On the other hand, what I discovered while teaching about Halloween, is that their idea of what Halloween means seems a little off. Their understanding of this American holiday is not entirely accurate. When I would ask each class what they thought Halloween was, they always answered with something about dead people and spirits. And when I asked if anyone was dressing up for Halloween, about 1/3 of the class raised their hands and said they were being either a demon, dracula or a dead person. I explained to them that Halloween is much more than celebrating death and spirits and that people don't usually dress up in those types of costumes so much anymore. I told them how its popular to be characters from TV shows and movies or dress as celebrities and that there is a huge variety of different costumes. I taught them about pumpkin carving, trick or treating, the candy, the haunted houses and the parties but they still had this obsession with it being about death and spirits. I tried. Its one of those things that they would need to experience to understand. Anyhow, I think they had fun learning about it and getting a break from regular school work. We also had a school wide coloring contest to see who could color the best Halloween picture for each grade. And guess who took them all home this weekend to judge? Yep, yours truly. All the kids will get a peice of candy but the top 3 from each grade will get a big candy bar or bag of candy as their prize and have their art work displayed on the walls. They definately got into to THAT once I said there was a prize involved. Nothin like good ol fashioned competition to get the kids goin. Especially when you dangle the idea of candy in their faces. So, now here I am with hundreds of pictures spread throughout the apartment trying to figure out which ones are better than others. Not as easy as it sounds. They are good in their own ways. Some are better at staying in the lines, some used better color combos and others actually drew in extra characters, words and designs into their pictures. I've got to say, these Spaniard children are exceptional colorers...maybe better than American kids.
Another thing that got me feeling like Halloween is misunderstood here is that I went to church this morning with Juliana. Its is a babtist church and seemed pretty normal. But then, a gentleman got up to speak in front of the congregation. He talked about how with this being the weekend of Halloween with lots of horrible, satanic things happening, that there needs to be extra prayer and vigilance. He mentioned something about them staying up through the night to pray during these critical hours where horrible things are taking place. He talked of human sacrifice and cutting off limbs. Maybe I am naive or maybe their imaginations have gotten ahold of them. I am not sure which. Maybe we are both guilty. I just don't think of Halloween in that way. And I think there is a way to celebrate it that is harmless and fun. Aside from Thanksgiving it is my favorite holiday. I wish I could scoop them all up and take them to the U.S. just for tonight so that they could experience the sights, sounds and smells that I know Halloween to be. I, personally, do not associate Halloween with satanic rituals and dead people. I think of the fall leaves, the crisp air, the funny and creative costumes, the pumpkins and smell of spices, the decorations, the candy and trick or treating, and fun costume parties and contests. Isn't THAT what its all about?
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