Halloween at Temple –by emily

"Spooky fun" is the phrase that best describes the Hsi Lai Haunted House event on Saturday, October 28th. The members of YAD LA hosted a very elaborate and fun-filled Halloween celebration by setting up a Haunted House in the old gift shop and another one in the hallway beneath Bodhisattva Hall. They separated the Haunted House into several sections: The hell of eye pecking, hand and legs, tongue ploughs and burning iron beds. After visiting all these areas the tour guide leads the visitors to the next part of the tour. They are led to the entrance of the hallway and are asked to enter one at a time, where they are greeted by a girl who looks like she came from a Japanese horror film. She rises up and offers you a piece of candy from her long sleeve for the visitor's journey back.

Besides the creepy Haunted House, there was also a game station held in classrooms 1 and 2. South Bay and Hsi Lai YAD members prepared games, face painting and refreshments for the guests. At this part of the evening, people were able to interact with each other. With Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and "The Monster Mash" playing in the background it was easy for people to have fun.

After everyone had their turn into the Haunted House, it was time for the Pumpkin Carving! The pumpkins were brought in and everyone was asked to split up into small groups of 2 or 3. Guests were given tools and one hour to carve up their creations. Once each group was done, their pumpkin was taken outside and lit up. When everyone finished, Venerables were elected as judges to decided who was the most creative. The winner was announced and the event was drawn to a close.

Not many people have spent Halloween in a Buddhist temple, but judging from this event more people should. Hsi Lai's Haunted House Halloween party turned out to be a success and I can't wait to see what is in store for us next year!