How The Middle East Celebrates Halloween
By: Anthony Bayyouk / Arab America Contributing Writer
Introduction
For many of us Halloween is a fun time to dress up and spend with our family and friends .Costumes, candy, going trick N treating with friends. It is a fun little holiday in the middle of the school year. Americans are known for taking Halloween to the extreme. By start to decorating in September, and almost every house passes out candy. Costumes are not just for kids anymore, adults are invested into the holiday as well. Yet. The holiday in the Middle East is significantly different.
Halloween dates back 2000 years and originated as a pagan holiday. This is the main reason why Middle East nations cannot in good faith support the holiday. In 2014 The Hashemite Kingdom Of Jordan outlawed the celebration of Halooween. Jordaian government informed the US embassy that any Americans caught wearing a custom out in public would be arrested. The outlaw was in responce to an arsonist attract in 2012 where the local Muslim Brotherhood set fire to a cafe that was hosting a Halloween party. Although The Hashemite Kingdom its self may not be opposed to the celebrations they do not want to anger the Muslim Brotherhood’s.
Moreover, the Christians have taken a different approach to Halloween. Instead Christans in the Middle East celebrate Saint Barbra. St. Barber used to disguise herself in different costumes to escape persecution from the Romans. Although Jordan is a significant ally of the United States their ban to Halloween comes as a shock. The United Arab Emirates, which is a much more conservited Monarchy compared to Jordan, celebrates Halloween very openly. Across the Emirates people dress up, host Halloween themed parties, supermarkets sell festive decorations.
In the United States Halloween is a billion dollar industry, Americans spend 10 billion a year on the festivities. That’s more than the GDP of Gambia, South Sudan, Lesotho, and Liberia combined. Regardless of how people feel about Halloween, no one can argue that it is not beneficial to the economy. Halloween gives businesses a chance to pick up sales during the start of cold weather where people tend to stay inside more. Halloween gives people a reason to go out and spend. That might just be what their Middle Eastern nations need to slightly boost their economy. Halloween itself will bring no financial recovery to nations that are deep in billions of dollars of debt. Although, if Middle Eastern nations started to pick up more holidays like Halloween, sweetest day and maybe make some of their own holidays custom to their culture. Their economy may see a slight boost.
Halloween is a day to dress up, gets free candy and have a little celebration. It is a light hearted holiday that creates memories, and is cherished by many. Although it originated as a pagan holiday none of the same traditions are followed today. If Middle East nations want to globalize they need to accept these small holidays that show the world their effort into globalization.
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