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Halloween Roundup
Herewith a selection from the holiday-themed submissions today. severedfinger writes, "CNET reports that this Halloween some people are using the alphabet-search system on the new iPods to communicate with the dead. The writer uses an iPod nano to test the new craze. He plugs it into a loud stereo system to 'increase the scary quotient when a spirit picks a track,' and the editorial staff begin to talk to a spirit called 'Brad.'" And markmcb writes, "If you've never read much about the history of Halloween, Nick Dilmore offers an entertaining and snarky summary of how the holiday came to be. From the article, 'Halloween, that festive time of the year when kids dress up in fantastic costumes, bob for apples, and go trick-or-treating. Well, unless they live in a community that has done away with Halloween because some Christians say it's a holiday for Satan, or some Jews say it's too Christian, or some Wiccans say it makes fun of their religion (which has as much to do with ancient witchcraft as P. Diddy has to do with Bluegrass...).'" Finally, check out MAKE's geeky / tech DIY guide to "amazing costumes, scary tech, pumpkins, and gross food."
In the Philippines, which is probably the most catholic country in the world, Halloween is the day you go to the cemetery and honor your relatives who have passed. It is a national holiday and pretty somber. But Christmas is the holiday where everyone throws costume parties and they all go crazy.
I have always found it ironic how evangelical/fundamentalist churches often shun the Christian aspects of the holiday (dead people) to embrace the pagan aspects of the holiday (the harvest). I don't know whether to laugh or . . . well I just laugh.
I would have to say that if you're going to criticize any holiday for consumerism, Halloween is probably the least. Compare it with the gifting orgy of Christmas, the "buy me love" fest of Valentine's day, and the complete card-sale fabrications like Fathers', Mothers', Secretaries', etc., and some candy and a costume is rather tame. What's more, the halloween costuming aspect at least gives people a chance to engage their imagination and creativity. Yeah, there'll always be those that buy a plastic lobster-bib that says "I'm Superman(tm), no, really" on it for godawful-dollars, but I've seen (and been) plenty more that will take the time to make something crafty and original for themselves or their children.
Information wants to be free.
Entertainment wants to be paid.
You just want to be cheap.
Or, we could just do what most Christians do (including my father, a Lutheran minister): have fun with it, and don't take it too seriously.