Halloween

Well, the Mexican community has now fully embraced Halloween. There were many hundreds of dressed up kids and adults out and about last night. In my 13 years here, this was by far the biggest year...

Not one doorbell ring at my house in Riberas. Glad Halloween is being loved by the kids here though.

I hate to be a "grinch" but I deplore the arrival of the NOB commerical traditions of both Halloween and Christmas. I liked it better when Nov. 1st was the Day of the Dead for children and November 2nd for all other age groups... and Christmas as a religious holiday but with Three Kings Day (January 6th) as the day for gifting the children. These were meaningful traditions when we arrived in Mexico. No chocolate or Easter bunnies then either. Sigh.

ferret wrote:I hate to be a "grinch" but I deplore the arrival of the NOB commercial traditions of both Halloween and Christmas. I liked it better when Nov. 1st was the Day of the Dead for children and November 2nd for all other age groups... and Christmas as a religious holiday but with Three Kings Day (January 6th) as the day for gifting the children. These were meaningful traditions when we arrived in Mexico. No chocolate or Easter bunnies then either. Sigh.

I feel the same. A few years back we were in Cuernavaca in late October and some businesses and homes had signs (in Spanish) urging others NOT to celebrate Halloween.

Years ago I'd give out snack packs (crackers, cookies, no candy) when I heard the yells, "Queremos Halloween!" But back then NONE of the kids were dressed in costumes. They just wanted some treats.

Nowadays I don't listen for them, don't want to encourage them.

Agree. The displays of Christmas stuff that go up in Sept. are absurd. And almost all of it is Made in China crap.
Then China is trashed for being one of the world's biggest environmental polluters, but they aren't manufacturing for the Chinese, they are pumping out this stuff for consumers all over the world.

"Yiwu, a town in Zhejiang province is the main source of the world’s Christmas decorations. This town is popular for its wholesale goods, affordable pricing and huge marketplace. Back in 2012, Yiwu had more than 750 manufacturing companies making Christmas products."

I had 62 kids in costumes and about 20 with them with out, I had 100 lollipops so have 18 left for guests to my Casa

Of all the bad stuff brought in from NOB Halloween is IMO a fun one that kids can get behind with free candy. So they get a treat once a year. Big deal. �‍�

Onve a year? Most North American kids stuff their faces with candy and other junk food all year. I've seen Mexican mothers giving 5 month olds Cocacola and lollipops.
The costume thing is fun and cool, the candy thing is not.

Not all Mexican or North American parents let kids stuff themselves with candy all the time. Halloween is one night out of the year. I loved it when I was little BECAUSE it was the one time my strict mother and her dietary restrictions loosened. She used to delight in substituting raisins for chocolate chips in cookies. 🤮🤮🤮

Yeah, we didn't have junk food in our house when I was a kid, either, and my daughters don't let their kids eat junk food.
But in Mexico, it's rampant. One of my daughters lives in southern Baja. Her son was invited to a birthday party of a Mexican classmate when he was about 5. My daughter was sitting around with the Mexican moms at the party and made a comment about all the sugar- bowls full of candy and cookies, lots of soda pop, cake, ice cream. The Mexican moms looked at her pityingly, as if she was clueless, and said, "Don't you know that sugar is an essenntial part of a child's diet?".

Diabetes a major health issue in Mexico.