My Halloween confession

[JVS]

I was living in Bavaria. The Bavarians love a holiday, but Halloween was not observed in Germany as far as I knew. Certainly none of the other students in the dorm were planning on doing anything. And I had forgotten about it. But evidently a steady diet of American pop-culture had had its effect on the Germans and in the early evening I heard a knock on my door. "Suesses oder Saures" (sweet or sour, presumably a local varian on trick or treat) said two witches, a ghost and what appeared to be a gnome. Surprised, I looked at the children for a moment and thought abour what to do. I had no candy. I had a few 1-Mark coins, but I needed those for the laundry. I considered the case of cold beer that I had in the fridge, but then quickly realized that handing out beers to kids is not an appropriate halloween activity. I decided that I would tell the children that they had been wrong to come to my door. "You don't have that holliday in this country" I said as I shut the door in their faces. Contrary to the children's salutation, nothing sour happened to me.

[HEyHEY]

1. Good for you, you have to save them from your culture

Line of duty man.

[JVS]

2. Yeah, those German kids should have been prepping for All Saint's day...

unless they were Protestants, in which case they should have been celebrating Reformation day. Don't let the local culture's holidays die just because you see trick or treating on Simpson's, ALF and Wonder Years.

[HannibalBarca]

3. Not American Culture

Actually the festival of Halloween really originated in Ireland and in Gaelic it was called Samhain, the night when the dead supposedly rose to walk the earth and to mark the end or begining of a particular season, somethin like that anyway.
Its obviously been modified somewhat by the US in a bad and typically commercial way of course.

[JVS]

4. Yeah, but we all know where these kids got it from.

[HEyHEY]

5. Do they trick or treat in Ireland?

[JVS]

6. Ah, the hard incisive questions that make one a true journalist!

[HEyHEY]

7. My point is that would be the North AMerican influence

I ask the question again sir! DO THEY TRICK OR TREAT IN IRELAND?

Now THAT'S investigative

[JVS]

8. Amen! I'm dying to know if they do trick or treat in Ireland.

And if they do, can we prove it isn't because the kids in Ireland have watched too fucking much American TV.

Also, do they trick or treat in Canada?

[HEyHEY]

9. We never did until the simpsons

Just kiddin, yup we do hear. And if you're in BC you blow shit up cause they make fireworks legal a week before halloween.

[JVS]

10. And what do our those who thirst for freedom in Quebec do?

Do they bend their knee to the customs of the dread British Isles?

[HEyHEY]

11. I imagine it involves burning the queen in effigy

I guess sticking a firecracker up a frog's ass is a bit too symbolic over there/.

[JVS]

13. Why would Quebecers want to stick firecrackers up frogs butts?

Seriously though, do they do the halloween thing? And if they do are those who seek to defend their culture from the anglophonic hordes all pissed off about it?

[HEyHEY]

14. I honestly can't remember - and I lived there through one

But as I mentioned below I was driving to New Brunswick on Halloween night. I assume they do it too. Cause French New Brunswickers do it.

[HEyHEY]

12. actually

I lived in Quebec through Halloween and can't remember what they do. I think it's just Trick or treating and stuff same as anywhere

WAIT I REMEMBER I WAS driving to New BRunswick that Halloween. SO I don't know what they do

[Kellanved]

15. there was an effort to introduce Halloween

Probably by the candy industry. Last year it was pretty extreme, this year it is zero. Not a single costumed kid, no orange Halloween candy in the stores, no Halloween ads. A few parties, but in Berlin any excuse suffices for a party.

I'm quite grateful, I hate the German Carnival (which is almost completely absent from Berlin) and I did like the Krautween even less. What I really hated were kids Trickin'or Treatin, but accepting nothing but money. :wtf:
(something that is happening to the more traditional Carnival Toll as well).