HALLOWEEN….MY STAY IN THE U.S

KNOCK! KNOCK!! There is someone knocking on my door. Who could it be I wondered since I was not expecting anyone this afternoon? I hesitantly head towards the door to check who was there. As I opened the door, I was greeted with a loud “trick or treat!!!!!” from some children in my neighborhood. They were dressed in all kinds of funny costumes. Then they stretched forward a candy basket which meant I am expected to drop in some candies. Their basket was already half filled with different kinds of candies. Oh yea today is Halloween, I quickly recollected because the whole of this month, everything around us is centered on this day. TV commercials, movies, talk shows and even items on display in the stores were centered on this day including food. This actually reminded me of how we use to go from house to house in my community in Ghana during Christmas to have treats from neighbors and even strangers. Dress in masquerades and Christmas apparels, we sing and chant “maame yabe wofie maye bibi kakra maye ko” literally meaning “ma’am we are in your house, give us something and we will go”. Indeed, as children in those days, every child looked forward to Christmas with high expectations and anticipation. Those times were really fun. It is sad that all those memorable moments are fading away so fast due to the fact that many people thinks it is simply old fashion. Anyway, back to my encounter with these beautiful kids at my door. As I said they were five in number, three girls and two boys with their ages ranging between 6 and 11 years old. After dropping in some candies from my dinning table into each of their baskets, they politely said “thank you”. Then I tried to find out from them in their opinion what this day is all about. They told me all kinds of interesting stories they know about Halloween. The striking one came from the 6 year old boy who was dressed like a black cat“…Halloween is the time we get to see spooky spirits like ghost, monsters and devils.” He said. They each told me why they chose a particular costume and the reason why they are pretending to be that character. On that note they all said ‘bye” and moved on to the next door. Apart from children going house to house for candies after school, the older people throw parties at night. Most of these parties are characterized by creepy and terrifying stuffs. One thing I also noticed is that Pumpkin is a major symbol of Halloween. It is usually sculptured into so many spooky faces. At this point, let me hastened to add that although Halloween is one of America’s biggest celebrations, not everyone believes in it. Those who don’t believe in it say it is superstition. The fact is, apart from the fun fair such occasions bring it is also a major economic booster for the country. The National Retail Federation –U.S last year quoted a survey conducted by BIGinsight that 7 in 10 Americans (71.5%) will get into the haunting Halloween mood and a total Halloween spending by estimation was expected to reach $8.0 billion. According to history, Halloween is a time of celebration and superstition. It is thought to have originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off roaming ghosts. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as a time to honor all saints and martyrs; the holiday, All Saints’ Day, incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain. The evening before was known as All Hallows’ Eve and later Halloween. Over time, Halloween evolved into a secular, community-based event characterized by child-friendly activities such as trick-or-treating. In a number of countries around the world, as the days grow shorter and the nights get colder, people continue to usher in the winter season with gatherings, costumes and sweet treats.