My Halloween Costume...#Blogtober14 Day 31

So it's officially the last day of #Blogtober14, I have enjoyed this challenge so much and I loved linking up with other new bloggers, it was awesome!! Having said that, I can't wait to start a weekly series or two and get back to posting recipes, and lifestyle goodies.

As I mentioned over here, Halloween isn't really a thing in South Africa, and our group of friends have not planned anything this year, so no real dress up costume from me. I learnt an interesting fact today though, in the Southern Hemisphere it is actually Beltane (beginning of summer) today, it's kind of the opposite of Halloween which is also known as Samhain (beginning of winter) in the Northern Hemisphere.

According to this source, Beltane is a holiday of Union - both between the Goddess and the God and between man and woman. Handfastings (Pagan marriages) are traditional at this time. It is a time of fertility and harvest, the time for reaping the wealth from the seeds that we have sown. Celebrations include braiding of one's hair (to honour the union of man and woman and Goddess and God), circling the Maypole for fertility and jumping the Beltane fire for luck. They also say that Samhain (Halloween) is the Wiccan New Year. This is the time of year when the veil between the world of the dead and the world of the living is said to be it's thinnest. Spirits and souls of loved ones are said to have more power and ability to visit us. This is the time of year for remembering and honouring our dead, and many people will leave a plate of food and a glass of wine out for wandering sprits.

I found this really interesting, I didn't know that Halloween was actually a Wiccan celebration. Happy halloween to everyone celebrating!

If I were dressing up for Halloween this year, I would go full on Katy Perry!!

But instead, Riaan and I will be spending the weekend lounging alongside the pool at Sun City, soaking up some vitamin D, so the only costume I'll be putting on will be my bikini!!

What will you be getting up to this weekend??

Best/Worst Halloween Memory...#Blogtober14 Day 9

Halloween isn't really a "thing" here in South Africa, people don't really go trick or treating unless its a planned thing in a secure neighbourhood for the residents that live there...basically, in this crazy world we live in, it's just not safe enough!

My favourite childhood memory of Halloween is from a planned event, we went away camping for the weekend with a caravanning club our family belonged to, all the parents decorated their vans with spiders, fake cobwebs, mummies and bats. The children dressed up, we did a bit of a parade so everyone could see our costumes and then in the dark of the night, we went from one van to the next trick or treating, filling our bags with candy as we went along. I loved it!

I was dressed as Morticia Addams from the Addams Family, complete with fake cigarette, pale skin, dark eye make-up and a long black wig. I loved the Addams Family, no ponies and mermaids for me thanks, I must have been a bit of a twisted little kid!!

Unfortunately I can't find any pictures of that Halloween, I do however have photos of my best adult Halloween dress-up! Back in 2010, I was an Avatar and Riaan was the Silver-surfer, the only downside to this costume was that I the paint started rubbing off during the party and I was still finding blue paint in the strangest of places 2 weeks later!

I had to hand braid that wig into dreadlocks!! What a mission!! But it wasn't for nothing, Riaan and I won best dressed male and female!! Wooohooo!! The champagne prize was most welcome, but did result in a horrid hangover the following day!!

I love a good dress up party, my 21st was a dead legends theme and I wish Miss Norma Jean herself (aka Marilyn Monroe), I bet I taught you something there huh! The next time I dress up will probably be an easier costume than the avatar, I'm thinking a Dexter victim - nude undies, lots of clingwrap and some fake blood! Sorted!!

What will you be dressing as the Halloween??