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There's no doubt about it, we're a nation divided. Those who say "no" scoff at those who say "yes". Those who say "yes" are enthusiastic, generally younger, and in the minority.
"It's crap," sneer the naysayers, with erudition worthy of Tony Abbott.
"There's no harm in it," the "yes" camp says. "It brings the community together."
No, I'm not talking about the Voice referendum. Rather, Halloween, and the annual debate which erupts in October with the regularity of a metronome.
I used to be firmly in the "no" camp, believing it was another American cultural import we didn't need. That was until some years ago, when two little ghosts knocked on the front door. The sight of the munchkins in bed sheets terrified the dogs, whose furious barking was enough to wake the dead. The ghosts fled screaming and we collapsed on the floor in gales of laughter.
Composure restored and looking outside a little later, I was struck by how refreshing it was to see kids out in the street - witches, goblins, monsters and giant spiders - meeting their neighbours and having a stack of fun. No harm in that, surely. And no matter that the celebration many think is an American invention had washed up on our shores.
Fast-forward to yesterday's meeting with the national digital news team where the subject arose. Apart from one boo-humbug, Halloween got an enthusiastic thumbs-up. One of the younger team members even ventured that she enjoyed it more than Christmas.
While there's no doubt Halloween is a huge money spinner in the US - an estimated $US12.3 billion this year, compared to $500 million in Australia - its origins are not, as the "no" camp so often argues, American.
According to an article on the Library of Congress website, "the Halloween holiday has its roots in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (a Gaelic word pronounced "SAH-win"), a pagan religious celebration to welcome the harvest at the end of summer, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts". And those carved pumpkins we know as jack-o'-lanterns? That tradition originated in Ireland.
Of course, here in the southern hemisphere, Halloween falls in spring just as Easter, with its rabbits and eggs and symbols of fecundity, arrives in our harvest season. And many of us still endure the Christmas feast tradition - designed for a cold winter night - of turkey, ham and pudding. We have no problem importing Easter and Christmas (although hot cross buns put out for sale just after Boxing Day are hard to stomach) but somehow the diehards refuse to countenance Halloween.
While I won't be carving pumpkins or bedecking the house in fake cobwebs and witches' hats, there's no way I'll deny any little ghosts who turn up at the front door their treats - or their fun. But trick-or-treaters be warned. Billy the border collie has a bark much more fearsome than the retrievers who raised hell at the sight of those bed sheets all those years ago.
HAVE YOUR SAY: When it comes to Halloween, are you in the "yes" camp? Or the "no" camp? And when it comes to Christmas, are you a turkey-ham-and-pudding traditionalist or have you altered the menu to reflect the season? Email us: echidna@theechidna.com.au
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- As concerns mount that the Israel-Hamas conflict could drive a sustained increase in global fuel prices, the Reserve Bank is prepared to raise interest rates further, possibly as soon as next month, after declaring it had "low tolerance" for any delay in bringing inflation down.
- Australia's winter crop production is expected to drop by almost a quarter this financial year amid drier conditions. Rabobank's 2023/24 Australian winter crop forecast is predicting 48.72 million tonnes this year, that's down by 24 per cent on last season's record-breaking 63.85 million tonne national crop.
- Anthony Albanese is "very hopeful" a trade dispute with China over Australian wine will be resolved, after a report was handed down by the World Trade Organisation. It is understood a report into Australia's complaint about Beijing's punitive tariffs has been given to both sides.
THEY SAID IT: "If human beings had genuine courage, they'd wear their costumes every day of the year, not just on Halloween." - Douglas Coupland
YOU SAID IT: Instead of welcoming visitors to Australia, Sydney Airport offers an endurance test after long flights.
Ian writes: "My kelpie, Tilly, was most upset that you should demean her breed by likening it to officialdom at Sydney Airport. The organisation and movement of massive numbers of people through a facility such as an airport are inevitably going to be uncomfortable to passengers. Mind you, some airports minimise this discomfort by providing reasonable baggage handling times, good signage, and courteous staff. An environment that provides lots of greenery and space to sit down really helps too. Sydney Airport is pretty ordinary in its amenity being no worse nor any better than most airports I've been through in the world. But a few airports like Singapore Airport do manage to make things significantly more comfortable for arriving and departing passengers and I appreciate that."
"Welcome back, John, we've missed you," writes Allan. "One of the most bizarre things to come out of the recent Senate committee on aviation matters was hearing the robber baron monopoly airports like Sydney sanctimoniously criticising their biggest customer Qantas. Never a finer example of the pot calling the kettle black. Bring on Western Sydney Airport!"
Pat writes: "I still recall the pleasure of my first (and sadly only) trip to PNG circa 2010, when first-up I was met by the smiling face of an Indigenous airport official who welcomed me with great enthusiasm and positive questions regarding my visit to his country. His welcome was a highlight of my visit and still gives me a positive vibe."
"It's all bad," writes John from Yallingup, WA. "Sydney's no worse than all the other capitals. One can only wonder how we could encourage tourism with such a nasty welcome. It's the Border Force attitude. Hostile, overbearing, unfriendly, suspicious. Like we're all criminals, illegals, terrorists. Or worse ... Even for Australians, let alone aliens. Much worse than almost anywhere else I've ever been."
Cass writes: "Arriving at Sydney Airport, on a return from India a decade ago, I witnessed a disgraceful performance from a customs officer. Having identified an elderly couple who were not Australian and in the wrong queue, and whose grasp of English was clearly limited, she berated, belittled and harangued them in the direction she wished them to go. It could have been done so much differently, with far less effort and energy involved."
Ann's experience at San Francisco Airport was also unpleasant: "Less than two months ago, I had to wait in a crawling line for 50 minutes before I got my turn with a surly US Border Protection official. I'm 75 years old and my legs hurt. They hurt even more after standing for 50 minutes."
Tony writes: "At Miami airport in 2016 I was appalled to see people, mainly men, standing on platforms shouting at passengers. By the time people arrived at the security desk many of them were a quivering mess. I was in a wheelchair so was a little protected, or so I thought. They made me take off my shoes and took away my walking stick then tried to walk me unsupported through the scanner. When I stumbled and brushed against the machine they screamed at me. I have family in the US but have vowed to never go back. Madrid on the other hand could not have been more helpful. One official repacked my bag for me. When I thanked her she said, 'It's my job.'"
"Spot on and the customs officers are the worst," writes Wong. "They seemed to be targeting East Asians deliberately. I have been through hell and high water and even when I declared my professional affiliation, they would still be rude and condescending, asking me questions to test my credibility while they ransacked my luggage every time I returned to Sydney. This usually takes a long time to be processed."