Greenlandic Halloween – not like the other kind

Last week was Halloween, an American tradition that seems to have gained momentum in Greenland. The universal lure of sweets. Out went my son into the snow, his Batman suit wedged over several layers of thermal clothing, insisting he would be fine, only to come back ten minutes later for a winter jacket. Batman would have to be in disguise.

This year I had a big bowl of candy ready for the onslaught of frightening, make-up-smeared small children and opportunistic teenagers. I learned my lesson from last year, when I wasn’t anticipating the steady stream of knocks at the door. Last year, after searching out the last remnants of left over candy – the ones that noone liked – in the back corners of cupboards, I finally had to revert to turning off all the lights and pretending I wasn’t home.

In contrast to this ‘normal’ Halloween, Greenlandic Halloween, on January 6, is something quite different. It’s a night when you might be best to turn off the lights and pretend you’re not home. And it’s a night you most definately do not want your kids on the street. Traditions vary from place to place, and seem to be more extreme in the remote settlements, but like most Greenlandic ghost-related traditions, Halloween is seriously scary. A common tradition is that a disguised person roams the streets carrying a bat. If you encounter them, you better run. They will hurt you. Another tradition is that people you know visit you at home, but completely disguised – mask, make-up, strange clothing. The idea is that you should try to guess who it is, but no matter what, they will not reveal themselves. Their intention is to completely freak you out. There are stories that go along with this tradition, of Qivitoq (see Qivittoq) – frightening ghost-like creatures – visiting in their place. Not something you want in your house.

I scare easily. I think I’ll stick with the Americanised version of Halloween. My son seems pretty happy with it too. After an evening trawling the neighbourhood, my little Batman returned with his haul of random sweets. He’ll pick through them for the next few days. And I guess I’ll put the ones he doesn’t like in the back of the cupboard for handing out next Halloween.