As you have now been in China for some time and know some Chinese history, you will obviously know all about The Long March and why it is dear to Chinese hearts. Imagine being back in your own country and taking your child to kindergarten. When you get there the teachers tell you that your child will be celebrating The Long March and that you have to prepare gifts and costumes to commemorate it. It is unimaginable that Western kindergarten children would be required to celebrate Chinese festivals or honour Chinese history, yet Chinese kindergarten children are expected to take part in Western festivals.

Halloween is something of a controversial festival in England as camps are divided as to its appeal. There are those that embrace it wholeheartedly, particularly shops and businesses as they are making big bucks, and on this note, I was a little confused recently when upon going into a shop saw that they had Halloween, Guy Fawkes (a festival in England held on 5th November) and Christmas goods for sale at the same time. I didn't know what month we were in. All the high street shops had Halloween window displays, even the Opticians. I asked myself "When did Halloween get so big here?"

There was an article in the newspaper quoting a politician who wants to ban shops from displaying Christmas goods too early, and in support of this somebody posted a comment about businesses to this effect "We haven't even had Halloween yet, pagans". The poster was worried that people were not giving Halloween its rightful place in the festival calendar, and it really made me laugh because Halloween is definitely a pagan festival. I, like many other Brits mistakenly thought that it was an American festival and nothing to do with us, but upon checking I was surprised to find out that the Celts used to hold a Day of the Dead festival where they dressed up in scary masks and costumes as they were afraid of the souls of the dead coming back to hurt them, so they tried to fool them into thinking that they were also dead and part of the same group. They would go from house to house asking for gifts. It was the Celts who imported this festival to America. It is for this reason that some religions try to discourage their members from participating. Because of the connection with the spirits and the dead, some religions discourage their members from taking part in Halloween.

Sometimes Westerners can manifest a certain arrogance by feeling that China needs all Western festivals. A Chinese Government official, He Youlin lamented "The sense of national identity has declined." Indeed there has been an outcry from the parents of small children in China as, to their surprise, many kindergartens forced parents to ensure their tiny tots take part in Halloween by insisting that they prepare costumes, gifts, pumpkin lanterns and various assorted scary paraphernalia.

He Youlin feels that Western festivals are flourishing in China to the detriment of Chinese ones and has therefore been vocal in calling for the Government to require schools to get students more involved in Chinese traditions and culture. He has suggested the schools get students to pay tribute to revolutionary martyrs on Tomb-Sweeping Day. He said this "They (Chinese festivals) are important ways to foster patriotism but we have ignored it".

A parent of an 11-year-old boy in Beijing said his son's school does not celebrate Western festivals, and that recently the school had organized a series of activities to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Long March, such as recitation contests and artistic performances. Note the difference in the activities being laid on, no requirement to buy gifts and costumes or ask them of anybody else.

DO CHINESE PARENTS UNDERSTAND? MAYBE….KIND OF

Apart from anything else, Chinese parents do not really understand what Halloween is all about. . One mother Ms. Feng said that she knew what Halloween was but she had never celebrated it. She also did not think it was a suitable festival for China. Having said that, she said that there was nothing bad about it, in fact she referred to it as a game and that it was a way for children to receive sweets and a good opportunity for people to interact socially. She would let her child go trick or treating and she didn't feel any pressure to celebrate it, although she had to buy some props. She did feel that Western festivals were being promoted a little too much but that Chinese people did not really bother about the real significance of them, and just looked upon them as something different to celebrate

Another mother Ms. Wang said that she knew a little bit about Halloween, namely that it is Western countries' Ghost Festival. She actually knows more than she realises because she also said that people use pumpkins to make lanterns and they dress up in costumes in order to get the right atmosphere. She felt that people celebrated festivals to find a bit of happiness in what would otherwise be a boring or flat existence. She is quite open minded because she does not care whether the festivals are Chinese or Western as long as they make people happy. When asked if she would let her child go trick or treating she said it would be better if there were other ways to celebrate "this game", such as making pumpkin lanterns, drawing pictures or something else connected with the festival. It was a good way for children to be taught about the world and was a good chance to do something that made people happy. As for Western festivals taking precedence over Chinese ones, she felt that the world was becoming a much smaller place and the boundaries and differences between China and the West were getting smaller. Lastly she said scary costumes were not suitable for very young children.

The last mother Ms. Guo interviewed knew about Halloween but did not know anything of its origins. She thought that trick or treat was a good thing that made children happy. Interestingly enough she didn't think that it was a suitable festival for China and that basically if people's lives are empty and they wanted to celebrate it, she could not stop them. She felt under pressure to take part in Halloween and that she was too old, it was too loud and she didn't have enough energy for it. If she had a choice she would not take part and if it was compulsory she would send the grandparents of her family to go in her place. When asked if she thought that too much emphasis was being placed upon Western festivals, her answer was quite telling. She said "Yes, we don't have this culture and Halloween is just another fickle demonstration of an empty soul".

Western festivals are surely a surplus import that China can do without. Will we have Tomb Sweeping Day in the West? Most definitely not, neither do I know anyone who will be celebrating Labour Day. Halloween? I don't want it, neither do most Chinese.