Halloween in Africa

Halloween is not a big deal in South Africa. Few celebrate it and those that do don't trick-or-treat or carve jack-o-lanterns. However, Katie wanted the kids to still have a great time and perhaps have a chance to meet new people and serve them in a small way.

Katie is very good at throwing parties and loves to do so, but I don't think she's ever bitten off something quite this big. Friday afternoon we had 50 kids in our house, along with many of the parents. What a crowd. She organized a Halloween party, complete with traditional activities - trick or treating, bobbing for apples, ghost in the graveyard, decorating cookies and donuts on a string. Most of the kids had never seen anything like it.

My favorite part was the idea the kids came up with for costumes (well, at least the girls). They decided to dress as different Africa tribes, in traditional dress. Here they are:

Katie was Pedi. Legend has it that the Pedis were defeated by a Scottish army because they didn't attack, believing they were women. Now they wear kilts like the one Katie's wearing. The men are actually the ones that wear the kilts. The women don't wear much at all. Katie was willing to let authenticity slide a bit. Note the boots - those are traditional Pedi (and Basotho) as well - they were some of the first to work in the mines



Mason and Porter were rastafarian. I guess. Not so traditional, but they felt cool.





Bryn was Zulu (the most common group here in Joburg). They actually usually wear a different dress hat, but she liked this one better.



Madi was Ndbele, who are related to the Zulus and are on the border with Zimbabwe. Trust is Ndbele. They are known for their beads, their colorful homes and the metal bands the women wear on their arms, legs and necks so they won't run away from their husbands. I've thought of getting some for Katie - just in case. The loin cloth Madi has on is a big deal - handmade by an Ndbele woman, this would be framed in the main room of her house.



Molly is Basotho, which is the tribe that lives in Lesotho. They wear these conical hats (feels like Vietnam) and the gummy boots like the Pedi, who are closely related.



Lucy's costume is my favorite. We didn't have one for her earlier this week. Evie asked what all the girls were going to dress as. Evie loves Lucy. Evie's also Xhosa (so's Nelson Mandela). She asked if she could make Lucy a costume. This is what she made. Absolutely wonderful. I wonder if she felt a bit miffed that none of the kids had chosen to be Xhosa.



We had a bit of an adventure last weekend. Trust took us into downtown Joburg. Since the end of apartheid, the whites have almost entirely left the downtown area, so we stuck out like a sore thumb. Two white people holding hands with their six kids, walking along the hustle and bustle of a totally black city center. We got the rest of the items we needed for the costumes and took off. I wish I would have felt comfortable taking my camera out to take a picture of the family in the midst of this, but I didn't think it wise.

So here's out festive Halloween crew.