HALLOWHINE....

Typically every Halloween I receive complaints from one or two grumps who reject the Halloween spirit. I'm a big believer in Halloween. Not just because I lived in Canada and experienced the absolute jubilation and celebration of it, but more so because I think the world needs more fun. We'd be a better place if we let loose a little and got a bit silly. I sure as hell can't see anything wrong with dressing up in spooky costumes, trick-or-treating and having a good ol' time. The whinges usually bang on about Halloween being an American tradition that we have no right to adopt. Bah-Humbug! People celebrate Christmas and Easter without appreciating it's religious significance... and the amusing thing is that only a few days after Halloween we enjoy a public holiday to celebrate gambling, alcohol consumption and really fucking STUPID dress-up. The fact that this is all for a horse race is irrelevant to most of the folk who enjoy it. I certainly know which of these celebrations I prefer to get behind.

And so with the ring of the school bell, so begins the afternoon Halloween trade. We welcome trick-or-treaters into our store, we flog the horror movies in discounted deals and we love seeing kids all dressed up. You can't accuse us of being kill-joys, that's for sure. This afternoon I had one very grouchy woman lash out at me for encouraging Americanisms...

Her tirade was full of contradiction. Firstly she tried to educate me on the historical significance of Halloween... something I am aware of. Actually, there are several points of origin but I digress. She went on about Halloween being an American custom but then she mentioned it being a celtic lore. I asked her where the harm was and she couldn't answer. She just kept insisting that it is wrong to celebrate an American tradition. Again I made the point that it was European. She told me that we need to find our own days to celebrate Aussie things. What? Does she mean drinking ourselves into oblivion and acting like a pack of bogans? Haha. That's exactly what Melbourne Cup Day is for (or has become). I wasn't in the mood for the discussion and so I let her rant... 

There is no reason why we shouldn't celebrate Halloween. It began as a pagan and celtic tradition, which managed to seep it's way into Christianity before being introduced to American culture by way of immigration. You see, it's NOT an American tradition as much as it's an adopted one from the Europeans. Australia was founded by Europeans too and I never understood why the custom was never embraced here. We have the same connection to Halloween as America does and yet we view it so differently. 

Remember how fun it was to be a kid? Remember when dressing up was awesome? That's what Halloween is all about. Every night you switch on the news to see war, famine, crime and hate. The world is an ugly place and there are so many more things deserving of people's contempt. 


HAPPY HALLOWEEN, FRIENDS! 
Have fun & be safe...