Just a few days ago we rejoiced in a well-celebrated holiday: Halloween. Scary ghouls and smiling pumpkins greet you on the streets as you make your way past houses draped in cobwebs and caution tape. We fill our bellies with candy and pumpkin seeds then pretend to be sick from school or work the next day. This seems to be the repeating pattern throughout most holidays such as Christmas, New Year’s Eve, even St. Patrick’s Day for some. Holidays have become part of the tradition for most North-Americans, and on the top 10 list of things we would never want to hear, “Christmas has been cancelled” is definitely one of them.
But what if Halloween were to be cancelled? Would we care? Could we so easily trash our costumes and abandon our chocolates? For the children of Port Colborne’s McKay Public School in Ontario, the decision was not theirs to make.
According to the school, not every religion or culture practices Halloween, and for these reasons are not able to participate in the one day masquerade. Seeing this as unfair, it was declared that Halloween was cancelled for all the children of this school. Now being referred to as “Spirit Day”, the children were recommended to wear black and orange clothing in celebration.
(For more information on this story, visit this article.)
As a fairly multicultural and inclusive country, Canada works hard to protect the rights and interests of all religious and cultural parties. Understandable. Though, are we taking it too far? Should anyone be allowed to say that it’s “all or nothing”? It can become distressing when everyone else is clad in a cape and you are left to your religious boundaries, and one party must make the accommodations. In this case, several more children are missing out on the wonderful opportunity to express their passion for a holiday that has been celebrated for generations past. Has the school gone too far, or was this the right course of action to maintain equality among all?
What do you think?
