Halloween Through My Eyes

Hello!

Being that many of the people I follow on twitter live in the US, I have been reading a lot of stuff about Halloween. Personally, I never understood the holiday.

I don't know how it originated, or what it was to begin with, but I know that it has evolved into a highly commercialised time where people dress up and take candy from strangers.

Now that is the main thing that confuses me. As a child, the instruction to "never take candy from strangers" was drilled into me for years, and I have always obeyed. I think this whole candy issue came from a serial killer who lured boys over with candy and then went on to do some pretty horrible things before killing them. That or just the general possibility of having an allergic reaction to strange foods, or being drugged, etc.

Whatever the reason for this piece of advice, it always made perfect sense to me as a rule- just like don't get lifts with strangers. So it is really weird for me to see that there is a time where children are actively encouraged to go door to door all through their neighbourhood taking whatever candy they are given and eating it without question.

Are there many cases of Halloween-candy-poisoning in America? Or do all the horrible people in the world have the decency not to taint the holiday and save their luring for the other days of the year?

Now don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Halloween. If I lived in the US or any other place that is big on celebrating it (are there many?) I would love to join in on the fun. I would, however, take a great deal of care with what I eat. I love dressing up and partying as much as any other person. Admittedly I haven't done it for a while, but I like it all the same. 

What I think is funny are the different attitudes that heavily Christian people have about it. On the one hand I see on the tv that some places have those "houses of sin" or whatever, where they try to make halloween educational as well. From what I can gather they are places telling everyone how abortion is a horrible crime rather than a reasonable choice for a woman; how lust and those feelings are shameful; how wanking will make you blind; how drugs will mess you up, etc. It seems like just another way to push their christian ways and threaten you will hell.


And then there is the other attitude that I wasn't really aware of until this morning while on twitter casually looking through the tweets of some of the bigoted idiots who have harnessed the power of the internet. People who have names like "Gods word is law" or "I'm a believer" or "magic happens" or "I'm a sad person who needs to wake up"... well not the last one, obviously.


These people were saying things like "HALLOWEEN IS ENCOURAGING WITCHCRAFT" and "HALLOWEEN IS THE DEVIL'S HOLIDAY". 


Firstly- Witchcraft? REALLY? The religion that follows a magical man in the sky and a son who could walk on water and conjure up food (and then some) is going on about witchcraft. That is just so stupid that I really can't bear to talk about it any more. I think the hypocrisy is clear enough.


But onto the "devil's holiday". It's just a bunch of people getting together to have a good time and celebrate- oh yes, i can see why satan would be responsible for that. In no way must anyone have a good time if they are true to "the lord". The idea that god is against halloween is just stupid; these days due to the commercialisation its not like it means anything dark and eerie. I get thats probably how it all started, but all it is now is some partying and fun, right? God will need to get over it.


But yes, on the whole the attitude to and origin of Halloween thoroughly confuses me. I do know that even though I hate the fact that they're trying to encourage it here in Australia, if I had grown up in the US I would have loved it...


Even though I don't know what it's all about. Any insight would be appreciated!


:D