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DAVID BENTLEY'S WEEKLY COLUMN |
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WHAT COULD IT MEAN?
Although Halloween had not yet officially arrived, I attended a Halloween party for young children last Friday, and it was a hoot. There were angels and fairy princesses, cows and bunnies, a witch, a warlock, and a grim reaper. I saw a couple of boys in high heels and girl or two dressed in swashbuckling attire. Many came in various arrays of mismatched outfits that defied description. So what did it all mean? For decades there has been controversy about the observance of Halloween. Some claim that celebrating Halloween is a form of satanic worship. Others say it promotes violence and acts of delinquency. Still others insist that Halloween is a harmless tradition. Attempts to neutralize the controversy have changed little. Dressing as characters from books at Halloween only brings out more Draculas, witches, and other ghoulish characters than ever. Fall Festivals draw far less enthusiasm than Halloween events. For the younger children last Friday, the party was a chance to play dress-up, participate in some games, crawl through a maze, and eat too many treats. For the older youth, it was a chance to play pretend without being called babies and to let their imaginations run more freely than usual. For the adults, it was a time to pass along some of their fondly remembered experiences from childhood. Everyone had fun. No one was out of control, and there was no hooliganism or disrespect. Perhaps the real meaning of all of this has nothing to do with Halloween itself. Maybe the significance of such celebrations is that we all crave the chance to pretend we are someone other than ourselves in a crazy costume and to participate in some games and activities in which we would normally never be involved. Is that really such a bad thing?
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SAN JUAN ISLANDER © 2008 |
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