Have a bloody good time by getting into a costume and to the right party
Halloween used to mean little to those living outside the British Isles, the United States and Canada. But now, thanks in part to Anglophone ex-pats, this atmospheric autumn celebration has spread even to Ukraine: the holiday, with its sense of crisp harvest-time nights, and with its wonderfully macabre imagery, candied apples, hot cider, sprayed shaving cream and jack- o-lanterns flickering in the rustling gloom, is too much fun to leave behind at home.
Hereupon follows our guide to what to do for a Kyivan Halloween, for both ex-pats and natives experiencing the holiday for the first time.
A Halloween primer
But first, a little history.
The origins of Halloween can be traced back to the Celtic cultures of the British Isles and northern France. Nov. 1 was when the Celts celebrated the festival of Samhain, in honor of the Lord of the Dead; Samhain was also their New Year celebration.
According to Celtic beliefs, the night of Oct. 31 was when summer changed to winter, the pivot point when the season of light and life gave way to the season of darkness and death. The gate between the material and supernatural worlds opened on that evening, and the spirits of the dead visited their kinsmen. One had to be wary on this night: ghosts and demons were prone to enter the bodies of the living.
In the ninth century, after Christianity had spread to Great Britain and Ireland, Samhain’s ancient traditions were combined with those that centered around All Hallows Day, a Christian holiday honoring saints and the souls of the departed. On the eve of this holiday – All Hallows Eve – celebrants paraded through the streets in costumes and masks, tapping on windows to scare away ghosts and goblins. They also gave away treats and small gifts to their neighbors, as the practice was considered a way to aid the giver’s departed relatives on their journeys through the afterlife toward heaven. That tradition became trick or treating.
The best-known Halloween symbol, the jack-o-lantern, grew out of an Irish legend about a certain Jack. A drunkard and a liar, Jack was barred from Heaven after his death, but hell didn’t want him either, as he had played a trick on the devil. Jack was condemned to wander eternally in darkness, his path lit by a single light. To shelter his flame, Jack kept it in a scooped-out carrot. That vegetable gave way, in the myth, to the pumpkin after Irish immigration to North America, where the orange gourd is indigenous.
Halloween style
Dressing up as something frightening or gruesome is, of course, quintessentially Halloween. Though vampires, witches, the Grim Reaper, ghouls, skeletons and the like never fall out of fashion as costumes, and are the most appropriate, Halloween 2003 will bring with it a host of character possibilities from the latest string of Hollywood blockbusters: Neo from “Matrix Reloaded”; the Hulk; Captain Jack Sparrow from “Pirates of the Carib-bean”; Harry Potter and his schoolmates; and just about anyone or anything from “The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers,” be it orc, elf or wizard. We’re told that Ozzy Osbourne and family are also shaping up to be popular costumes this year.
Kyiv, though it’s a city without much of a tradition of masquerade, still manages to offer a range of options when it comes to costumes and makeup. Here’s where to go.
Artist theater shop
5 Dehtyarivska, 451-7725.
The only store in town offering a wide selection of Halloween accessories and costumes for purchase and rental, the Artist theater shop rents out to major city nightclubs for their costume parties. It also rents for special private functions, and kids’ Halloween parties at school. There’s no better place to go for those really looking to impress.
In addition to the new and trendy costumes that roll in this time each year, you’ll find costumes for Dracula, Mephistopheles, Cardinal Richelieu, the Grim Reaper and a bunch of “Scary Movie” characters. There are also medieval gowns for those wishing to look more royal than revolting and eerie Druidic hoods. Costumes for children include baby bears and kittens, as well as gowns fit for princesses, which are matched with crowns.
Artist offers the city’s best selection of rubber masks, which are of higher quality than those found elsewhere in the city: Dracula, the Werewolf, gnomes, mummies, aliens, witches and many others. And if masks aren’t the thing for you, transform your face with the help of classic theater paints, in black, white, green and red. There are facial pencils, too.
Accessories naturally are no problem, with witchy hat-and-broom sets from Hr 100; full Plains Indian headdresses with multi-colored feathers for Hr 142; and wigs, beards, eye-patches and Captain Hook limbs. Jack-o-lantern garlands, as well as other decorative items, will be in closer to the holiday.
All costumes are available for sale as well as for rental. The rental cost for adults is Hr 50 to Hr 100 for 24 hours (the full replacement cost must be left as deposit). For kids the cost is Hr 20 to Hr 50.
Petrivka market
Petrivka metro
At Petrivka are two kiosks, in rows #30 and #33, which sell a fair selection of basic ghoulish rubber masks for Hr 50. There are the faces of former and present Russian leaders like Yeltsin and Putin, and characters from the popular American films “Shrek,” “Scream,” “Batman,” “A Nightmare on Elm Street” and “The Mask.”
Also to be found at this one-stop shopping spot are vampire fangs to make Bela Lugosi proud, and fake bloody or bandaged arms and fingers. A kiosk in row #33 also sells Halloween sound effect cassettes for Hr 5, which should get your party guests in the right creeped-out mood. We even saw a pair of fur-covered handcuffs, for those partying at home in private.
If a pre-ordained Halloween costume doesn’t turn you on, or you can’t find a green jumpsuit to complete your Jason (“Friday the 13th”) Voorhees costume, then check out the second-hand markets at Petrivka, Svyatoshyn, Lisova, Lybidska and other spots. Maybe you’ll also find a cheap black leather overcoat to finish your “Matrix” costume.
