Halloween

I went to google to read about the origins of Halloween and I find it is a very mixed pagan/Christian bag. And not from just one country either. Seems like it has been mixing and changing since the 5th century.

Nevertheless, the Catholic Church here in Mexico has been discouraging the Halloween practices of the USA. I don't think they are going to win the battle. The kids have very quickly caught on to knocking on doors or approaching people in the Jardin for "dulces." I've seen masks and jack-o-lanterns in the little stalls in front of the church that sells sugar skulls as well as in WalMart.

Last night we went to the Jardin to see what the kids were doing. The biggest difference that I saw was that the kids were running in packs of 3 or 4 WITHOUT an adult following along behind. Little children about 4 years old were being pulled along with the 6 and 8 year old siblings. There were some masks, but lots of painted faces.

For a while we sat in the Jardin but then moved to the bar at the San Francisco Hotel. The kids came into the bar for their "Halloween" which is what they say instead of "Trick or Treat."

Last night was a school night but when we left the Jardin about 9:00 PM, the kids were just getting started with their "Halloweening" and again....no mammas and Pappas in sight. I doubt that any of those parents checked all the candy before their kids ate it either. I can remember that same freedom we had as children to run through the neighborhood Trick or Treating and never had a thought that anyone would want to hurt us. But it "ain't" that way in the USA anymore.