rth Shore News “qor gee ase, i . ay ae . ci.” és Halloween is tomorrow night and that means a lot of different things to different people. ft can mean trick or treating and candy, pr costumes, or firecrackers. What

HALLOWEEN MEANS different things to people of different ages.

As a team of writers, we decid- ed to go out and ask a cross-sec- tion of people, from kindergarten chiidren to grandparents, the question: “What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of Halloween?”’

Children

Jennifer, 4: ‘‘My mommy and auntie helped carve my pumpkin. I’m going to be 2 hula girl with a green skirt and shell necklace. My brother Bryson is only one year old and is going to be a lion.””

Fraser, 4: ‘‘We get to have two pumpkins. Sometimes I carve pumpkins for other peonle for money.”’

Christina, 4: *tI’m going to be Minnie Mouse... | went to Disneyland on summer holidays. It was a long drive in cars. ! like all the candies, especially the healthy candies like the good chocolate.”

Kai, 5: carve the pumpkin, and it is grow- ing in our garden, and 1 drew a picture of it so | can carve it. It’s still green but has yellow dots.””

Julie, 4: “i'm four and three- quarters. 1 know what Halloween is. It is trick or treating. I like trick or treating!”

Jennifer, 4: ‘‘My friend is being an angel and has wings so she can fly and live in the sky.”’

Stephanie, 9: ‘‘I think it’s great.

‘I am going up to my Dad’s house. It’s his birthday on Halloween so we are gonna have a big party. This year | am gonna be a punk.””

Julie, 10: “i think Halloween is a fun time when you can dress up. I think that children should not eat anything that is open. You should wait for your mom to check it.”” :

David, 10: ‘I am going to walk up and down the streets. Last year, a few days before Hallow- een, a firecracker hit my leg. I was kind of scared, but Halloween is fun and it’s a celebration.’

Peter, 11: ‘It’s fun and some- times you knock on doors you get candy and chocolate bars and stuff like that. You get dressed up. I am going out with my sister’s friend Laura this year because she is taking me and the kids trick or treating.

Travis, 12: ‘When I think of Halioween, I think trouble. Going out with friends, biowing off firecrackers and getting candy from little kids.’’

Teenagers

Ongcer, 13: ‘‘Yeah, I’m excited about Halloween. Lighting off firecrackers and all the candy.”

J.P., 13: ‘Wm not going trick or treating this year. I’m too old for it. But now I can have firecrackers and stuff. i'll proba- bly hang out with my friends and the rest I can’t say because this is going into the paper.’’

Erin, 15: ‘Halloween for me is returning to the past in a way. In ancient times there were thought to be witches and ghosts of the deceased returning from the dead. Now, Halloween is reliving those moments for the enjoyment and fun of reliving our ancestral myths.””

Brian, 17; ‘“‘Halloween means to me the cleansing of my soul. As

“My dad said I can-

22 © Mahe. y

LYNN VALLEY school students carve their own Halloween pumpkin for the classroom.

the psychic waves of the physical world and the ethereal worlds clash on that day, they wash over me with the suffering of worldly passion. They beckon me _ into their own world, a world where there is no material, only the spiritual remains ... a worid dom- inated by passion and desire. I also enjoy the pumpkins. They are so big and gooshy like an orange melon.”?—.

Lauren, 17: ‘‘My most memo- rable Halloween was when | was five (years old). My baby brother was two and terrified of the costume that I was wearing, which was nothing more innocuous than that of a cat. He wouldn’t go anywhere near me until I came back three hours later with a bag full of candy. Needless to say he got over his fear of costumes real- ly quick and has been rotting his teeth out every year since.”’

Adults

Erin, 23: ‘*! would never let my kids go trick or treating with ail those wackos out there. I would like to throw my kids a costume party and buy them alf the candies they need.’’

Brian, 26: ‘‘Halioween means to me ... pumpkin seeds ... I love them, I like to eat them.”*

Joe, 33: ‘.... pumpkin pies, carving pumpkins, fireworks, firecrackers, costume parties, homemade bombs, and blowing up pumpkins. It always rains on Halloween. I like seeing little kids enjoy themselves. When I think of Halloween, 1 think of scary TV shows.””

