Technolandy

Day 38 (of 2024/25) Halloween in (or should it not be in?) school #halloweek thanks @theatlantic writers @stephaniebye_ @kathrynfiona @ibogost @julieebeck

T’is the last week of October and fall is settling in… some communities are waiting for that first fall of snow – it often was on or darn close to Halloween when the flakes first came down in one town we lived in!

Halloween has some good and bad – and as observed by Stephanie Bai… it has changed over the years… thought we need to be mindful that as we do an equity scan, it does have roots in originating as a festival and custom of a christian festival remembering the dead… sure it has morphed and evolved(?) into a more secular event (with some decrying how it is anti-church… but sometimes I wonder if they doth protest too much). When we do equity scans, we have to point out some of the pieces of systemic discrimination that hide in plain sight – often because they can be ‘fun’ and feel non-denominational…. Thanks to The Atlantic writers for sharing some great observations of this time of year…

https://apple.news/AGWtO2-zDTqyO0EmOVu7Rww

Is it:

• A night meant to be celebrated with eager trick-or-treaters? 
• A time for over-the-top costume creation? 
• A time for the joy of ‘fun-sized’ treats or the glory of Big Candy Bars (Ian Bogost says they have no place on halloween – https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/10/big-candy-bars-have-no-place-on-halloween/544511/
• A chance for community socialization – walking neighbourhoods and meeting people who live in the community that you didn’t know lived in your community? 
• An evolution from house-to-house to ‘business to business’ so that parents can better monitor where their kids are (ahh, the nostalgia of being able to roam neighbourhoods with friends while the parents stayed home to hand out goodies)…

Or…

• Has it moved more and more influenced by online – more niche costumes and professional level costuming vs homemade ‘day of’ creations? Kate Lindsay has some thoughts: https://apple.news/ApUNXnMFmT3qjtfNZ9FnkPQ
• Does there need to be ‘effort’ put in, or do we give candy to the teenagers who are doing one more ‘recapture of nostalgia’ without adding costumes or makeup…?
• Is there an age when the adults/houses can ‘go dark’ and no longer make offerings… 
• Should there be ‘some neighbourhoods’ where everybody goes to (every town has this… don’t fool yourself) much like many have ‘candy cane lanes’ with lots of houses with lots of lights in December…
• As Julie Beck writes “It’s worth noting that the image of “traditional” trick-or-treating—costumed kids parading down sidewalks, hitting house after decorated house—has only ever really been endemic to American suburbs. Kids who live in cities often trick-or-treat in apartment buildings, and in rural areas where houses are more spread out, Bannatyne says, parties, bonfires, or other centralized gatherings are often more practical alternatives for families.” More: https://apple.news/ABb7pIczDSLS27HYq_5GlGQ
• Does it need to be on the 31st? Our community had parties and haunted houses this past weekend… though our schools ‘close’ for Parent Conferences on November 1 to account for children being tired from hunting candies the night before… and speaking of ‘children’
• Should there be age limits? https://www.themirror.com/news/us-news/town-set-age-limit-halloween-771473

And we need to be mindful of…

• There is a religious connection to the day
• Costumes… are we appropriating or appreciating “others” <— this is the biggie as too often people mix up costume and regalia and it can be very offensive to communities who do not necessarily have the power to stand up and say ‘that’s offensive’… because even if it’s ‘for fun’ or ‘with good intention’ or even if “I didn’t know” perhaps we ought to…
• As much as many ‘say’ halloween isn’t religious because many organizations liken it (and the wearing of costumes) to ghosts and stuff… it does have roots in Christian beliefs and practices, coming from “All Hallows’ Eve” – the evening before All Saints Day on November 1… another time where systemic discrimination (religious observance) hides in plain sight…

But it is interesting when shared (by Kate LIndsay) about ‘following the norms on halloween may seem boring, bug give them a chance,…’ as I wonder – are the norms… really norms? Or has it (always) varied from community to region to country? <— definitely, but for this ponder, it is a North American focus…

Can holidays such as Hallowe’en and Christmas be secular observances? Or are they ways to ‘trick’ non-practitioners into observing a practice by saying it isn’t? The connection of hallowe’en to the horror genre is very deep… but (again) how many horror tropes have resolutions thanks to a religions icons or prayers? 

Can halloween morph away from being a christian festival of remembering the dead for some of us, but remain an important faith day for others? Can we live with the hypocrisy because of the ‘fun’ of dressing up, getting candy, and getting scared? 

Does promoting dressing up also condone a religious observance in school? 

Can we promote more creative dressup (personally, I like the memes and double meanings – my daughter once dressed up as a bowling alley (small decoration on her as she is an “Allie”) which was delightful… this year, I will support the tradition of my new school by doing my usual costume for my first October in a new school… a literary reference that many, but not all, will ‘get’… but I am also aware of what costumes may or may not ‘age well’. 

Halloweek is a great time to talk about many topics:

Appropriation vs Appreciation (of cultures, genders, etc)

Costumes: creative vs meme vs store bought 

Systemic Discrimination hiding in plain sight (and can we live with the hypocrisy of no-religion in school except when it is a fun event)

Why some costumes age well/not well