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Home Home and Family Holidays Modern Halloween Celebrations
Modern Halloween Celebrations PDF Print E-mail
Written by Rudy Watkins   
Although Halloween has become a huge holiday commercially, and celebrations are still very popular throughout the modern world, especially in Ireland and the United States, certain concerns related to traditional Halloween activities have developed in more recent years and have thus caused some traditions to change.
by PhilSikes


Although Halloween has become a huge holiday commercially, and celebrations are still very popular throughout the modern world, especially in Ireland and the United States, certain concerns related to traditional Halloween activities have developed in more recent years and have thus caused some traditions to change.

In England, the community bon fire tradition at Halloween mostly moved to the November 5th Guy Fawkes celebrations long ago, and has largely faded elsewhere in the face of environmental concerns. Similarly, the traditional community games and fun associated with Halloween have faded in most parts of the world.

Modern health concerns have almost completely eliminated older outdoor traditions like bobbing for apples and have replaced them with modern ones like watching horror films in the home. Since community activities that involved the use of fruit and other natural items are no longer celebrated, trick-or-treating now focuses on the search for candy and sweets on a personal level by local children.

Some modern adults find the begging connotation uncomfortable, especially the suggestion of stand over tactics by threatening a trick if gifts are not given. On the other hand, some home owners go out of their way to make the collection a fun event for the children in their community. They will decorate their homes, stock up on sweets and small change, and even play along with the Halloween theme with sound effects and other ways to create a scary atmosphere. There is no denying that many children love the fun of dressing up and the "loot" they gather.

The safety of children moving from door-to-door to collect sweets and gifts from strangers in large city communities worries many parents and authorities. In some communities there is supervision and even a move to set up controlled environments where the collection takes place. As a sign of the times, even health issues have been raised about the handling and safety of unwrapped sweets.

The increase in safety concerns associated with Halloween activities has led to the decrease in charitable fund raising related to Halloween. UNICEF, which had been raising money using a Halloween related scheme, has limited such efforts since 2006.

Sad to say, trick-or-treating has led to outright vandalism in many areas, thus making people associate negative images of vandalized property with Halloween.

In some communities, Halloween has not been welcomed as a pop culture event because of the possible unpleasant results it can potentially produce.

About The Author:

Looking for kids costume ideas for Halloween? Visit the Get In Costume website for plenty of fun & creative ideas. Plus, get your free copy of my special report "The Family Guide To Halloween Safety"

Kindly provided by 4Girls.dk You are welcome to use this article on your own website, if you include this link.
 
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