Halloween

About the event:

Halloween, the sweet filled celebration of all things spooky has changed significantly since its inception. Originally called All Hallows Eve, it was a Christian ‘vigil day’ that happened before All Hallows Day - a day to commemorate all of Christianity’s saints and martyrs. Possibly coinciding with the European pagan tradition of honouring the dead at the start of winter, the day evolved into a commemoration of the death of Christian martyrs and those who had recently died. From that point it has morphed into the secular festivities we see today- although some Christian communities still observe it as a day to honour the dead. 

How to approach it:

Halloween is a great day of fun for everyone and students will likely be familiar with what it involves. A good idea for this day is to try and incorporate as many fun sustainable themes as possible. The main downside of Halloween (and other modern holidays) is the focus on the overconsumption and waste of cheap, industrially manufactured goods. This is an opportunity to show that all the fun of modern life can be had with slight adjustments to our celebrations.

Some good ideas here are sustainable, recycled costumes made from old clothes, household items and craft supplies. With this, show that you can be more original and expressive with hand-made costumes at the same time as introducing concepts of recycling and sustainable material use. Pumpkin carving is a good option (even better if you grow your own!), especially if you make some pumpkin soup or pumpkin pie afterwards. This introduces the important value of making use of everything we have and shows that, if we live in the right way, most things we consider as ‘waste’ can be made into something wonderful.