A Child’s Halloween – What Has Culture Got to Do with It?
Halloween is celebrated on October 31 every year in the United States and Canada. The documentary on the history of Halloween provides significant insights into children’s thinking based on their understanding and beliefs of various traditions (Fire of Learning, 2019). The Halloween holiday encourages children’s creativity, illustrated through the festival costumes associated with scary monsters and the dead. Notably, children develop costumes aligned with the festival’s themes (Fire of Learning, 2019).
The children believe in the divine and supernatural. During the holiday, the children move throughout their neighborhoods, asking for soul cakes and gifts. In exchange, the children pray for people in purgatory, which Christians accept as a charity practice. The children believe that those who offer them gifts will receive good fortunes, while those who refuse to offer the gifts will receive misfortunes (Fire of Learning, 2019). The children fail to wait for divine intervention and engage in chaotic and vandalized acts toward people who fail to give them gifts. The children believed their chaotic actions aligned with what the divine would do to targeted people, including windows and bulbs smashing. The history of Halloween has its roots in beliefs on the supernatural. The children’s willingness to participate in the holiday’s play demonstrates their belief in superstitions.
Halloween promotes children’s thinking on the effectiveness of social interactions and offers a better understanding of the historical events associated with the holiday. For instance, the Christian holiday of All Saints Day depicted in the documentary alters the children’s thinking on the association of the holiday with ghosts and monsters (Fire of Learning, 2019). Children understand the essentials of cultural beliefs and practices. As noted in the TRACKS – Travel Documentaries (2020), the holiday brings children together, encouraging a sense of community and enhancing social skills.
References
Fire of Learning. (2019, October 5). History of Halloween – Documentary [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iro229V4Wss
TRACKS – Travel Documentaries. (2020, August 18). Mexico’s celebration of life: The Day of the Dead | Festivals | TRACKS [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BT0Q89itsOo
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Question
A Child’s Halloween – What Has Culture Got to Do with It
Professor instruction: Write a short account (250 words count) of a child’s Halloween or Day of the Dead experience. What does this tell you about a child’s way of thinking? (please watch videos before writing the assignment.)
Professor note: I have provided some short videos to help you understand if you are not familiar with either of these events.