Beetlejuice and Lydia (Sam and Victoria) make their way down Purdey St, Tongala, in search of treats. They were among hundreds of children in Tongala and Kyabram participating in Halloween trick or treating.
Halloween started out as an ancient Celtic festival with the express goal of lighting a huge bonfire to ward off evil spirits — those origins has been lost somewhere in history and nowadays, it is all about the treats.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
At least that was the case in Tongala last week as costumed children of all ages walked, rode, scooted and, in some cases, were chauffeur-driven through the streets of the town.
The same was happening just up the road at Kyabram where a map showing the locations of all participating “Halloween Homes” was published on Facebook.
Even “Marvin” the martian and Laa-Laa from the Teletubbies were hitting the streets of Tongala in search of goodies. The scooters gave them a bit of a leg-up on their trick or treating competition.
Nowadays, those wishing to take part in Halloween understand fully that having decorations on your property is an open invitation for trick or treaters to knock and expect a return of some sort — generally in the form of sweets.
And, like most things, the Americans have gone next level on the Halloween front. Last year alone, they spent $700 million on costumes for pets.
Hollywood has even cashed in on the theme, starting out in unimaginative fashion with the three-part Halloween franchise that was born out of a 1978 film.
Then there is Scream, Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th, not to mention the latest sequel of Beetlejuice.
At Tongala, a brother and sister duo dressed as Lydia (the character played by Winona Ryder) and Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) walked the streets to huge applause from the public.
They were not the only head turning disguises in the streets through as witches, warlocks, skeletons, aliens, and just about anything else that is considered scary or shocking wandered freely from the last bell of school until dusk.
Among the children trick-or-treating for Halloween this year, was Bella Hocking, 10. Out for the first time, Bella said her favourite house was in Haslem St, Kyabram. She is pictured next to a spooky pumpkin skeleton in front of a house on Banyule St.
Photo by
Supplied
