Although Brazilians don’t officially celebrate Halloween, you can definitely see the holiday creeping its way into pop culture, at least here in Rio, where people are generally familiar with what goes on in the U.S. You can see it in all the popular toy and department stores, with their Halloween-themed children’s costumes and decorations. All the schools that teach English host Halloween parties for their students and friends. And, of course, those few Brazilians that are in the mood for a party (you know how uptight they can be) use the occasion for yet another excuse to put on their skimpy witch outfits. There’s even a political party whose most popular slogan is “Halloween é o cacete!” (politely translated to “Down with Halloween”, or “Halloween my a**!”), a reaction against the encroaching pervasiveness of U.S. culture (I’m all for Brazilian culture, but these guys are pro-Brazil in the way that the Partito Nazionale Fascista was pro-Italy).

This year, we almost didn’t have a Halloween, but at the last minute, Carolina’s Aunt Carla, sad that Camila wasn’t going to have an excuse to wear her witch’s costume this year, proposed that we carve up pumpkins at our house. I thought it was a great idea, except for two things: Brazilian pumpkins aren’t exactly like American ones – they’re small and flat with very thick walls to cut through; and I wasn’t very thrilled about the idea of Carolina and Camila playing around us why we tried to hack into them with big knives. But I picked some up on the way home anyway, along with some colored wax paper to see if we couldn’t figure something out for the girls.

Gathered round the flat pumpkins - "Can someone inflate this orange ball for me?"

Rather than teach the girls a lesson in kitchen safety, I went with the washable pen approach. Go wild, girls!

Camila making a mouth for the green frog pumpkin

The results (green frog on the left)

We also used the colored paper to make Halloweeny pictures to hang up on the doors and walls in our hallway.

Carolina helping Tio Miguel make a scary ghost

Moon and bats

Daddy, why is there a ghost with my name on it?!

Realistic pumpkins (see? they're flat!)

We were going to make do with whatever leftover witch costume we had for Carolina from last year (skimpy! or at least made for a girl half her age), but I happened to find a “princess witch” dress that happened to match her Halloween Barbie doll (we’re starting her out early on the whole Goth thing).

Goth girls don't smile

Ah, screw it!

Next, we got together some tyke-sized buckets of goodies. We symbolically had some store-bought chocolates, but we also wrapped up some of their favorite cookies so that they’d have something they’d really eat.

You're making me wrap my own goodies? Where's the fun in THAT?

And finally, we took them “trick-or-treating” by going door to door in our… uh… hallway. Sure, it’s only a 5-foot-by-10-foot space, but there are four whole doors! And that’s not even counting the times we reused the same door. Behind each door was one of us with a basket of goodies. Each time we opened a door, Carolina would say “trick or treat!” (well, more like “chick-o-tee!”), and Camila would chime in with the Brazilian version: “doces e travessuras!” We got them to go around and around so that they’d hit each door about three times (with us parents darting back and forth to cover the missing rooms). They were none the wiser, I’m sure.

There are only a couple more houses on this street. Maybe we should try somewhere else.

Wait... are you SURE we haven't been here before?

Carolina’s favorite goodies were actually the apples. I’d better enjoy it while it lasts. Next year if I try to give her fruit, she’ll probably TP the hallway.

Here, Snow White, I got something for ya.

After all the candy was opened (but not eaten), Camila went home. At the same time, Carolina’s neighborhood pal Gabriela dropped in to join in the fun. So we did yet another round with the doors and the candy. Yes, the same candy.

Do you want to see something REALLY scary?

I've heard of refried beans and reheated dinners... but rewrapped cookies?

On a final note, I’ll mention that this wasn’t the first time Carolina dressed up as a witch this October. At school, they did a dress-up re-enactment of Hansel and Gretel for the annual book fair.

Explain this to me again... I'm a witch, there's candy, but it's NOT Halloween?

(A different) Gabriela, Bebel and Carol

I think my place must be up-stage

I just hope she doesn’t get too used to the witch thing, or I’ll have to rename this blog. As long as she isn’t cackling like her Grandma Kat, I’m happy.