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Throughout history, one loses their culture and the traditions that go with it. In many cases, this can be a good thing. My family name comes from Hungary, and besides eating an excellent goulash prepared by my Irish Catholic mother, I really keep nothing of the old country with me. However, at the same time, there is a feeling of preserving ones traditions, and the reasons behind what we do. Halloween, or All Saints Eve, is one of those traditions. To some, dates don’t matter, for instance, the issue of Veterans Day. Yes, we should all celebrate and remember our Veterans every day, but the 11th is important, signaling the end of the “War to end All Wars” should be taken notice of, regardless if it falls on a weekend or not. The same should follow for Halloween, as there are many people who want it changed to the nearest weekend, mostly so adults that drink too much can take the day off and so children can miss another day of school.
Believe it or not, despite the common belief that Halloween deals with demons and pagan rituals, the actual name is Christian. All Saints Day, or Allhallowtide, is a Christian time of remembrance for all the Saints and lost loved ones. It usually goes from October 31st until November 1st. There is truth to the fact that this date also fell around the time of many pagan harvest festivals throughout Europe, which makes sense as Autumn has arrived and if the harvest was not complete before the harsh winter, life could really suck for you.
I myself, a Christian, do celebrate Halloween, mostly because I like to scare the Trick or Treaters, and though I have forgotten many things of the old country, I have gracefully adopted those of the new. It’s true, there are some weird things that take place around this time of the year, but thankfully we live in a country in which we can choose what to celebrate and what not to celebrate. So whether you partake in the festivities this time of year in remembrance of the Saints and lost loved ones, or if you do that pagan stuff, or just a nervous farmer hoping to give a treat to
anyone who asks so your harvest is healthy, (legend has it that the demons ask for a treat, if you don’t give it to them, they will destroy your crop). Perhaps you are a kid that likes Trick or Treating, or scarring them, or even if you like to just get drunk, remember this, do it safely, and do it on this date, October 31st, Halloween.
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