I used to love Halloween as a kid. I went to a Catholic school in my youth so there was little chance of engaging in ‘pagan practices' during the day but as soon as my brothers and I got home the festivities began.

We would light up the pumpkin that Mum and Dad had painstakingly carved, munch our way through the apple bobbing game and then head out in to the neighbourhood trick or treating.

Back in the 80s we still thought it was safe to go knocking on strangers' doors asking for candy (it was the same period that Jim'll Fix IT was on prime time TV - guess we were all a bit too naive back then).

I'm still not sure what we enjoyed most about trick or treat - overdosing on sugary produce or punishing those who refused to meet our demands, we used to decorate their cars with toothpaste - yeah, feel kinda' bad about that now...

Fast forward to the 21st Century and Halloween is an international event celebrated across the globe and Thailand has adopted this pagan festival with particularly enthusiasm.

Every year you'll find shopping malls, entertainment venues and schools all engaging in Halloween festivities during October. Schools even have a legitimate excuse for celebrating Halloween, because it is covered in the Thai MoE's foreign language curriculum - ‘students should be aware of foreign cultures and festivals.'

And so with the blessing of the Thai Ministry of Education and, more importantly, the approval of the School Director, the students at Varee Chiangmai School have geared up to spend Friday afternoon engaging in a range of Halloween activities which include, Trick or Treat, Haunted House, Fancy Dress Competition and Halloween performances.

Looks set to be great afternoon!

Happy Halloween
Teacher Daniel