Categories: uncategorized
Date: 26 October 2008 13:07:56
It's another cultural difference I guess - attitudes to Halloween and Trick and Treating.
Over the years I have gotten used to the Christian hysteria about trick and treating followed by the attempts to celebrate something, but not "that". However, this year it is back to Halloween being a non-sinister excuse for kids to dress up if they want. The difference, I'm living in a block with a whole load of Americans.
Despite the fact that alot of the US contingent appear to be quite heavyweight Christians Halloween is being celebrated in a very organised way. Yesterday, in our mail boxes, appeared mini flyers explaining the arrangements for the festival.
Children are allowed to "trick or treat" between set times and if you are happy for them to do so you attach the pumpkin side of the flyer to the door - to indicate that you are happy for them to disturb you. After that there will be a party, to which one imagines the kids all bring their candy, sorry sweets (getting dragged into the language on the flyer), so the adults can eat it.
Now, I have already had a tip off from an early conversation with an American parents that the costumes I'll be seeing at the door won't automatically be what I'm expecting. Apparently, rather than the horror based costumes we have in the US kids go out in more fluffy fancy dress outfits, like rabbits and stuff.
I have to say I am finding the experience of living in a multi-ethnic situation facinating, it really is changing how I look at some stuff.
Also on a sort of related note but sort of not was going to blog about the other nights programme The American Future: A History, by Simon Schama which looked at how faith has shaped American political life. Ignoring the first and last couple of minutes which were "standard documentary" have to say this is one of the finest pieces of broadcasting I have seen in years. As it is don't have time to go into detail and so will just flag it up as well worth spending an hour with i-player for. Am beginning to realise what an gem BBC Two is.