Schools Cancel Halloween

[Echo_of_shadows]

You know: I'll trade you 3 gummy worms for 3 pieces of candy corn. Something like that.

YOU'LL NEVER TAKE MY CANDY CORN AS LONG AS I LIVE!!!!!!!

I feel the same way about Snickers.

This reminded me of something actually. My mum is an English teacher and apparently one of her students was pulled out of class because they were reading Roald Dahl's "The Witches"... as if any of that is even remotely resembling anything that happens in real life witchcraft. Good grief.

Wow. I wonder if "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" will be the next target.

[cloverfox]

This kind of thing makes me so sad. I remember at my elementary school we had a Halloween carnival then they later changed it to the Fall carnival and did away with some of the scary stuff and it was kind of lame by that point. I loved going to the neighboring elementary school because they still had what they called The Halloween Hoot and it was always a blast included a pretty darn scary haunted house too!

If I ever become a parent, I will make sure that my child's school has a HALLOWEEN carnival or some kind of celebration. People are too dang scared these days and should be educated better. Of course, we all know that.....

[SnowCat]

My grandkids have Fall Break right at Halloween. That avoids any controversy. I just have to work a short enough day this year, to have time to go down to Manitou Springs for the Coffin Races.

Snow

[Echo_of_shadows]

I just have to work a short enough day this year, to have time to go down to Manitou Springs for the Coffin Races.

That sounds like a blast!

[Gentle Melody]

Poor children!
I've never had a Halloween Festival, here in Brazil they made a kind of "holiday" based on our folklore, because they said that we must value our own culture and stop importing culture from other countries.
In the end no one celebrates anything .
To top it off, there are only few people who really try to conserve our NATIVE culture, hardly anyone here knows something from our native's culture, if you ask ten Brazilians about our native's Gods/Goddesses, or celebrations or even how they lived, hardly two of them will give you a consistent answer.
This is hypocrisy

That's ethnocentrism, it's sad to know that people accept this.
I really hope Halloween tradition will not disappear just as is happening here

[Echo_of_shadows]

Has anyone heard of this happening again this year?
There's a town about an hour away from here that did "trunk or treat" ...yesterday. That's a twelve day difference. I told my mom that if she ever did that to me as a kid I'd be mad.

[SnowCat]

My grandkids always have fall break that week. I don't know why it would be so difficult to teach about harvest festivals, and some of the beliefs that accompanied them. That falls into the category of social studies.

Snow

[Austadophilus]

They canceled Halloween at my college too. But that's been since last year. *sighs*

How is anyone supposed to have any fun anymore? Like P3nathan says, no one really thinks of it as a religious thing when you're a kid or teen.

Censorship just makes everything so much better. <.<

[Echo_of_shadows]

I've been thinking, even if schools do cancel the parties, costumes and candy, they should still keep the kids in school and teach them of the other significant themes of the season. For one: the harvests. How many kids these days think that food just magically appear at the store? We're so inundated with consumerism, we're often far removed from Mother Earth. You don't want a costume parade? Fine. Teach the kids how to grow things. Have them grow herbs or something that they can contribute to a meal for the other upcoming holidays.
What about death? Another theme of the season is honoring and remembering our loved ones that have passed. You can't just make death go away just because you ignore it. I think people become so overwhelmed by death, because some societies consider death taboo and just sort of sweep it under the rug. If we teach our kids that death is a natural part of life, it would help in easing the grieving process. Why not have kids write letters to their deceased loved ones and tie them to balloons to send to the afterlife? How about taking older kids on a field trip to a cemetery to help with cleaning and maintenance? There are "Adopt a Cemetery" programs, why not start an "Adopt a Cemetery" club at the school?

[SnowCat]

I think Adopt a Cemetery is a great idea. Kids need to understand that cemeteries don't maintain themselves, and that for many people that's the only remaining tie to their loved ones.

Snow

[Xiao Rong]

Ironically, celebrating "Harvest Festivals" in place of Halloween is closer to actual Pagan practices ... so, yay for us?

[SnowCat]

Definitely yay for us. And yay for history.

Snow

[Naudia Threng]

Oooooh! Echo! I does grow stuff! I make my own herb butter, grow my own herbs, make my own tea with fresh ingredients, etc. Its wonderful! I thimk the world would be much better if everyone had a gardwn!

[Naudia Threng]

Its not canceled where I live. But you could talk to schools and try for a harvest festival.