Halloween is not much of a thing here. In fact the only knowledge of it is the worst kind. People in Panama City celebrate it more or less the way we do, but what appears on the news (and what arrives to the middle of nowhere) are the few incidents of people causing trouble in a cemetery or young men asking an old lady for candy, then robbing and killing the poor old woman. So unfortunately, it seems Halloween is associated with devil worship and all other superstitions, and general violence and tomfoolery. Sadly, I didn't get any support in doing an activity at school, or even so much as a short English lesson about Halloween.
However, I had a bit of fun at home. I had my Mom send me candy and other Halloween things (spider rings, pencils, etc.), which I used to make Halloween goodie bags. Then I announced to all my Elementary school kids that I would be having a little "cultural exchange" at my house, where I'd teach about trick-or-treating and pass out candy. The educational aspect sort of fell by the wayside, but it was a success nonetheless!
The decorations are a bit lackluster, but I think it was just enough to let people know that it was no ordinary day.
The kids enjoyed the goodie bags, although it led to a lesson in proper disposal of garbage. They LOVED the Batman mask I bought as part of a Halloween costume. They all wanted to try it on and run around as Batman.
The same kids who are often too shy to even attempt to answer questions in class are yelling for me to take picture after picture in endless silly poses. And I was more than willing to oblige.
Included in the goodie bags were temporary tattoos, with phrases like, Gimme candy!, Boo!, and Trick or treat! There were a bunch of other typical Halloween images, which the kids most likely had to explain to their superstitious parents. "What are you doing with a tattoo of a ghost? You know that's sacreligious..."
Notice the door is closed. No kids allowed in the sanctuary. However, the porch was a funhouse for a few hours. Everyone really enjoyed their "HopiHalouin!"
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