캐나다에는 다문화 사회가 있고 할로윈은 새로운 이민자,소수민족 세대에 걸쳐 이곳에  사람들  모든 사람들이 함께   있는 특정종교에 상관없는 기념일  하나이다.”
Diane Brisebois소매 위원회 회장  CEO

만약 여러분이 북미에서 자라고 어린 시절을 내지 않았다면할로윈이 얼마나 많은 사람들에게  의미가 있는지 진정으로 이해하기 어려울  있다젊은이들과 노인들은 할로윈 전통에 대해 강한 감상적인 감정을 가지고 있다할로윈은 10 31일이지만어린이와 청소년들은 그보다 훨씬 일찍 그들의 의상에 대해 이야기하고 계획을 세우기 시작하고어른들은 할로윈 파티를 계획하기 시작한다그것은 또한 미국에서 올해 74 달러에 달할 것으로 예상되는 할로윈 의상장식사탕에 대한 소비자 지출로 경제에  활력을 준다그러나 북미인들에게 할로윈은 호박 조각trick or treat의상그리고 모든 곳의 검정과 오렌지 장식 이상을 의미한다.  사실 이렇게 이상한 명절로 보이는 것은   깊은 이점이 있다.  

UC 버클리 심리학자 Dacher Keltner 할로윈처럼 의상과 사탕을 축하하는 의식이 있는 휴일은 사람들을  행복하고 건강하게 만들  있다고 믿는다아래는 발표된 할로윈의 4가지 혜택의 목록이 있다매거진(2013) 

  1. 할로윈은 의식이고 의식은 우리를 하나로 묶어주는 것이다.
    연구는 가까운 사회적 연계가 사람들을  행복하고 친절하고 건강하게 만든다는 것을 보여준다부모가 집집마다 아이들을 데리고 다니며 사탕을 받는 것은 이웃을 알아가는 좋은 방법이다경험을 공유해 사람들을  가까이 다가가게 하는 특별한 무언가가 있고모든 사람들은 아이들의 얼굴에서 행복과 흥분을 보는 것을 즐긴다밤에 사탕을 나눠주는 것도 약간의 달콤함을 더한다할로윈에는 아이가 trick or treating을 위해 다른 아이들과 함께  , 그는 이웃의  공동체로 느낀다. 

 

  1. 우리는 사탕이 필요해.
    다크 초콜릿을 매일 1온스씩 먹는 것은 심혈관 질환의 위험을 줄이고 엔돌핀과 세로토닌 같은 화학물질을 증가시키는 것으로 증명되었다또한 어른들도 사탕을 필요로 한다하지만아이들은 그것이  필요한  같다아이들이 장난을 치거나 치료를 받고 집에 돌아오면 흥분해서 가방을 내팽개쳐 사탕을 세고 분류하는데 사탕이 어린 시절의 ‘보편 화폐라고 말하는 사람도 있다어떤 아이들은 조심스럽게 사탕을 분류하고 그것을 오래 보관하는것을 하고 어떤 아이들은 모든 사탕을 이틀 안에  먹는다할로윈은 부모님들이 사탕을 금지하는 엄격한 규칙을 느슨하게 하는 일년   뿐인 시간이기 때문에  어린이들은 할로윈을 더욱 특별하게 느낀다캐나다 통계청은 캐나다인들이 할로윈 저녁에 배포하기 위해  4 달러 상당의 캔디를 구입하는 것을 보여준다. 
    3. 우리는 사실 안전하고 적당한 수준의 스트레스를 좋아한다.
     가지 종류의 스트레스가 있다매우 어렵고 위험한 상황에서 오는 부정적인 종류의 스트레스와  결과로 생기는 긍정적인 종류의 스트레스가 있다할로 모든 사람들이 서둘러 의상 준비를 하고장식하고나눠줄 사탕을 산다모든 사람들은  의식을 올바르게 해야 한다는 압박감을 느끼고 때로는 그것이 스트레스를 주기도 하지만 자극적인 방법으로도   있다할로윈은 또한 무서운 의상어둠으스스한 잭오랜턴그리고 사탕을 얻기  문을 두드리는  같은  무서운 측면으로 약간의 스트레스를 준다중요한 점은 할로윈 준비로 인한 스트레스가 활력을 주고 신나고 건강에 좋다는 것이다.
    4. 흉내를 내야 .
    할로윈은 학생들이 어떤 의상을 입을지 생각해   창의력을 발휘하고 상상력을 발휘하는 운동을 하게 하고부모들은 아이들을 어떻게 꾸밀지 고민 다른 이점은 다른 등장인물을 연기할  있는 점인데 이러한 기회들이 젊은이들에게 실제 삶을 위해 연습하는데 도움을    다른 행동을 시도해 볼수 있는 기회를 준다는 것이다Oregon 대학의 심리학자 Marjorie Taylor 아이들이 종종 사악하고비열하고심지어 폭력적인 일을 하는 척하는 등장인물들을 만든다는 것을 발견했다. “행동하기 전에 일을 깊이 생각하는 어른들처럼이것은 아이들이 현실에서 상황을 마주하기 전에 끝까지 해낼  있는 기회를 준다 Taylor 말한다. “뭔가 귀찮게 굴면당신은 그것을 통제하거나 가장하는 세상에서 조종할  있다그것이 정서적으로 숙달력을 키우는 방법이지요.” 궁극적으로 할로윈의 장난스러움은 우리가 인생에서 정말로 무서운 것들을 준비하는데 도움을 준다Trick-or-treat 매년 우리가 두려움을 직면하는데 필요한 감정적 힘을 키울  있는 기회. 

