"That's the Devil's Holiday Lauren"

A couple of weeks ago I noticed that the local small supermarket had put up the usual Halloween decorations like the life size pirate that says threatening piraty things and large mechanical spiders. Wanting a bit of time to figure out a costume I asked my Mennonite sister what they did for Halloween and received the following response, "That's the Devil's holiday Lauren! We don't celebrate that here." Despite my best attempts to tell fun stories of trick or treating with your snow suit on beneath your costume in Montreal I don't think I succeded in convincing her that I am not at all afiliated with the devil. I decided not to bring up the issue again.

So Halloween day comes and I notice that it is a pretty sensitive issue among people in Nicaragua. For days there were anti Halloween panels on television and shameless promotion of Christianity. I spoke to my confused friend Audrey who had spent 10 minutes staring at a news broadcast showing images of ocean waves with the face of Jesus fading in and out and creepy classical music in the background.

But... there seems to be another festival that takes the best of Halloween (costumes, singing, candy, general happiness). It happens on December 7th and is to celebrate the conception of the Virgin Mary. Everyone pretends they don't realize that they celebrate the birth of Jesus less than 20 days later. You go door to door and when asked what could cause you such hapiness you shout out "The Virgin Mary!!". Now this is a festival that I plan on participating in with a vengence.