Halloween

Last week at sunset I was running through the nearby park and discovered a group of kids building a large bonfire--complete with cardboard boxes and crates stacked high and flames waving violently. I was shocked at the sight, not to mentioned that there seemed to be no adult supervision, and considered asking the people I was passing along on the path what was going on, if someone should notify the authorities or something. However, passersby seemed unaffected, so I did nothing...as I continued, I found another group of kids shooting firecrackers (which I knew were illegal). Hmm...The next night in my evening run through a different park, I again found kids shooting firecrackers (with no adult supervision).

Soon I discovered that essentially every evening in October, one can hear the sound of firecrackers in the air, and very likely find a bonfire somewhere. As I type write now, there has been continual popping for a solid hour and a half--and the night is just beginning. So what's the story?

Why, Halloween of course. It is quite a festivity here--with not merely decorations throughout the month, but these activities with fire...in the streets of residential areas, all illegal (and dangerous?), mind you, but laws (in general) tend not to be enforced. There are also parades and fireworks displayed sponsored by communities/organizations, and of course trick-or-treating.

When I ask people about the meaning of this holiday, there are varied answers, including comments about the Festival of the Dead, the pagan history that dominated Ireland's past, about this being the day when the spiritual world is closest to the natural world, also being the day before the All Souls and All Saints Days celebrated in the Catholic Church, and also it being an effect of commercialization from the US.

Well, all I know is I'm feeling like it's a combination of the Fourth of July and the night before the Aggie-UT football game...