Dances of death
Once you’re properly dressed and/or equipped, the next question is: “Where’s the party?” More Kyiv clubs and restaurants are offering Halloween-themed events; it doesn’t hurt that Halloween falls on Friday this year. Which reminds us that all parties listed are on Friday, Oct. 31, unless otherwise noted.
Kvartira
1/2 Horyva, 416-7023
(Kontraktova Ploshcha metro).
Tickets Hr 25 before 10 p.m., Hr 30 after; Hr 10 discount for Kyiv Post and Afisha Card holders. Hr 15 for guests in costume.
The Kyiv Post and its publisher, Jed Sunden, are hosting an old-school North American Halloween costume party at one of the city’s newest and coolest night spots. Beginning at 9 p.m. and raging till dawn, the KP party will feature bewitching music from Speeding Lisa, DJ Sokoloff and DJ Sivash.
All guests will receive a free glass of Stella Artois beer, and Kyiv Post and Afisha Card holders will receive 20 toos and face painting are available for anyone who’s willing, between 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Space should be tight, so get there early to avoid lines or – horror of horrors! – missing out altogether.
Dnipro Hotel
1/2 Kreshchatyk, 2nd floor,
229-8160
(Maidan Nezalezhnosti metro).
Oct. 25, 1 p.m. Tickets Hr 159.
Call 254-6777 for more information.
The only place in Kyiv holding a Halloween blowout for kids, the annual Dnipro Hotel Halloween party remains popular: we’re told that parents begin inquiring at summer’s end.
The party, geared to kids 4 to 10, will include a performance by a troupe of actors from local children’s theaters. Fairy tale characters will welcome little guests by the entrance, and makeup artists will add finishing touches to wee faces. A dinner will follow the initial show, with an interactive program taking place when dinner is finished. Clowns and magicians will be on hand throughout the party, which will close with a disco bash.
Fiesta
115 Gorkoho, 269-4029
(Palats Ukraina metro).
Oct. 30: free admission for those in costume; Hr 30 for men, Hr 10 for women.
Oct. 31: 20 percent off for those in costume; Hr 40 for men, Hr 20 for women.
Throwing parties on back-to-back nights, Fiesta first hosts an American-style Halloween party on Oct. 30. The staff will be dressed as vampires, and there will be an entertainment spectacular including, we’re told, “extreme-erotic twists and turns.” There will also be a costume contest. On Oct. 31, Fiesta will celebrate Los Dias de Los Muertos (The Days of the Dead), which, according to Mexican tradition, involves a parade of skeletons.
Maximum
12/37 Dekabristiv, 562-6262 (Poznyaky metro).
Tickets Hr 50 for men, Hr 40 for women; free admission for those in costume.
Promising a full Halloween program under the title “Echoes from the Other World,” Maximum is going full out. The Halloween show, which begins at 10 p.m., will involve coffins, witches, magic tricks and the standard Maximum ballet show. Gifts will be given out by the Olimp company to guests who bring pumpkins.
RA club
2 Mezhyhirska, 416-6939 (Kontraktova Ploshcha).
Tickets Hr 50 for men, Hr 30 for women; free admission for those in costume.
RA will host a Halloween party, including a show with a large cast, beginning at midnight. Bloody Marys will be offered to everybody upon entering, and will be available free throughout the night.
Fusion
82 Artema, 216-7480 (Lukyanivka metro)
Tickets Hr 50 for men, Hr 25 for women; Hr 10 discount for those in costume.
Fusion’s Halloween party will feature a “haunted” dance floor. DJ Demon and some guest DJs will spin, and there will be a costume contest for a cash prize at midnight.
Final food for thought
A number of clubs that threw big Halloween bashes last year still haven’t finalized their plans yet. In the downtown core there are several options, beginning with Art Club 44 (44 Kreshchatyk, 229-4137), with likely headliners to be Hurt Yo’Hurt and Speeding Lisa. If we know 44, the staff will be dressed even more elaborately than many of the guests, but then, who knows? Not too far away, Opium Dance Club (1G Saksahanskoho, 205-5393) will have Italian DJ Luke Brancaccio providing music for the costume-clad, and Tchaikovsky (2 Bessarabska, 234-7406) will feature Frenchman Laurent Wolf spinning the vinyl.
Many restaurants will be hosting Halloween feasts. They won’t charge any admission fee, but you should reserve ahead of time.
Atlanta (56 Chervonoarmiyska, 227-1073) will have its waitresses dressed as devils and witches for the occasion, and music from DJ Vasily, not to mention contests, prizes, surprises and special cocktails. A little closer to the city center, O’Brien’s (17A Mykhailyvska, 229-1584) has established a tradition of Halloween celebrations. As usual, Hurt Yo’Hurt will play, and guests in costumes will receive prizes. The party begins at 7 p.m. Timeout (50 Gorkoho, 248-7396) will hold a costume contest and give away prizes; there will also be a festive dinner. And a bit further from downtown, Arizona (25 Naberezhno-Kreshchatytska, 416-2438) will offer a special menu and decorations.
Other well-known locations to check out include Belle Vue (7 Saksahanskoho, 220-8780), which will host a costumed “Return of Dracula” party. Its brother establishment Brasserie le Cosmopolite (47 Volodymyrska, 228-7278) will throw a similar party, featuring a cast of characters from Mikhail Bulgakov’s “Master and Margarita.”
Finally, Golden Gate Pub (40/2 Volodymyrska, 235-5188) will go all atmospheric on its patrons, with Halloween decorations and its staff in costumes. Expect live music from Kontrabanda, and a “spooky” menu. The party begins at 8 p.m.
