I like the honoring the dead idea, and have lit some candles tonight to remember mine. There have been small interesting signs that have made me smile and reflect.
I know it’s not really seasonally appropriate in Australia. My son is gathering his friends and they are having a bit of a small night here. It has the feel of a spring carnival though, as they dress up, laugh and eat together.
I explored the origins of Halloween in my classes today. The year 7 novel ‘Remote Man’ makes some references to the way it’s celebrated in the US.
We shared with each other what we find scary. The year 9s discussed scary stories written by well known authors, and the retelling in other media of scary stories. The favourite example was “The Simpsons” doing Poe’s ‘Raven’. My favourite of course is Kate Bush’s ‘Wuthering Heights’, none of my students had heard of it!
The students wrote some of their own scary stories and read them very well to the class. There were some treasures. I was delighted that they heeded my comment that violence and destruction did not necessarily make scary. They even went sparingly on the gore.
Halloween elsewhere :
I LOVE Wuthering Heights. I get excited when I meet people who have not heard of it as it gives me an opportunity to educate.
One of my kids has Aspergers and I often refer to him as Heathcliffe. Very few people get it.
We have had six different lots of Trick and Treaters so far – all large groups of kids – only one group had an adult with them. I spent ample time talking to the kids about safety issues while I put their glow stick bracelets on and suggested that the footpath is a better place to wander, rather than the road.
One teenage girl asked if I am against lollies because of a weird religion (I gave a selection of toys/novelties). I answered truthfully – If I have to be on a diet then everybody else in the world has to be as well. No lollies, just trinkets that can be used as teachable moments around safety.
We’ve had a great evening. A 23rd birthday, an anniversary of a family death and a house full of family all wanting to talk together at once!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank goodness for the Trick and Treaters!
That’s the third reference to Kate Bush’s Wuthering Heights in three days for me. The first was my husband playing it on my TV from YouTube, the second was a hearing a cover version on a new album called No Man’s Woman – yes a bloke singing it – and now your blog. Now that is spooky!
Thanks for pulling together all the links… I think Meg from Blogpond has also commented on Halloween. 🙂
Hi Joh, thanks for including a link to my post.
I like Megan’s lolly alternative.
I was kind of late to the halloween party (I wanted to use it to count for November – nablopomo)!