Halloween and Thanksgiving for Brazilians

There are some rituals and events of American culture that need explaining to our friends and allies (if we still have any) around the world. Patricia has always been perplexed with two fall holidays we celebrate in Minnesota: Halloween and and Thanksgiving. She asked me to explain the rather strange events surrounding these two autumn rituals -- one month apart -- to our Brazilian family and friends

In my usual, without much forethought fashion, I'll jump right in and compare Halloween or "All-Hallows-Day" to the Latin American traditions Día de los Muertos or (in English) Day of the Dead when we Americans honor the dead by letting ancestors' ghosts revisit in the form of our children dressed as Hobos, Bear, Princesses, Ghosts, and Spiderman. [NOTE: I understand Brazil is not a "Latin-American" country]

Toward this end, we Americans send our kids, mostly under the age of 9, begging to neighbors and any stranger who will answer their door for treats that they will then put in their mouths. And, we tell our children if they don't get a sugary candy treat, they can do a nasty trick like TP (toilet paper) their houses, throw a stone threw a window, or take the "Welcome" matt and toss it in the gold fish pond. All I hear in response to this explanation from my amazing life-partner was: Huh? Wha...!

Okay, so Halloween with trick-or-treats, jack-o-lanterns, superhero costumes, and anti-social behavior doesn't do the best job of honoring the dead. Maybe she's right.

By way of explanation, I then provide this first-hand documentary that gets under the skin of our unique tradition called Halloween:



And then, one month later, along comes the harvest celebration of Thanksgiving and I found this short documentary essay featuring our best Hollywood actors and TV personalities to explain the touching story of Thanksgiving:



Happy Halloween and Thanksgiving to all the peoples of the world!