Australia is also celebrating Halloween now. ABC News: Jonathan Hai
When a few children are very young, we can pretend that there is no Halloween.
On Halloween night, we could hear the children talking outside the house, shouting and screaming "trick or treat." We smiled at each other, but felt that there was no need for the whole family to take part in such activities.
For a few years, the most we could do was put a bowl of candy in front of our door, so that children who wanted to come to our house for sugar would not return empty-handed.
Then my daughter began to go to school.
As I observed, Halloween is a holiday that most students are keen to participate in. My daughter will discuss with her friends what to wear when she wants sugar at lunch.
Halloween has become a big event, and we have to let ourselves know which street to go to nearby and which house decorates best.
We can no longer pretend that there is no such thing as Halloween.
Samanshad (Saman Shad) dressed up as Rosie (Rosie the Riveter), a classic cartoon rivet for American female workers during World War II, on Halloween this year.
Halloween becomes a big deal.
It`s normal that I didn`t have much enthusiasm for Halloween at first.
I didn`t have this holiday when I was a kid, and it doesn`t sound attractive to go to a stranger to knock on a door after makeup.
When I was a kid, Halloween was not as big a holiday in Australia as it is now. The American festival seems to be becoming more and more important in Australia, but many people don`t like it.
Critics of Halloween have always said that the festival is too Americanized. We should not celebrate Halloween in Australia.
Parents can also join the party. (ABC News: Jonathan Hair)
But you know, a lot of things are American. Most of the movies we watch, the celebrities we worship, the music we listen to, in fact, many of our pop cultures are American. Our fashion is greatly influenced by the popular elements in the United States. Our TV screens are full of American program.
These are all facts that we can`t avoid.
"something interesting happened."
I obeyed the children`s wishes and took them for sugar.
Dressed in tens of thousands of holy festival costumes, they bouncing down the street, I followed. And then something interesting happened.
Is only American capitalism affecting our children? (ABC News: Jonathan Hair)
I began to talk to many of the neighbors on the street. I had never spoken to them before. We met the parents of our son`s preschool classmates.
We met some of our daughter`s classmates. We talked about the neighborhood and promised to make an appointment to play together. It suddenly occurred to me that the neighbors had become much friendlier.
I`m beginning to realize that the advantage of Halloween is that it`s one of the few festivals that will let you know your neighbors.
Otherwise, you name another holiday to help you knock on your neighbors` doors and communicate with them.
Even if the only thing you can say is trick or treat, that`s more than many people and their next-door neighbors say all year.
"my mind is starting to change."
Halloween is the only holiday that promotes communication between the community and the neighborhood, and children benefit the most from it.
This may also be the main reason some people don`t like Halloween because Halloween is a celebration around children at least in Australia.
Halloween encourages children to be noisy and creative. Halloween encourages children to come to our turf when many cities are taking the initiative to ignore their children.
We can see groups of children screaming, laughing and talking, and usually we can`t hear them on most streets at night. When I realized this, my view of Halloween began to change.
Adults should also dress up and join the group where children want sugar. (fb)
If there`s anything else to say, it`s best to get more adults involved in Halloween.
I`m not saying adults have to flock to sugar. But if you really give candy to naughty adults, it`s okay. The most familiar unwritten rule is to knock on the doors of people with Halloween decorations.
Can`t we have a Halloween party in the office except we get drunk at the Melbourne Cup (Melbourne Cup) lunch on Halloween? At least during Halloween celebrations, no animals will be hurt.
Halloween is a holiday, whether you like it or not.
So, if you don`t have anything else to do, you can join the party so you can see the neighborhood that lives nearby.
Maybe you`ll have the unexpected joy of making new friends.
