tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3415815443006499013.post8100426744824510052..comments2023-04-27T04:14:30.583-07:00Comments on Straight from the Heart: Halloween Reflections in NovemberDonna Farleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11884647995104136193noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3415815443006499013.post-56902412820166269552012-11-03T09:59:16.263-07:002012-11-03T09:59:16.263-07:00Steve: thank you for the broader cultural perspec...Steve: thank you for the broader cultural perspective. You are quite right: my own experience of Halloween and that of my children and grandchildren is intensely North American. It reflected not only North American affluence (with tons of candy for children), but also the abiding popularity of the American horror films of the 1930s and after. Even ghost stories, a more universal genre, took on a more American flavour. The lasting documentary testimony to such a Halloween may be found in the cartoon "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown"--now supplemented by Halloween episodes of "The Simpsons"--all very North American.Fr. Lawrencehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13933248163052873060noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3415815443006499013.post-79880439399453039252012-11-02T22:04:19.314-07:002012-11-02T22:04:19.314-07:00A long time ago, when I was an Anglican, an Americ...A long time ago, when I was an Anglican, an American lady came to be secretary to the Anglican bishop in Namibia. She brought her two daughters, and the one thing that made them feel homesick for America was the absence of the American Halloween tradition. They realised that there was no point in doing the "trick or treat" thing because it would be culturally alien. In America householders are aware of the tradition and stock up with goodies to give to kids who come calling, but in Africa people would be completely unprepared. <br /><br />I was aware of Halloween because of Nancy and Slugg comics that I'd read as a child, but until I saw the gap that those kids felt, I wasn't aware of how seriously it was taken. <br /><br />There was another American family there, with a younger kid (about 2 years old), and they filled the gap by teaching him his culture and doing Halloween with him. Steve Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11283123400540587033noreply@blogger.com