《節慶盛事》香港萬聖狂歡月

Halloween has its origins in a traditional festival of the British Celts. On the last day of October, they believed this marked the end of summer and the beginning of winter; this day served as a significant milestone in the year and was one of the most important festivals, known as ‘the Day of the Dead’ or ‘the Festival of the Dead’. On this day, all manner of malevolent spirits roamed, and the souls of the dead would leave their bodies to wander the earth, making the night particularly perilous. To scare away these evil spirits, the Celts would wear masks. Later, these customs gradually evolved into children dressing up in fancy costumes to play ‘Trick or Treat’, as well as households placing jack-o’-lanterns outside their doors, and even costume parades, carnivals and other large-scale celebrations, transforming into a joyous ‘Ghost Festival’ celebrated in Western countries and even some parts of Asia!


In Hong Kong, a melting pot of Chinese and Western cultures, the origins of Halloween can be traced back to Lan Kwai Fong. In the 1990s, Lan Kwai Fong began celebrating Halloween in style; the magical decorations and seasonal delicacies at bars, restaurants and shops proved hugely popular with customers, Young people also love to dress up as monsters and ghosts at this time of year. Today, this craze continues to spread, with various tourist attractions—such as Hong Kong Disneyland, Ocean Park Hong Kong and Madame Tussauds Hong Kong—all launching a series of wildly entertaining ‘spooky’ programmes. Other shopping centres, restaurants and bars are also offering delightful culinary surprises and drinks, making Hong Kong the undisputed ‘Halloween Capital of Asia’.

Information:
Date: October 2018