America has a lot to answer for

[Alcoblog]

You mean Chinese lanterns don't come from China?

Nope! ... contrary to popular belief, Chinese lanterns come from China in Nebraska!

[*Ryan*]

Dont be such miseries! Americans are great, plus they have some great beer such as bud light!

[poppins]

I think all Americans should be added to the Name and Shame List

[callippo]

True, but the trick-or-treating and other paraphernalia that goes with it now, is almost entirely an American import. In many parts of England it meant nothing, and was ignored in favour of Guy Fawkes' Night.

 

Halloween in the British isles was always more Irish and Scottish than English. The Celtic version of trick or treating is called guising, dressing up and going door-to-door for food, especially sweets and cakes, and money - this goes back centuries.

 

You are right though, Halloween only became really popular among children at least in England from the 1980s. I know this at first hand, having spent part of my childhood in the United States, and where we went trick or treating every Halloween. Returning to England in the late 70s, we thought we'd try it there. All we got was blank stares. Later, in the 1980s mass marketing started to have an effect, and American-style Halloween props started to appear on the market. Trick or treating started to become common in England for the first time, but it wasn't anywhere near as much of a novelty in Scotland or Ireland as in England.

 

here in the Philippines, Halloween is seen as the precursor to the really important days of the dead, All Saints and All Souls Days on November 1 and 2, very important holidays in Catholic countries, but almost never observed at all in Protestant ones.

[Rupert_Baehr]

. .

[matsalleh]

Presidential elections that seem to last longer than the term itself.For some reason the BBC have to cover every minute of them.

Second cousin twice removed etc.days complete with naff cards.

Have a nice day,he/she lied with a smile/leer.

[Mr Prime]

America seems a land of stark contrast between sophisticates and dimwitted rednecks. I admire Americans like Jimmy Carter, Clinton, Obama, Kurt Cobain, Dustin Hoffman etc but I believe a lot of Americans consider them soft or unmanly or amoral etc and prefer chweing tobacco, being racist and bucking bronco's.

[Mecky]

SF strikes again

[Bulgarian]

Burgers: everywhere you go there's a burger bar to be seen.

 

How many are there in the centre of Sheffield ?

[poppins]

America seems a land of stark contrast between sophisticates and dimwitted rednecks. I admire Americans like Jimmy Carter, Clinton, Obama, Kurt Cobain, Dustin Hoffman etc but I believe a lot of Americans consider them soft or unmanly or amoral etc and prefer chweing tobacco, being racist and bucking bronco's.

 

You've been watching too many American movies Mr Prime, Theres more to the USA than Hollywood or a week at Disney World like most Brits think.