Halloween has been removed from public schools. Really? Growing up I never equated Halloween with devil, witches, and satan. Never on halloween have I come across someone preaching satan worshiping rhetoric. Yes, people do dress up as evil characters, but that would be more for the fear factor than a show of their beliefs. Halloween has always meant candy and fun and using your imagination to dress up. I think this is so startling to me because when we left the south 3 years ago there were rumblings about fall parties and a few religious preschools had definitely latched onto the fall party concept, but halloween was not a dirty word.. Halloween is now a dirty word in the public schools of the south. I don't get it. Our school has even changed from having the party on Halloween day to having it tomorrow (perhaps we won't notice that the evil holiday is there at all) and no costumes are allowed at all.
I would have to rate this whole hullabaloo up there with a speaker I heard at a conference my first year of teaching. The staff of my school traveled out of state for a christian schools conference where the opening speaker analyzed (overanalyzed) the effect of popular cartoons on children's views of religion and how they were trying to replace God with other figureheads. The one example that comes to mind immediately (and is still a joke around our house) is that Papa Smurf was presented as a supreme being more knowing and powerful than God. No really. This was an hour long opening seminar to adult professional christian educators. Papa Smurf as the supreme being was the work of counter culture to brainwash children all over the world against christianity and God as our Father. How many children are tuned in enough to connect the hierarchy of the Smurfs to a religious hierarchy? How many of us watched the Smurfs with more than a sleepy eyed interest to see if Gargamel would outsmart the little guys this time? That is what this whole "evil halloween" looks like to me. Over-reaction to a children's celebration of fun, candy and imagination.
So why do I feel guilty whenever I say the word halloween now in a group of people that I am not sure of their "halloween beliefs"? In fact I sometimes feel like I should whisper the word itself.
It is THANKFUL THURSDAY so let me do a quick thankful: I am very thankful that fall is here. Can't wait for the rain and cool weather this weekend (apologies Gig Harbor and Pac NW friends or should I say condolences on the end of warmth and light). So thankful for the break I took from blogging-- feeling refreshed and ready to write a bit more. I am also very thankful that G's fall conference went so well. Not surprised but thankful. G has D's gift for numbers and is a voracious reader like me.
Love and hugs and happy halloween (should I whisper that?) B
1 comment:
Halloween has completely left our daycare center and the school would only allow kids to dress up as their favorite storybook character (and they were warned not to find a book to match a costume). This isn't a particularly religious area (I don't think). I sometimes think there are too many landmines in Halloween for the staff to navigate and it's just easier not to deal with it. There is always that issue of violent or gory costumes and costumes with weapons. Kids costumes generally aren't built to be worn all day so there is the hassle of getting the kids in costume for a party in the afternoon or if they do come in costume they usually have issues getting uncomfortable during the day. There's the angle that they don't want parents to feel like they have to spend a lot of money on a costume. Nick always hated dressing up in front of people so he didn't care when it got phased out.
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