Posted
on October 31, 2013
Like
a swarm of zombies, Halloween-type holiday traditions have been
spreading all over the world. People I talk to on Facebook who live
in New Zealand and Australia have been complaining about the
contagion... saying that candy manufacturers have deliberately
convinced kids in those nations that they, too, should do what kids
in American movies and TV shows do: go door to door begging for
candy!
Well,
of course they should! It is so much fun!
I
have also read about Halloween coming to other countries such as
France, China, and Indonesia. I'm glad to see that most people seem
to welcome the holiday, although there are troubling hints that
advertising and commercial interests are major forces behind the
spread of Halloween.
I
thought I would look at a few variations:
Beggars'
Night
– in some places in the central and eastern regions of the U.S.,
the night for trick-or-treat (emphasis on the treat) is called
Beggars' Night. And many towns publicize that Beggars' Night will be
some other date—often October 30, but sometimes earlier or
later—other than Halloween, October 31. I think that really
enterprising trick-or-treaters could go out three or four nights,
getting way more candy—that is, if they can find rides to various
nearby towns!
- Books for Treats – some communities urge people to give out “gently read” children's books as treats. It seemed to me that would be an awfully expensive treat to give out. And I could see some difficulties... Like, do you have to give out age-appropriate books? Still, I love the idea: “Feed kids' minds, not their cavities.”
So I did some research. First, lots of communities do Books for Treats events during which costumed kids can choose their own books from donated books spread out all over tables. Well, that's splendid! – who doesn't like another event during which kids can wear their costumes?
Second, the author who
started the activity, Rebecca Morgan, bought her gently used books at
library sales for about a quarter apiece. She sorted the books into
four boxes from youngest to oldest, and then she allowed the
trick-or-treaters to choose their own books.
- In Japan and China, Halloween is not really about candy and trick-or-treating; instead, it is about elaborate costumes, costume contests, and of course costume parties.
In
the Philippines and Singapore,
old traditions are being replaced by more Americanized versions of
the holiday. People in the Philippines celebrate All Saints Day
today, and many people visit their loved ones' graves before the
costumes and trick-or-treating begins. In Singapore, the Hungry
Ghost Festival still occurs, but Halloween events are becoming more
and more popular. The Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights, the
Spooktacular, and the Museum of Horrors sound like they could be
anywhere—but the three I mention here are all happening in
Singapore.
Saci's
Day in Brazil
is an attempt to fight back against “cultural imposition” from
the United States. Apparently Halloween has become popular,
especially with young people. But some people are really mad about
that and have suggested fighting holiday with holiday, proposing
that October 31 become a celebration of a character from Brazilian
folklore, Saci. This prankster has holes in the palms of his hands,
wears a red cap, smokes a pipe, and can disappear and reappear
through magic.
- Many people in Latin America celebrate Halloween with costumes, trick-or-treating, and the familiar symbols of witches, skeletons, spider webs, pumpkins, and so forth. There is a push to get rid of the “evil” and “horror” aspects of the holiday and to rename it “Children's Day,” but so far at least these moves have not caught on all that well...
- People in Europe are celebrating Halloween more and more, since the 1990s. Their new traditions are re-imports from the U.S., since originally many of the traditions grew from older European customs such as turnip lanterns rather than jack-o-lanterns, and “souling” rather than trick-or-treating.
Kalan
Goanv
in Brittany
(southern France) – Women honor the dead by pouring milk on the
tombstones, and kids play “gruesome” jokes on each other and on
cemetery visitors. A common joke is to light a candle placed inside
a skull, and to place the “skull-o-lantern” in a darkened corner
of the cemetery.
Mischief
Night in England and North America
– In the olden days, Mischief Night was all about pranks. It was
soap rubbed on windows and eggs and rotten vegetables thrown at
houses and vehicles. It's toilet paper all over the trees and
bushes, pumpkins smashed, fireworks set off, and doorbells rung and
then quickly abandoned. Of course, some of these “harmless pranks”
are actually dangerous to people and property, so law-enforcement
generally cracks down on the perpetrators! And volunteers now roam
the streets of some U.S. towns with “Angels' Night” shirts,
patrolling in order to keep Halloween safe and happy.
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