할로윈은 노는 것이 목적인 희귀한 휴일이다확실히위의 리스트에서 Keltner박사가 설명한 것처럼  깊은 이점이  가지 있지만궁극적으로그것은 모든 사람들이  함께 철없이 즐기고  일상 생활의 걱정을 잊어버릴  있는 기회다. 

 

최근젊은이들은 BC 안전한지 확인하기 위해 특별한 예방책을 가지고 Trick-or-treat과  할로윈 활동들을 허락할 것이라는 소식을 듣고 안도했다. 

팬더믹 시기의 할로에는 모든 것이 다를 것이다나는 정말로 바깥에 있는 작은 그룹들에 대해 생각해  필요가 있다고 생각한다누군가가 여러분의 집에 들어오는 것이 아니라 아마도 이웃들이 아이들을 위해 미리 포장된 사탕을 가지고 진입로 끝에 있는 곳에서 일을 하도록 하는 것이 필요할 것이다.”
Bonnie Henry 박사, BC 공공보건담당관 

 

 

The Deeper Benefits of Hallowe’en 

 

“Canada has a multicultural society and Halloween is one of those non-denominational celebrations that everyone — new immigrants, visible minorities, people who have been here for generations — can do together.” 

Diane Brisebois, the Retail Council’s President, and CEO 

 

If you have not grown up in and spent your entire childhood in North America, it can be difficult to truly comprehend how much Halloween means to so many people. Young and old have strong sentimental feelings for the Halloween traditions. Halloween is on October 31, but children and teenagers start talking about and planning their costumes much earlier than that, while adults begin planning Halloween parties. It also gives a big boost to the economy with consumer spending on Halloween costumes, decorations and candy expected to reach US $7.4 billion this year in the U.S. However, for North Americans, Halloween is so much more than carved pumpkins, trick or treating, costumes, and black and orange decorations everywhere. In fact, what appears to be a strange holiday has some deeper benefits.  

UC Berkeley psychologist Dacher Keltner believes that holidays like Halloween with rituals celebrating costumes and candy can make people happier and healthier. Here is his list of four benefits of Halloween that was published in Yes! Magazine (2013).  

  1. It’s a ritual and rituals keep us together.

Research shows that improved social connections make people happier, kinder and healthier. Having parents escorting their children door to door while trick-or-treating is a great way to get to know he neighbours. There is something special about sharing an experience to bring people closer, and everyone enjoys seeing the happiness and excitement on the children’s faces. The handing out of candy on this night also adds some sweetness to the occasion. When a child joins other children in trick or treating during Halloween, he feels a part of the neighbourhood. 

  1. We need candy.

Eating an ounce of dark chocolate every day has been proven to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and increase mood enhancing chemicals like endorphins and serotonin. Therefore, even adults need candy! However, children seem to need it more. When children return home from trick or treating, they excitedly dump out their bag to count and sort their candy, which some say is the ‘universal currency’ of childhood. Some are good at carefully rationing their candy and making it last a long time and others just eat it all in a couple of days. Halloween is the one time of year that parents loosen up their strict rules prohibiting candy and this rare occurrence of unlimited candy makes Halloween even more special for children. Statistics Canada show that Canadians purchase approximately $400 million worth of Candy for distributing on Halloween evening.  

  1. We actually like safe, moderate levels of stress.

There are two kinds of stress: the negative kind that results from very difficult and dangerous situations and then there is the positive kind of stress that comes as the result exciting events. Halloween has everyone rushing around making costume preparations, decorating and buying candy to give out. Everyone feels pressure to do the rituals correctly and sometimes that can be stressful, but in a more stimulating way. Halloween also gives a little bit of stress from its scarier side of things: the frightening costumes, the darkness, the eerie Jack-o-lanterns and the knocking on doors for candy. The important point is that the stress of Halloween preparations is energizing and exciting and good for the health. 

  1. We need to pretend.

Halloween gives students a yearly exercise in creativity and using their imagination as they think about what costume they are going to wear, and their parents figure out how they are going to decorate. Another benefit is that these chances to role-play other characters gives young people a chance to try out different types of behaviour which can help them practice for real life. University of Oregon psychologist Marjorie Taylor found that kids often create pretend characters who do sinister, mean, and even violent things. “Like adults who think things through before they act, this gives children an opportunity to play it through before they encounter the situation in real life,” Taylor once told me. “If something is bothering you, you can control it or manipulate it in the world of pretending. That’s a way of developing emotional mastery.” Ultimately, the playfulness of Halloween helps us to prepare for things that are genuinely scary in life. Trick-or-treating is a yearly opportunity to build up the emotional strength we need to face our fears. 

Halloween is a rare holiday whose only goal is to have fun. Certainly, there are some deeper benefits as described by Dr Keltner in the list above, but ultimately, it is chance for everyone to be a little silly together and forget the worries of everyday life. Recently, young people were relieved to hear that BC will allow trick-or-treating and other beloved Halloween activities to go ahead, with special precautions to ensure it is safe. 

“Hallowe’en is just going to look different like everything is looking different during this pandemic. I really think we need to think about small groups outside, not having somebody come into your house but having maybe the neighborhood doing things at the end of the driveway having pre- packaged treats for kids.”.  

Dr. Bonnie Henry, BC Public Health Officer