Along with the suburban lifestyle adopted by Egyptians who have moved to the compounds on the capital's outskirts, is the variation in international holidays. Last Wednesday (and in some cases Thursday), children dressed as vampires, witches and pirates took to the landscaped streets of compounds and went house-to-house demanding treats. Spiderman - though surprisingly much shorter in real life - was spotted following a group of vampires, clutching a shopping bag of candy. At the Palm Hills Compound in 6th of October City, some parents threw themselves into the spirit of Halloween, cordoning off their driveway with crime scene yellow tape labeled "party zone, threading strands of cotton to give the impression of spooky cobwebs. A skeleton witch hung in the lit entrance of one home, calling out "Heeeelp me, heeelp me. The mother who opened the door to a Princess Ballerina remarked that the prank toy had scared off a few of the younger children, despite the lure of the candy. For the children it was the thrill of chasing the candy that found them running from home to home excitedly. For the parents, it was the thrill of watching their kids have some innocent fun. "When I was younger, the foreign children at school used to go trick-or-treating in Maadi, recalled one mother, Dina. "I used to feel left out. So it's nice to see my kids enjoying something that I couldn't when I was their age. A young cowboy held Dina's hands impatiently, waiting for her to put an end to the conversation and move on to the next house. It wasn't only the children who took part. A father, chaperoning his children from behind the steering wheel of his car, wore a creepy mask. Halloween celebrations are not new, but they were mostly limited to school activities. With the new compound-style living, it's taken on a new dimension. Despite the mobile phone messages that went out to the residents of Palm Hills asking them to turn on their entrance lights if they wanted to take part in the trick-or-treating, many were taken by surprise. They were quick to join in the fun, raiding their kitchen cabinets for biscuits and chocolates to give out to the children. As the young generations are continually exposed to foreign television, movies, and lifestyles, it won't be surprising to find Halloween growing in popularity year after year. But a word of warning - be prepared with the treats, because it's only a matter of time before the kids decide to reprimand the nonpartisans with tricks.
