Halloween - Part 2

I made it home just in time to change back into my costume, prepare a quick snack, and get ready for the arrival of trick-or-treaters.  I had several boxes of chocolates and candies to hand out.  Rather than spend a small fortune at the Northern Store, I ordered my Halloween treats from Well.ca.  I hoped they were enough.  I had heard from veteran teachers that one household could get as many as four hundred visitors and the southern teachers are the first to be 'targeted'.  By 5pm, the sun had disappeared and it was night.  I stood by the door, candy in hand, and waited.

            

Knocking on doors before entering a house is viewed as a southern custom.  Doors mostly remain unlocked in northern communities and people just walk in.  If you don't want visitors, just lock your door.  The Inuit only knock on qallunaaq (non-Inuit) doors . . . most of the time.  The first few trick-or-treaters knocked on my door and said the magic words - ("Trick or Treat!").  I gave generous portions of candy and repeated the routine several more times before deciding to keep my door unlocked.  The only downside was that I had to man the door at all times, otherwise someone could just walk in and take all the candy.  

            

Yes, that's a laptop on the back.

Even though Arctic Bay is a small town, the cold weather made it impractical for trick-or-treaters to walk from one end of town to the other.  Everyone got rides on a skidoo, ATV, or vehicle; after all, they only had two hours to collect their candy before the community Halloween contest.  As the night continued, I realized that I had fallen victim to being too generous with the candy.  After the first hour, I had to ration so that I wouldn't run out.  I even got my private candy stash ready should the worst happen.  Thankfully, that did not happen.  In fact, there was still candy left in the bowl. 

            

Banging pots to scare people.

Several southern teachers and I got a ride down to the community hall by one of the RCMP officers.  "This is my first time riding in the back of an RCMP truck!" I humourously remarked.  "And it won't be the last," someone added.  Rows of chairs had been set up on the sides, forming a large square with an open centre.  We took our seats near the front stage.  The hall began to fill up steadily with spectators.  By the time the spooky festivities started, it looked like the entire town was in attendance.

            

As mentioned before, my students were talking non-stop about the costume contest, and seriously wanted me to attend.  They said it was the event of Halloween.  I reassured them all that I would attend because this was my first Halloween in Arctic Bay.  Indeed, the community costume contest is the highlight of the night and for good reasons.   Contestants compete for cash prizes and are judged on creativity, originality, scariness, and downright bizarre.  From what I remember, there were three categories: mothers who dressed up their infants, kids, and adults.  The contestants in each category would parade in the centre of the hall, letting everyone take pictures and short films.  The judges on stage would observe and record their decisions on paper. 

            

The bizarre costumes were worn by the adult contestants and they were beyond anything I have ever seen before.  It was difficult for me to comprehend their designs.  Were they representing something/someone or just wearing whatever to shock the audience?  I'm glad I took pictures because I still find it hard to explain what they were wearing.  The one thing that was common among the costumes was that the faces were covered.  I was told one of the main features of the contest is not knowing who is wearing what costume until the very end.  All I knew at the start of the contest was that Paulette, the high school art teacher, was wearing a black raven costume.    

            

After the parade of costumes, the 3rd, 2nd, and 1st place winners of each category were announced by the MC.  As part of their acceptance, the winners were required to reveal their 'true identities' to the audience.  Many children and adults flooded into the centre of the hall to get a close up view and/or picture of the winners.  Each reveal was greeted by a thunderous applause.  The contestant who won the adult category was a student from Inuujaq School.  He dressed himself up as an old man in a suitcase.  During the parade, he had to be pulled by someone.  After the costume contest, the southern teachers and I were driven back to our respective homes by the RCMP.       

           

My first Halloween in Arctic Bay was fun and full of surprises.  The community costume contest is something that just needs to be seen to be believed.  If I ever decide to participate, I'm either going to have to buy a really expensive costume or invest the time and effort in making my own.         

            

End of Halloween Mini-Series