万圣节不仅仅是关于死亡和神灵！在西方，万圣节还是令人兴奋的，一种健康的娱乐。在幸福学堂，我们的理念是使用这些传统的活动来教授文化和历史，以及提供一个创意的氛围，探索这些传统。当我们庆祝这些好玩、有趣和有创意的节日时，我们以这些节日为机会，探索所有传统以及为什么我们这样做。
——姜悦溪 小学国际课程主任
亲爱的家庭：
我们进入了一个西方世界特殊的节日季节。未来几个月，幸福学堂英语部将为您的孩子带来许多西方传统，从万圣节开始，然后是感恩节和圣诞节。在春天，我们将分享我们的复活节传统。我觉得重要的是给你们一些这些传统的背景，以及我们如何计划将它们介绍给我们的学校，因为这些传统在西方和中国之间有些混合的理解。
自古以来，这些节日和庆祝都有代表了季节变化。随着它们的演化，经过中世纪，大的宗教机构借助这些传统并添加了新的含义来传递他们信仰的概念。事实上，许多西方人仍然欣赏、坚持这些传统的意义。当我们已经进入了现代社会时，商品化篡夺了大多数这些含义。无论如何，今天我们剩下的还是很热闹的传统，其中很多是以儿童为中心的，这就是为什么这些节日广为流行。
这让我要谈到万圣节。万圣节是爱尔兰和苏格兰凯尔特人民古老季节性传统演化的节日之一。天主教会修改了节日，以褒奖和纪念死亡的圣徒，称之为“所有的灵魂日”。当爱尔兰人移民前往美国时，他们给美国带去了他们的传统。美国人永远爱好一个好的聚会，很快就喜欢上了，这个传统终于成了一个受人喜爱的节日。
万圣节不仅仅是关于死亡和神灵！我这样说是因为当我在淘宝上搜索我们的万圣节派对装饰时，这是我看到的唯一的主题。在西方，我们的万圣节的确有令人害怕的一面。但这是令人兴奋的，也有一个目的就是检测我们对恐惧的限度，一种健康的娱乐。然而，这些是和我们深爱的轻松的、有创造性的、关爱儿童的活动保持均衡的，比如：
1.南瓜雕刻做灯笼；
2.穿着（或者自制）新的和有趣的人物的服装并扮演；
3.不给糖，就捣乱；
4.儿童游戏；
5.讲故事。
在幸福学堂，我们的理念是使用这些传统的活动来教授文化和历史，以及提供一个创意的氛围，探索这些传统。当我们庆祝这些好玩、有趣和有创意的节日时，我们以这些节日为机会，探索所有传统以及为什么我们这样做。让我们不要让商业化的做法来误导我们的思想。
家长的最后一个挑战：请考虑鼓励您的孩子选择有创造性的或者英雄角色来扮演万圣节。让我们大家展示我们的重点不是黑暗，而是给我们的社区带来希望和创造力！
节日快乐！
姜悦溪 小学国际课程主任
Dear Families,
We have entered a special holiday season in the West. The English Team will be bringing many western traditions to your children these next few months, starting with Halloween, then Thanksgiving and Christmas. In Spring, we will share our Easter traditions. I feel it is important to bring you some background to some of these traditions, and how we plan to introduce them to our school, since some of these traditions carry mixed understandings between the West and China.
Since ancient times many of these holidays and festivals marked a change of seasons. As they evolved, through the Middle Ages, the large religious institutions borrowed the traditions and added on new meanings so as to teach concepts of their faith. Indeed, many westerners still feel very attached to these more meaningful aspects of the traditions. As we have entered the modern age, commercialization has usurped most of these meanings. Regardless, today we are left with still very lively traditions, many of them very child-centered, which is why they are widely popular.
This brings me to Halloween. Halloween is one of those festivals that evolved from ancient seasonal traditions of the Celtic peoples in Ireland and Scotland. The Catholic Church modified the festival to recognize and memorialize the Saints who had died through All Souls Day. When the Irish traveled to the United States as immigrants, they brought with them their traditions, which spread to Americans. Americans, always loving a good party, caught on quickly, and the tradition eventually became a favorite holiday.
Halloween is not only about death and spirits! I say this because as I searched on Taobao for our Halloween party decorations, and that is the only thing I saw. In the West, we do have spooky aspects to Halloween. It’s exciting, and serves its own purpose of testing our limits on fear, a healthy kind of development. However, it is also equally balanced with light, creative, child-friendly activities that we love dearly:
1. Pumpkin carving to make lanterns.
2. Wearing, sometimes creating, costumes to play new and fun characters.
3. Trick-or-Treating.
4. Kids games.
5. Story-telling.
At Xingfu Academy, our philosophy is to use these traditional activities to teach culture and history as well as to provide a creative atmosphere to explore those traditions. As we celebrate these fun, interesting, and creative holidays, let’s use this as an opportunity to explore all traditions and why we do them. And, please, let us not allow the commercials to lead our thinking.
One last challenge for parents: Please consider encouraging your child to choose creative and or leading role models to dress up for Halloween. Let’s show everyone our focus is not on darkness, but on bringing hope and creativity to our communities!
Happy Holidays!
Katie Scott-Jiang Elementary International Curriculum Lead.
