A few random thoughts...

This kind of sums it up. A major grocery chain in Switzerland had its Christmas candy and cookie displays out at the end of September. Holidays for profit. Forget the actually meaning of them - just spend that money. According to the National Retail Federation, Americans are expected to spend 7.4 billion dollars on costumes, candy and decorations this Halloween. 

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Don't get me wrong, I love chocolate, but the treats being handed out today are pretty toxic. For more info on what the chart below actually means, click here.  I also find it interesting that towns seem to be deciding which day is Trick or Treating. I was surprised to find out my niece and nephew had already been - days before October 31st. I get the whole safety issue and that it's better on a weekend when most parents are off work and there's still daylight available. But, I wonder - do kids have any idea why we carve pumpkins or even go Trick or Treating?

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Halloween is a scary time - haunted houses and mazes and forests; creepy decorations; scary costumes… it is a fear-based event. It's a pretty interesting metaphor of how we, as a society, view death. For a lot of people, death is sad and scary and something we really don't like to talk about. Quite the contrast to Dia de los Muertos which is actually a celebration and commemoration of those who have passed. The Day of the Dead is celebrated on November 1st and 2nd with ofrendas (offerings of favorite foods, drinks and other things the deceased enjoyed), calaveras (sugar skulls), flowers, candles and music. It is a very festive time. 

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I guess as I'm getting older, I look for more meaning in things. I'm disappointed that we allow commercialism and consumerism to drive our holidays. I'm disgusted that the yummy treats we hand out are actually quite terrible for our health. I'm tired of fear and would prefer to look at life and death as a celebration. What's beautiful about all of this is just because society is heading a certain way - I don't have to join in. We all have that choice to have more meaning in our lives, to watch what we put in our bodies and to celebrate the gifts of life and death. We all have that choice to follow the mainstream or live life as we see it. So, there you have it - just some random thoughts for this week of celebrations.

Happy Samhain - Halloween - Dia de los Muertos! - Adrienne :)