Yazidi refugees trick-or-treat for the first time

As ghosts, goblins and super heroes went door to door Halloween night, some Winnipeggers were out trick-or-treating for their first time.

When asked, 7-year-old Maher Hassan wasn’t exactly sure who he was dressed up as at first.

A few seconds later, he confidently announced, “A Star Wars figure.”

Hassan’s friends, all Yazidi refugees who arrived in Winnipeg within the year, had never been trick-or-treating before. They too were dressed in costume – as a lion, a scary princess and the Hulk.

Nafiya Naso, Hassan’s mom and a volunteer with Operation Ezra, an organization helping to bring and support Yazidi refugees in Winnipeg, explained the rules, and the etiquette of Halloween.

“Make sure you say thank you,” Naso said along the route.

Another tip: “If they’re not answering the door, don’t keep knocking.”

At first, the children seemed shy.

They stuck close to their older siblings and parents as they approached the first door.

But as soon as they got a chance to say “trick-or-treat,” and were rewarded with candy, the kids learned the ropes quickly. By the tenth house or so, the kids were on a roll, running door to door, making good time. They had the etiquette down and candy in tow.

“You ring someone’s doorbell. You say trick-or-treat and you get lots of candy,” Hassan said grinning.