Halloween is not a holiday that Lithuanians (or, I think, most Europeans) celebrate. It is starting to catch on. I’ve seen a few jack-o-lanterns and witches in shop and cafe windows this week. And there are Halloween-themed parties for adults. But they definitely do NOT do the whole “kids out trick-or-treating” thing. That is still very much an American phenomenon. So if you are an American kid living in Vilnius, where do you go to get your Halloween fix? The Marine House at the American embassy, that’s where.
An American friend of mine who teaches in Vilnius is out of town and I will be kid-sitting her eleven-year-old for several days. My first assignment — take her to the Halloween party at the American Embassy on Friday evening. It’s a kid-friendly and adult-friendly party — which means that there was plenty of candy and games for the kids and beer and spiked punch for the adults. (Okay, I ate candy too.) I expected the children to be in costumes, but I didn’t realize how many of the embassy staff would dress up. A witch, several Star Trek crew members, Batman, various kinds of goblins, and a guy in a hazardous waste clean-up suit all made their appearance at the party. A good time was had by all and, as the kid said, we got to eat real Reese’s pieces — something that you just can’t find in Lithuania.
Amanda in Lithuania 
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