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  Ana Zahler          xiyvza@hotmail.com 

THE HALLOWEEN IS NOT COSTARRICAN

How can it be good something with bad spirits, witches, ghosts, scares,

monsters?

www.geocities.com/Heartland/2328/hallwen.htm

As we explain our kids why the drugs, cigarettes and excess of alcohol is not

good, today I show you my opinion about this custom that has been practicing

in Costa Rica and the resources in the web for this investigation.

I MEANING AND EVOLUTION OF THE WORD

It is not even a Spanish word. Do you know what do children say when they go

house per house with the word "halloween"?

www.dictionary.com/search?q=halloween

II ORIGIN

It is against any religion practiced in Costa Rica, no matter it's Catholic,

Charismatic, any Protestant branch, Jewish, Jehovah Witness or Mormon.

www.illusions.com/halloween/hallows.htm

III VARIATION OF THE CUSTOM

Maybe you are asking "what is it wrong that children ask for sweets this

day?" It's not that youths ask for sweets the bad situation. It's the

origin to adore the bad spirits with pagan rituals, changed later to children

participating in it with candies. It's the continuation of the custom to

prevent it from dying.

www.annieshomepage.com

IV IMPORTED INHERITANCE

Halloween invaded us also like some other customs that came from the Old

World. In the actual Costarrican society, the moral, religious, familiar,

ethic and cultural values disappear little by little. The celebration of

this imported inheritance is an example.

http://search.botbot.com/bot/m/d.html$origin+of+halloween?cgil178

V BAD CONSEQUENCES OF THIS DAY

In the media, we know about candies with little pieces of razors inside,

kidnaps, poisoning, murders and rapers against minors committed this day in

particular.

http://search.botbot.com/bot/m/d.html$news+about+halloween?cgi122

There are not recommendations like these ones for any other day:

www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/octhalloween.htm

Any other occasion is celebrated during the day but Halloween is celebrated

at night ... like people who practices black magic. In Costa Rica, the only

activity (and it's not a holiday) celebrated at night is the Lantern Parade

every September 14. What a big difference! The family participates in this

patriotic parade. The family goes to the civic meeting in the local public

school to welcome the Independence Torch.

The lighting of the Christmas Tree in the National Children Hospital is other

Costarrican custom done at night. The "Teletón" is one of the nowadays

custom celebrated at night but it doesn't have any relation with witch

crafts, dead, scares.

Of course, there is the cyber Halloween:

www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/afgani-warning.htm

www.perantivirus.com/sosvirus/virufamo/hallow.htm

www.trendmicro.com/search/google/results.asp?q=halloween+virus

What to do in order to eliminate the custom in Costa Rica?

1) Aware the population that this custom is not Costarrican

2) Teach our children, Godchildren, friends, relatives, students and

neighbors in the religious values that are dying

3) Ask different religious leaders to give speeches at their churches about

this subject and ask them for the support to eliminate this custom in our

country

4) Visit the Education Department to enforce the Government class in order

to teach the Costarrican customs and traditions in all the schools and high

schools

5) Preserve our identity and customs like the Lantern Parade and celebration

of the Annexation of the Guanacaste province

6) Promote the good and not well known customs that don't have big

importance like Tree Day, Book Day, Family Integration Week

7) Ask for advice at the Value Rescue Commission

The actual Costarricans are excellent to copy foreign customs. Our great

grand parents didn't know Saint Valentine Day, Thanksgiving Day or Halloween.

If we are dying for a masquerade, the let's make the masquerade parties more

popular. If we are dying to ask for candies, then declare the National

Sweets Day in which all the family participates doing our regional sweets

like "ilustrados", meringue cookies, hard candies, "sobados", crystallized

fruits, sweet vegetables in syrup, barber poles and candies to exchange in

the neighborhood, church, school so on. If you are a Costarrican who lives

outside Costa Rica, you don't have any obligation to celebrate this

no-Costarrican custom. If you are in Costa Rica, either.

Ana Zahler xiyvza@hotmail.com

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