(no subject)

[syredronning]

Exactly my thoughts on Halloween in Germany have been expressed here by tetleybag. I'm strongly against something that's only brought over here to make MONEY. And more MONEY. And MOST money out of parents and their kids. No thanks.

But have much fun, my US friends :))

Comments

[titc.livejournal.com]

True... though it seems, at least here in France, to have lost much of its appeal already - we see much less advertising & disguising than we did a few years ago.

[syredronning.livejournal.com]

You may be right - I think last year was more than this year, too...

[kanld.livejournal.com]

True, titc. I don't know where in France you are, I'm in Val-de-Marne (a small village) and there's only a few decorated show-windows in the main street but the city hall didn't organize a party for children like former years. My grocer's boy came dressed as in Scream some ten days ago because "it was Halloween" - he was confused between Oct.31 and Toussaint holidays starting... Told him it's only on this precise night the gate between worlds's open! And as everybody's left on short vacations for four days, I think I'm going to eat the candies I bought <ashamed>

It's FUN!

[nikita79x.livejournal.com]

I think you're confusing it with Christmas. Christmas is only about money now. I hate it. Halloween is always fun, though - costumes and candy and if you don't want to celebrate it - fine. We'll just egg your house. lol

I'm having a little party and dressing up for the kids that show up at my door. I love this holiday more than any other. It's about kids - giving them treats and acting like a kid yourself for one day of the year. It's not all about getting money from parents - my mom made me Halloween costumes during my childhood and it was great fun to see adults dress up, too.

If it were up to me - Halloween would come around a couple of times a year. :P

Re: It's FUN!

[syredronning.livejournal.com]

Oh, I perfectly know how Halloween works :) I've seen enough US series *G*

The problem is that it's not NATURAL to Germany. It's absolutely no tradition here, never has been and also doesn't become one. Nobody I know has ever made a Halloween party or felt compelled to buy a pocelaine pumpkin for decoration. The only points where you see Halloween stuff are - the SHOPS, trying to sell stuff to you.

It's as if we'd start a campaign for German Fasching in the US, where the only point would be selling customes and "Berliner" (donuts without a hole in the middle). You'd find that weird, too. And Fasching is when the kids and adults go in costume here :)

So it's really not that I'm against Halloween in a general sense - I just see no f*cking point in bringing it over here just to make money with people, and it's all it's about here.

Re: It's FUN!

[nikita79x.livejournal.com]

But it will never become a tradition if you reject it without trying it. What I like about America is we embrace more than one cultural viewpoint - sure, we sometimes goof them up or mix them with other cultures, but we try them anyway. I'd try the Fasching thing. And believe it or not I've bought donuts without a hole in the middle. ;)

I'm from a multi-cultural family (I'm a mutt of many nationalities) and the one thing I love most is to celebrate a new holiday or celebrate it in a different way. I'm half Greek and therefore celebrate two Easters - the Greek one has only red eggs and far more religious aspect than the American one. It usually falls on a different day, too, so it means more planning and spending, but ultimately - it's more rewarding.

I'm not saying you have to try it - obviously there's a strong prejudice in other countries over trying something so...so...AMERICAN. lol Which it isn't. And you don't get everything about the holiday just from watching TV. If you watched a Christmas special would you understand everything about Xmas? Nope. Everyone celebrates differently.

Re: It's FUN!

[syredronning.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm not the only one peeved about Halloween in Germany, though some are for slightly different reasons - read this text too:

http://www.livejournal.com/users/firiath/30024.html

...ah well... I guess we won't ever have the same opinion.