Halloween becoming popular in Germany

[scareviewzombies.com]

http://www.spiegel.de/international/zei ... 31005.html

[Pumpkin_Man]

Sweet or Sour, hun? That sounds like a plan to me. I wish Halloween would be a popular holiday all over the world.

Mike

[scareviewzombies.com]

Could you imagine getting 1000 TOTs at your door step on Halloween? Thats amazing I heard Halloween in popular in Japan and growing in Australia as well

[Pumpkin_Man]

I could never afford that many ToT ers. I wouldn't mind 90 or 100, though.

Mike

[johnsoneliza52]

we are the ones who have 240+ every year. I can't imagine a thousand! What freakin' fun, though!!

[Pumpkin_Man]

I have no doubt that would be fun, but if I routinely got 100 plus ToTers every Halloween, I would have to give out the cheapest, lowest quality candy I could get my hands on. I get a lot of ToTers where I live, because my town is one of only a handful in my area that hasn't put an all out ban on the tradition, so ToTers from other towns come to Dwight to ToT.

Michael

[scareviewzombies.com]

we are the ones who have 240+ every year. I can't imagine a thousand! What freakin' fun, though!!

240+ is an amazing number

[Pumpkin_Man]

The most I ever got was about 100 give or take. It tapered off last year a bit, though. The weather was pretty foul so a lot of parents didn't let their kids ToT so they wouldn't get sick and miss school.

Mike

[Murfreesboro]

Interesting article. I can understand people in other countries resisting "Americanization," since everyone likes his/her own traditions. It made me cringe a bit to read the anti-Halloween statements from that Lutheran lady, though. My husband's family is Lutheran, and my children have been raised in that church. I know first-hand how touchy they can get when Halloween starts to supplant their "Reformation Day." You know, Martin Luther tacked his 95 Theses on the door of the cathedral on Halloween. That was not an accident, I'm sure. I've made sure my kids celebrate Halloween, though.

[MauEvig]

I think it's good to celebrate Halloween, but I always thought that some traditions already started in Europe didn't they? I'm pretty sure the pumpkin is an American thing though.
I think Japan has already incorporated Halloween and Christmas into their culture (though they view Christmas much differently than we do)
I mean, most Americans gladly embrace other cultures and I happen to be one of those people who find other cultures fascinating, what's wrong with other countries embracing American culture in return?
The religious aspect I can understand, and there are people even here in the states that reject Halloween for religious reasons. It's silly, but that's just how some people are. The fact that we get a night to poke fun at death I think is good for our minds and souls.

[Pumpkin_Man]

Halloween was oroginaly started by the druids of ancient Ireland before their conversion to Christianity. Other cultures practiced a simular observation as well. As for pumpkins, the reason why they are an American tradition is because pumpkins are indigidious to North America. I'm sure they are grown in other countries now a days, but originaly they where discovered in America, and where native to America.

Mike

[Kolchak]

Now the Germans will want to introduce Halloween to Poland and the Sudetenland!

[Murfreesboro]

It's funny that the Germans regard Halloween as being such a foreign holiday. I'm certain that much of what we regard as vintage Halloween decor (from the '20s & '30s) was manufactured in Germany. I guess that was on a par with the Chinese making our Christmas ornaments today.

I think the Germans have their own spooky traditions, like Walpurgisnacht, which happens in April, right? The night before May Day, perhaps? That's probably more of a German Catholic thing, though. The northern part of Germany is traditionally Protestant.

[MauEvig]

I wouldn't mind learning about spooky traditions in other countries! Maybe a spooky holiday in the Spring would be kind of nice to hold us over until fall rolls around.

But then again, there's always Ghostmas. lol.

[Pumpkin_Man]

I'm pretty sure that Germany has it's own share of werewolf lore as well as vampire lore and haunted places.

Mike