preview of the ride in a few weeks, so you can expect a full review and insight into what you can expect on Halloweenerrific very soon!

In the meantime, why not get even more excited about Vengeance by watching this promotional video:

But even though this is the case, and even though we’re only at the very dawn of 2011, we have been told about a book that will be out this year which looks to bring together lots of things that Halloweenerrific cares passionately about. 1. Halloween and 2. The British side of it all.

One of the authors got in touch to give us a little heads-up and it really wets the appetite. According to Mark Doody, the primary objective of the book is to ‘reclaim Halloween’, to bring it back home, to make it a recognised British festival once more. A great idea I reckon.
Not that we’re not willing to share it with our American friends of course, but it would be nice to give it a certain element of Britishness so as to differentiate it from the often all too commercial US Halloween.

Along with providing a load of information on the origins of Halloween, the book will also provide party ideas, decorations, and recipes, all with nice clear instructions. Essentially, it looks to be a great all-round guide to Halloween in Britain.
You can never have too many Halloween ideas as far as we’re concerned and I for one can’t wait to dig in!

You can expect to hear lots more from us about the book nearer its release. In the meantime, why not entertain yourself with some related links from the guys responsible for it?

Follow them on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=154815361213790

Check out their video: