So…group F is against Halloween! Well, to tell the truth I’m not against this holiday, but I can surely find good arguments against this imported tradition.
According to Wikipedia, Halloween is celebrated on the night of October 31, the term Halloween is the shortened form of All-Hallow-Even, which is also known as All Saints’ Day. The modern Halloween has got its origins in an ancient pagan Gaelic festival ( Samhain): the Gaels believed that on October 31 the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead overlapped and the deceased would come back to life and cause havoc such as sickness or damaged crops. The festival involved bonfires and people usually wore masks and costumes in order to mimic the evil spirits or placate them.
The symbol of Halloween is a pumpkin, or better a carved pumpkin with a candle inside and all Halloween imagery is connected to death, magic, witches and monsters, ghosts and spiders. There are also games and activities which are traditionally associated with Halloween parties like for example children’ “trick or treat!”: children disguise themselves and go door-to-door ringing at doorbells asking for a little gift or a candy.
First of all, I have to say that here in Italy it is not a rooted tradition, there are not historical or religious reasons: Halloween is just a consumer party! It is just an occasion for spending money, buying silly orange ornamentations and decorate pumpkins! At the end of October our cities are invaded by spiders and spiders’ web in every corners, skeletons at the doors, ghosts and orange pumpkins at every window, but why? Why are we overwhelmed by something unknown? Why can’t we choose wheatear to celebrate it or no? We should be all aware of what is going on, whereas, to me, for many people it is just an occasion to party, have fun or go to the disco!
According to Wikipedia, Halloween is celebrated on the night of October 31, the term Halloween is the shortened form of All-Hallow-Even, which is also known as All Saints’ Day. The modern Halloween has got its origins in an ancient pagan Gaelic festival ( Samhain): the Gaels believed that on October 31 the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead overlapped and the deceased would come back to life and cause havoc such as sickness or damaged crops. The festival involved bonfires and people usually wore masks and costumes in order to mimic the evil spirits or placate them.
The symbol of Halloween is a pumpkin, or better a carved pumpkin with a candle inside and all Halloween imagery is connected to death, magic, witches and monsters, ghosts and spiders. There are also games and activities which are traditionally associated with Halloween parties like for example children’ “trick or treat!”: children disguise themselves and go door-to-door ringing at doorbells asking for a little gift or a candy.
First of all, I have to say that here in Italy it is not a rooted tradition, there are not historical or religious reasons: Halloween is just a consumer party! It is just an occasion for spending money, buying silly orange ornamentations and decorate pumpkins! At the end of October our cities are invaded by spiders and spiders’ web in every corners, skeletons at the doors, ghosts and orange pumpkins at every window, but why? Why are we overwhelmed by something unknown? Why can’t we choose wheatear to celebrate it or no? We should be all aware of what is going on, whereas, to me, for many people it is just an occasion to party, have fun or go to the disco!
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