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[Bethany123]

I have do a half an hour talk about Halloween to all the chinese teachers I work with tomorrow. It's not a big deal or anything, I'm just trying to sort out exactly what I'm going to say. Halloween is a day for dead.. it's morbid and ugly. Yet it's also commercialized to be a lot of fun for the kids who dress up and go trick or treating. I almost feel embarressed to explain the real meaning of Halloween to these very conservative teachers. It won't make much sense to them to have this kind of holiday, but I have to try. Got any suggestions?

[tarzaninchina]

Qing Ming Jie, Mid-Autumn Day.... They have similarities.

Talk about the scariness of the stories, the origins of the word Hallowe'en, creatures, customs, wear a costume yourself, make a jack-o-lantern yourself....

The list is endless dude, so have a core element of Hallowe'en you want to discuss and fire away for 30 mins. Hopefully it's not one of those put-the-foreigner-on-stage-so-we-have-something-to-ridicule-them-about-afterwards kind of thing.

[vikdk]

when we introduce the subject to kids we always tell a witch story - lots of them here on the net. our is always about what a witch eats - worms, spiders, yucky stuff - not scary just good fun (ask them if they want to eat the same stuff) - so I think you can also introduce the fun element of this subject to the teachers.

[brsmith15]

Show them the movie clip from Disney's "Fantasia" that depicts Modest Mossourgski's "Night on Bare Mountain." Barring that, read them, "Tippity Witchit's Halloween." Then have them bob for dumplings.

When I've explained it, I tell them about All Saint's Day, Nov. 1. Oct 31 was the last time the evil forces (a la Darth Vader) held sway.

[KarenB]

A little late here, but maybe you'll be around next year. I usually give a hand-out about Halloween and do some games or activities with them.

1) First, most Chinese also have a "ghost day" where they believe the spirits of the dead walk. Their celebration of this day can vary, from burning candles and incense to the ancestors (so if they do walk, they'll be appeased I guess), having a special dinner, and so forth. So, you can begin by relating Halloween the the Ghost Day that most Chinese know about.

2) I tell them that in the past, people in England and other parts of Europe used to think that on the night of October 31, that the ghosts would come out. The pumkins were carved into jack-o-lanterns to keep the ghosts away from the house, and people disguised themselves so that the ghosts wouldn't recognize them.

3) I then tell them that today most Westerners don't hold these superstitions, and that it's pretty much a holiday for the children to dress up and go door to door getting candy.


Some games or activities that students enjoy at Halloween:

1) Carving a pumkin. In Hainan, pumkins aren't in season now, so we let the students carve watermelon, and then they can eat the insides (we have a box of toothpicks ready).

2) Bobbing for apples.

3) Relay race where students pass the apple down the line but they have to hold the apple with their chin (no hands allowed). If you have teenage or college students, it's lots of fun to alternate the line with boys and girls.

4) Crossword puzzles or find-the-word with Halloween words (ghost, witch, black cat, pumkin, etc.)

5) On Halloween night I give out candy to whatever students who come to my door wearing a costume.