Cathy, 39: ‘‘Forbidden firecrackers! Halloween doesn’t mean as much to me as it did when I was a kid. A lot of people now don't bother with Halloween because malls cater to kids and it’s crazy nowadays.”’

Vic, 40: ‘J don't think people get

YOUTH NEWS

imto the spirit. It has become so commercialized, tike Christ:nas. We used to get simple things like apples and go to parties. We also pulled pranks like dropping firecrackers in pumpkins, but nothing harmful. Also people used to scare you, when you went to their doors, with eerie music and costumes like a witch. Now it’s boring. We had to do a trick for a treat.’’

Emily, ’70s: ‘*... over 70 and under 80. | thoroughly enjoy see- ing the litthe ones dress up and surprisingly quite a few of them are very well mannered. It has changed considerably since I was a child. We didn’t have firecrackers of any sort and we only got apples or popcorn balls or homemade cookies when we went around. Very rarely did we get candy. We got mostly homemade treats.

‘*We used to bob for apples or have group parties: Churches, Canadian Girls in Training (CGIT), or try to get an apple hanging from a string with your hands behind your back. Then as we got older, if some neighbors wouldn’t let us play baseball in the empty lots next to them or they were just plain nasty, we ‘vould push over their outhouses on Halloween.”

So as you can see, Halloween is one day out of the year that every generation can relate to in some way or ancther. From all of us to all of you, have a happy and safe Halloween!

‘Allison Porier, Kris Tuyssu- zian, Teya Mathias and Monika Janousek. Youth Views is written cooperatively by the students of Sutherland secondary school’s video production career prepara- tion course.

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do you like Halloween?

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Photo Teya Mathias

Tips for trick or treaters

THE MOON is full — do you hear the werewolves howling?

The house at the end of the Strcet is so rickety and creepy — is that person who lives there a vampire?

You probably don't have to worry about encountering any supernatural beings this Hallow- een.

But don’t be tricked into forgetting that iots of real danger lurks.

Oct. 31 can be a scary time for the unaware.

The following tips fom the ex- perts at St. Johr.’s Ambulance will help ward off most evil omens.

For moms and dads

This Halloween, make sure the kids can see and be seen.

Masks or any other gear should allow your little monster full vi- sion. Make sure that all of your little Nirja Turtles and Bart Simpsons wear visible costumes, preferably with reflective patches.

The costume should fit or else

your Jittle Batman may have his

wings clipped when he trips over his cape.

Don't let your toddlers terrorize alone. Small children should always be accompanied by an adult.

Foggy, cold and rainy weather can create an eerie atmosphere, but if your little ones have wet clothing in this sort of weather, they will be prone to hypothermia.

Convince them that even the toughest wrestling stars and pret- tiest princesses protect themselves from the elements.

Before you let your kids gc trick or treating, sit them down

and give them these pointers:

@ Visit only the houses of people you know, Make sure you know where the nearest Block Parent is or where you can go in an emergency.

@ When crossing the street, watch for cars and bikes.

@ Walk. Don’t run.

e@ Bring a flashlight if youre planning to spook on an unlit street.

@ Finally, bring all of your goodies home. Don’t eat anything until an adult has made sure it’s OK to eat.

When your kids come home, go through their goody bag. Throw out all prepared food and candies with suspicious-looking holes or cuts in the wrappers. Slice apples open and check for pins, razor blades and other sharp objects.

For everybody

Nobody escapes Halloween.

If you’re out in your car, watch for little goblins and witches that dart out from between parked cars.

If you welcome a visit from the neighborhood ghosts, make sure that your yard, walkway and house are well-lit and free from hazards.

A pumpkin in the window will beckon the spirits, but be careful not to place the candle too close to the curtains.

St. John Ambulance teaches first aid and health promotion courses that emphasize injury prevention.

For more information, contact your local St. John Ambulance office,

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