I always said that I never really got into Halloween until college. That Radford made grown up Halloween so much more fun. Well China even tops that! This no Party City or Costume stores in China so you have to get a little more creative. However, you can take a picture to the tailor and she will make you the exact some dress or outfit. I went as Rainbow Brite, So I picked out the loudest blue fabric I could find and had the tailor make me a dress. It cost 300 kuai, which is about $45 but a nice dress I can wear again. I was worried that I wouldn’t be about to find rainbow accessories but then I remembered its CHINA! They have everything. Annarae took us to the PIT in Dongmen, which is under a mall area, super dirty with tons of random crap. And we were on the Halloween hunt. You would not believe that things we found. Leg warmers and hand warmers on every row! And no shortage of rainbows, rainbow leg warmers, rainbow hair ties, rainbow earrings, rainbow necklace! I bought them all! I even found a bright orange magic wand! To top it off I went to the tailors and looked through a million stores for a ribbon belt. They kept saying I couldn’t just buy a yard of ribbon; I had to buy the whole spool. So in china style I said fine and asked the vender right beside them the same questions, and when he said no I went to the right one all within hearing distance of the other vendors. The third vender went and got the scissors before I even asked the question! Don’t you tell me NO!
Since they don’t celebrate Halloween in China I was warned that it is better to travel together with groups in costumes. So I met up at a friend’s house to get ready. She had designed a beautiful mid-evil goddess dress and the tailor made it perfectly, just add wings. The best costume would have to be raggedy Anne and Andy! Annarae has some power over boys and got one of her friends to agree to dress up as her Andy. The previous year she was little bow peep and he was her sheep! They went with pictures on their cell phone and described to the tailor exactly what they wanted. It was perfect! Annarae found bright red matching wigs and topped it off with crazy makeup! The best part of the night was when Annarae skyped her parents at 5am US time and had us parade through for them to guess our costumes! We waited until almost dark to storm through Analise’ neighborhood, but we were still welcomed with stares, more so than the usual admiration. A few people ran and hid, or held their children closer. I noticed however that my costume didn’t get much attention. It bothers me that Rainbow Brite is the normal dress for China!
I was also warned that once we got to the beer gardens we would become a zoo exhibit; which is exactly what happened. It is an open area where the Chinese can see us from a distance and will point and laugh and take pictures. Most of the costumes where pretty lame, a few silly clothes they had brought from the US or crazy makeup. I was glad I chose to arrive with the full costumed group. A few creative ideas - one of my friends dressed in all white with markers around her neck and was an autograph book! She let us all sign her so it ended up looking really sweet! 3 guys whent as the A team with huge toy guns and wife beaters, one even shaved his head for the Mr T hair cut! The famous Hangover costume with the baby doll in on the guys chest, a big hit with the chiners! Two boys dressed in the student’s school uniform, which really confused the chiners. We stood on the steps for a few group photos and the chiners swarmed! Hardcore paparazzi! 2 brave guys even jumped in for a picture with us! Oh almost the best costume ever! Roz went as a CREEPER, aviator sunglasses, an “I heart BJ”(Beijing) t-shirt, a stick-on mustache and an extendable foam hand to touch people from a distance! All these props where readily available at the pit!
The most entertaining part of the night was honestly the metro ride. About 15 of us all in costume walk onto a crowded metro car and surround 2 terrified Chinese girls who run for their lives and stare from a distance. Then every stop we are at the entrance and the people have to walk through us to get on. The double takes were priceless and we are all cracking jokes no one understands and laughing loudly. This was shocking and terrifying for the Chinese who looked in awe of the crazy foreigners. When we got to the bar street it was completely over taken with foreigners! I had never thought I would get such American pride from a Halloween party! A few guys even called out “Rainbow Brite?” when I walked by and high5ed me, SUCCESS!
I told a couple of my new Chinese friends that I wouldn’t be able to see them that weekend because it was an American Holiday and I would be celebrating with my American friends. When I talked to my friend later in the week he said,” You are back from America already?” He was confused that I didn’t go home for Halloween! “This is a big festival for you, yes?” so I explain no Christmas is our biggest holiday, Halloween is just a fun time. “so you go home for Christmas?” No I am in China for one year; I will go back in July. “Maybe family is not so important in America?” Where did I go wrong?
Since they don’t celebrate Halloween in China I was warned that it is better to travel together with groups in costumes. So I met up at a friend’s house to get ready. She had designed a beautiful mid-evil goddess dress and the tailor made it perfectly, just add wings. The best costume would have to be raggedy Anne and Andy! Annarae has some power over boys and got one of her friends to agree to dress up as her Andy. The previous year she was little bow peep and he was her sheep! They went with pictures on their cell phone and described to the tailor exactly what they wanted. It was perfect! Annarae found bright red matching wigs and topped it off with crazy makeup! The best part of the night was when Annarae skyped her parents at 5am US time and had us parade through for them to guess our costumes! We waited until almost dark to storm through Analise’ neighborhood, but we were still welcomed with stares, more so than the usual admiration. A few people ran and hid, or held their children closer. I noticed however that my costume didn’t get much attention. It bothers me that Rainbow Brite is the normal dress for China!
I was also warned that once we got to the beer gardens we would become a zoo exhibit; which is exactly what happened. It is an open area where the Chinese can see us from a distance and will point and laugh and take pictures. Most of the costumes where pretty lame, a few silly clothes they had brought from the US or crazy makeup. I was glad I chose to arrive with the full costumed group. A few creative ideas - one of my friends dressed in all white with markers around her neck and was an autograph book! She let us all sign her so it ended up looking really sweet! 3 guys whent as the A team with huge toy guns and wife beaters, one even shaved his head for the Mr T hair cut! The famous Hangover costume with the baby doll in on the guys chest, a big hit with the chiners! Two boys dressed in the student’s school uniform, which really confused the chiners. We stood on the steps for a few group photos and the chiners swarmed! Hardcore paparazzi! 2 brave guys even jumped in for a picture with us! Oh almost the best costume ever! Roz went as a CREEPER, aviator sunglasses, an “I heart BJ”(Beijing) t-shirt, a stick-on mustache and an extendable foam hand to touch people from a distance! All these props where readily available at the pit!
The most entertaining part of the night was honestly the metro ride. About 15 of us all in costume walk onto a crowded metro car and surround 2 terrified Chinese girls who run for their lives and stare from a distance. Then every stop we are at the entrance and the people have to walk through us to get on. The double takes were priceless and we are all cracking jokes no one understands and laughing loudly. This was shocking and terrifying for the Chinese who looked in awe of the crazy foreigners. When we got to the bar street it was completely over taken with foreigners! I had never thought I would get such American pride from a Halloween party! A few guys even called out “Rainbow Brite?” when I walked by and high5ed me, SUCCESS!
I told a couple of my new Chinese friends that I wouldn’t be able to see them that weekend because it was an American Holiday and I would be celebrating with my American friends. When I talked to my friend later in the week he said,” You are back from America already?” He was confused that I didn’t go home for Halloween! “This is a big festival for you, yes?” so I explain no Christmas is our biggest holiday, Halloween is just a fun time. “so you go home for Christmas?” No I am in China for one year; I will go back in July. “Maybe family is not so important in America?” Where did I go wrong?
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