Halloween falls out of favor

Sacramento Bee ^ | 10/26/5 | Deepa Ranganathan

[SmithL]

Leisa Sinclair-Vick used to send her two sons to a San Francisco public school that was serious about Halloween.

"They had extra costumes for kids who didn't bring them," she said. "People would get prizes for the most original costume, or the scariest or funniest."

So Sinclair-Vick was dismayed to receive a notice recently from Cottage Elementary, the Arden Arcade school her sons now attend after she moved there last year.

"I have been asked to let you know that no costumes of any kind will be allowed at school," the letter read. "Students cannot decorate their body in any way to make it look like they are in costume. It is a regular day, as far as dress is concerned."

The notice announced a "fall celebration" for Friday. But its message was clear: It "is not," according to the letter, "related to Halloween in any way!"

Once, Halloween was all about trick-or-treating and the sugar rush that came with scoring enough candy to last until Thanksgiving. Then came the fear of bullies and razor blades. Now, a holiday that grew from Celtic rituals finds itself squarely in the middle of modern-day culture wars.

Nowhere is that more apparent than in the classroom. For the last decade, schools across the country have been phasing out the holiday. Goodbye, costume parties. Farewell, jack-o'-lanterns. The symbols of Halloween aren't welcome in these hallways.

Instead, schools and churches are holding "harvest parties." Sometimes these are after-school costume parties where scarecrows are permitted, ghosts are not.

[SmithL]

[SmithL]

Astronomy ping

; ) SmithL

[mtbopfuyn]

Our school lets the students dress up on Halloween day. In fact, I'm helping with the Halloween party that night.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Ah yes, the annual demonization of Halloween commences. Cue the posts from the bible-thumpers and the liberal PCers about how Halloween is making kids evil.

[staytrue]

Life is often so serious, too serious sometimes.

Halloween is a great excuse to play dress up, have a party, and be silly.

Once a year, we need that.

[teenyelliott]

Silly, it is not Halloween that is making them evil, it is Harry Potter. Damned books.

[YourAdHere]

Some people have nothing better to do than complain about other people having fun.

[SmithL]

Some people have nothing better to do than complain about other people having fun.

And some of us have fun giving them something to complain about.
; )

[RangerM]

"Our school lets the students dress up on Halloween day."

Based on the way I've seen some of them dress, how can you tell the difference? :)

[staytrue]

how can you tell the difference?

On Halloween, the kids look less scary than usual ?

[darkangel82]

And what exactly is wrong with being a "bible-thumper"?

[Tired of Taxes]

The kids can celebrate religious and anti-religious holidays on their own time with their parents' money.

One of my sons has some experience attending public school. The "free" snacks the teacher hands out. The "free" pizza party at the end of the year. Prizes for the best costumes? They have far too much of our money to spend lavishly and apparently way too much time on their hands.

Oh, flame away. I'll be gone today. :-)

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

I agree 100%.

[Mr. Jeeves]

The kids can celebrate religious and anti-religious holidays on their own time with their parents' money.

Those Christmas Day classes should go over real well. ;)

[nutmeg]

Halloween is a great excuse to play dress up, have a party, and be silly.

Exactly... great post. All this hoopla over Halloween being "evil" is ridiculous IMHO. Heard Michael Savage ranting on the air the other night about how any child who takes part in Halloween is pretty much a Wiccan... Halloween must be abolished... yada yada yada. He sounded like a maroon!

[mtbopfuyn]

Based on the way I've seen some of them dress, how can you tell the difference? :)

Thankfully, in small town America, we don't have any freaks or goths or whatevers to worry about.

[staytrue]

They have far too much of our money to spend lavishly and apparently way too much time on their hands.

Most of the time, I'm diciplined, hard working, spartan. But once a year, I want my Halloween.

[starfish923]

Great picture.

Halloween IS of Christian origin. The feast to honor all martyrs (saints of yore) was in May. The Church moved the holyday to November first. Thus, October 31, the eve of all hallowed saints.

The IRISH made it "trick or treat." Irish villages would celebrate November first with a bonfire and feast. The night before the feast the village elders (or feast preparers) would go from house to house asking for food donations to the next day's feast.
When some villagers were reluctant to part with their feast-day food contributions, the elders would threaten them with a "trick." Thus, the expression, "trick or treat."

I can understand the schools' clamping down on Halloween costumes. It's WAY too Christian. Those bats, pumpkins, Superman, Batman, Madonna costumes really, really remind me of Jesus.

[Woman on Caroline Street]

"I have been asked to let you know that no costumes of any kind will be allowed at school,"

Sounds like even this person wasn't too happy about being the messenger. Someone is passing the buck.

[two134711]

Absolutely. But another reason Halloween is "declining" is that too many adults have taken that holiday for their own. Around here, every weekend of October involves some overcrowded pumpkin festival or parade, but come Halloween, it's not about trick or treating anymore, it's about the grownups going to Dance Clubs and Bars. Try buying a costume and you'll see most of the inventory is limited to sexy or super-gruesome costumes for adults.

Halloween was a pleasant way to go out and see all the people in your neighborhood. It was a nice (gasp) TRADITION! There is nothing evil about Halloween. Kids shouldn't even have to go to school on Halloween; it should be their day off to have fun.