Saints' Days and Memories
My family does not celebrate some "typically" American holidays. In calendar order, these are Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, and Halloween. These Saints' Days have become a part of American culture, but for the most part, not in the American Orthodox Jewish community.
The most glaring omission is Halloween. "You mean your children NEVER went trick or treating?" Well, not on Oct 31. They went sukkah-hopping; walking from sukkah to sukkah on the holiday of sukkot, eating a treat in every sukkah, visiting with friends, enjoying the holiday. "No costumes?" Well we had Queens and Princes and Ninjas and bums and other assorted characters on the holiday of Purim, the celebration of the Book of Esther and the saving of the Jews from the wrath of a very nasty man. Oh and people don't collect candy/food on that holiday either -- we send it. But no, no trick or treating ever.
No shamrocks on St. Patrick's Day, no roses on Valentine's day. I didn't grow up religious. I came to it in college. There are few things I miss about my more secular days. Lobster is one. I would really like to taste lobster once more. But there aren't many. Every once in a while, I miss the symbols of childhood. Every year on Valentine's day there was a small plastic heart-shaped container of cinnamon hearts from my mother. Even when I went to college she mailed it to me. She only stopped after I was married and I explained that they weren't kosher. I miss those hearts. I miss that piece of my childhood. I miss that symbol of my mother's love.
I know she loves me. I never doubt it. But sometimes, I wish that when I came downstairs on February 14 there was a small red plastic container next to my breakfast place.
posted by Erica @ 5:56 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
It's interesting the things we give up going from a secular lifestyle to a more religious one. But I guess that's one way we show our devotion to our God (or Supreme Being or whatever a person chooses).
Yes, when I was a kid, we also celebrated Halloween (going out trick-or-treating) and exchanging valentines on February 14th. And yes, that did stop in my "grown-up" years, as life changes, beliefs change and children are introduced into the equation. But I wanted to share a cute story re. Halloween if I could.
Some 3 years ago, my family adopted a dog from a private owner -- they were giving him up for whatever reasons and had been looking for a good home for him. I guess we qualified and after some contact back and forth, we went to pick him up. He came with all the doggie accoutrements, and with a big smile his owner announced, "Here's his Halloween pirate's costume." My children were about to pipe up that we don't "celebrate" Halloween but my husband quieted them in time. When we took the dog and his bags of stuff into the car to go home, my kids announced to us, "Tyson is going to be a pirate on Purim." And wouldn't you know it, several weeks later, when it was time to deliver Mishloach Manot, my 6-year-old son wore his pirate's costume and Tyson the dog wore his, too!
Halloween or Purim costume? It didn't matter to Tyson the dog -- he was too drunk to notice! :)
What a terrific story. Thank you. One year a downstairs neighbor dressed my then 1 year old in a teddy bear costume for Halloween and took her picture. I just smiled -- it was cute! I thought at the time, what a great Purim costume, but by the time Purim came around my neighbors had moved.
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