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Will Halloween Be Cancelled?

(68 Posts)
vegansrock Sun 13-Sep-20 10:13:10

Quite a discussion going on - lots of parental angst about depriving their little darlings the joy of collecting a years worth of Haribos this Halloween.. Lets hope they are encouraged to stick to dressing up in their own homes and not wander around knocking at compete strangers houses and rummaging their grubby little mitts through sticky sweets.

Calendargirl Sun 13-Sep-20 10:37:03

In answer to original post, yes, hopefully.

One good thing to come out of the pandemic.

Barmeyoldbat Sun 13-Sep-20 10:39:37

Yes hopefully it will be cancelled. Also what about firework night? No community bonfires and fireworks I expect but its a small price to pay for keeping safe.

Ellianne Sun 13-Sep-20 10:41:45

And New Year's Eve along The Thames?

The list goes on.

Grandmabatty Sun 13-Sep-20 10:42:41

I get a kick out of seeing little ones dressed up, excited and ready to do their party piece. I always made up little bags with fruit and monkey nuts and a couple of sweets. I miss that as my children are grown and dgs is too small yet. I like to celebrate the different seasons and occasions. But it's guising, not trick or treat where I live! ☺

felice Sun 13-Sep-20 10:46:02

None of these Festivals will be "cancelled" they will just be celebrated or not in different ways.
1st of November is a public holiday here, when families leave pots of flowers on the graves of loved ones. No need to cancel that.
Christmas will still be Christmas just celebrated in a different style.
It is different in every culture anyway.

geekesse Sun 13-Sep-20 10:52:31

Cancelled? I wish it had never been imported. Demanding goods with menaces, which is what trick-or-treating boils down to, is illegal, and I cannot for the life of me see why otherwise responsible parents encourage it.

Nannan2 Sun 13-Sep-20 10:53:41

Yes, everything will be cancelled if theres any sense, halloween, bonfires, christmas, new year! Life as we know it, all gone, even 2 world wars didnt manage to stop most of it!(except anything involving bright lights obviously, due to blackout!) But yet nothings now same, due to (probably)market traders?&yet they haven't abolished outdoor markets! Amazed!??

Nannan2 Sun 13-Sep-20 10:57:05

Can just have indoors as a little party i would say, only, no we cant, Boris has banned that too if more than 6!

Nannan2 Sun 13-Sep-20 10:59:51

Yet we can still go to work/ schools/colleges etc wheres theres lots of other folk!?

Maggiemaybe Sun 13-Sep-20 11:53:20

I doubt many will be wandering the streets knocking for sweets, and the local Hallowe’en shop trail we usually enjoy doing with the grandsons is already cancelled, but I hope that it’ll still be celebrated in some form, along with all the other high days and holidays coming up. I’m sure I’ll be digging out the spooky lights, cobwebs and broomsticks, and decorating the windows as we always do. And DH has carefully nurtured six pumpkins in the allotment for the boys, and one for us, so there’ll still be some artistic carving going on.

Children have missed out on a lot this year, I for one wouldn’t take any pleasure in them having every bit of fun taken away.

ExD Sun 13-Sep-20 11:59:46

It was a stupid idea copying the USA over this. I suppose they didn't have the pre-winter celebration that we have as bonfire night so had to invent something to take its place.
I don't know what was worst - seeing the doting parents escorting their greedy offspring demanding sweets from strangers, or watching the teens and 20s dressing in unsuitable clothes and getting off their heads on drink and goodness knows what!
I hope these silly celebrations stop and never come back.
Isn't it a religious festival anyway? Remembering people who have died? (perhaps someone could explain?)

Septimia Sun 13-Sep-20 12:02:57

Hallowe'en maybe, but it's impossible to cancel Christmas.

There will still be services, even if they have to be online, and people will celebrate in their homes and with anyone they're allowed to visit.

I'm in the process of working out how we might have a carol service and nativity play outside even if we still can't sing. And Remembrance Day will be happening here as it will also be outside, even if we have to stand a long way apart. Due care will be taken for everyone's safety in both cases.

Callistemon Sun 13-Sep-20 12:14:17

Isn't it a religious festival anyway? Remembering people who have died? (perhaps someone could explain?)

Yea, 31st October is All Hallows Eve.
It was a pagan festival, Samhain.
1st November is All Saints Day, and 2nd November is All Souls Day.

Perhaps getting back to some traditional pastimes like apple bobbing, pin the spider on the web or tail on a black cat, pumpkin carving etc might be a good idea instead of trailing the streets dressed up like ghouls.

Callistemon Sun 13-Sep-20 12:14:48

Yes, not Yea!!
Sorry.

Callistemon Sun 13-Sep-20 12:17:59

Children have missed out on a lot this year, I for one wouldn’t take any pleasure in them having every bit of fun taken away.

Maggiemaybe yes, quite right.

And why cancel these things when they can so easily be adapted and possibly for the better, getting back to more traditional ways instead of the commercialism that had taken over.

GrannyGravy13 Sun 13-Sep-20 12:20:29

I think that the children have suffered enough this year and anything that can bring a smile to their faces and take their minds off of Covid-19 should be encouraged in a Covid secure way. ??

Callistemon Sun 13-Sep-20 12:20:59

so had to invent something to take its place.

Did none of you celebrate Hallowe'en in some way when you were children? Not in the way that it has become now but certainly we did over 60 years ago.

GrannyGravy13 Sun 13-Sep-20 12:21:26

Agree Callistemon

Calendargirl Sun 13-Sep-20 12:25:26

Septimia

Hallowe'en maybe, but it's impossible to cancel Christmas.

There will still be services, even if they have to be online, and people will celebrate in their homes and with anyone they're allowed to visit.

I'm in the process of working out how we might have a carol service and nativity play outside even if we still can't sing. And Remembrance Day will be happening here as it will also be outside, even if we have to stand a long way apart. Due care will be taken for everyone's safety in both cases.

There’s talk about having a drive-in carol service at our village church, probably in a farm yard. People can sit in their cars with the window down, the vicar could have a speaker system set up with microphone, and readings, music etc.

I suppose if you are in your car, you could sing?

vegansrock Sun 13-Sep-20 12:25:51

The purchase of container loads of plastic Chinese tat and trawling the streets demanding sweets is one aspect of “fun“ we can easily do without.

Maggiemaybe Sun 13-Sep-20 12:29:42

We have the Hallowe’en discussion on GN every year, don’t we? And it always turns a bit anti-American, then our American members (rightly) object. It’s like Groundhog Day (another American invention grin).

We used to do all the traditional stuff you mention, Callistemon and it was great. Though we had to carve ruddy turnips, not pumpkins - it was a health and safety nightmare and they stank to high heaven when they were lit.

Then on Mischief Night the following week we trailed round the streets getting up to a lot more than the young ‘uns do now. grin

Callistemon Sun 13-Sep-20 12:34:13

I agree, but there is no need to cancel it all, vegansrock.

In our village the children do not go trawling the streets demanding sweets.

They did go with parents and only to those houses with a lantern shining to show they were welcome.
They did not demand.

Perhaps you'd like fun banned altogether.
Bah, humbug!

Callistemon Sun 13-Sep-20 12:35:59

I'd never heard of Mischief Night Maggiemaybe
What did I miss out on?

Starblaze Sun 13-Sep-20 12:43:20

It hasn't been cancelled in this house, my little late baby will be disappointed we aren't going trick or treating, he is only 6. I thought we could decorate and play hunt the sweet and still do hot chocolate and marshmallows.

We have a policy in our village. Only the houses with a pumpkin outside get visited. Everyone is always respectful of it.