Halloween traditions

Tonight Lukas suited up as The Muffin Man and joined in the age old American tradition of dressing up and begging your neighbors for candy. He loved it. He wouldn’t put down the first treat that he got and instead wrestled with the masses of candy in his tiny hands. He would not relinquish these tasty treasures to the large orange bucket that we brought for his collection. He didn’t trust his sugar stingy parents to give him back the sweets and treats and would rather drop or crush them then risk losing them to the bucket. My face hurt from smiling as I watching him proudly clomp down the street in his large boots dragging his long shiny blue cape through the leaves. Or as I saw him fearlessly climb the steps of stranger’s houses and say “more trick or treat. Please more trick or treat.” It is a kind of privilege to accompany him on this first adventure and to watch him overcome with unabashed joy, excitement and a touch of giddy confusion. Things come full circle when you pass on a tradition. Having said that, as I brought him to bed tonight I lay beside him and wondered what this holiday is truly about. I understand that it has roots in the Mexican celebration which honors the dead. From what I understand the costumes have something to do with dressing up to disguise ourselves from the spirits and maybe the sweets have something to do with gifts that we pass on to honor the dead? Honestly, I don’t really know. I could Google it but would that really change my relationship to Halloween or what my experiences have been. And honestly you can’t tell me that the kids who came to our door tonight dressed as superheroes and fairies, wielding shopping bags filled with store bought confections have any understanding or interest in the roots of this holiday. So while I proudly carve my pumpkin each year and anticipate Lukas’ future treks through the neighborhood a part of me feels saddened by the hollowness of Halloween. It is a joy to pass on this tradition but how would it feel to pass on a tradition with a deep and meaningful story and message behind it? How can I bring richness to these traditions? How can I make them special for our family? What do I want them to mean?