Holidays

Okay, so technically September 11^th is not a holiday; but it is an important day in America.  So much has changed after that morning.  Even after all these years, I can still remember where I was and what I was doing when I heard.  But in Japan, it is just another day.  It’s okay.  Japan has its own September 11ths that I am equally ignorant of.

However, when I looked at the calendar and realized the date this morning, it got me thinking of other holidays I will miss.  I think the concept of Christmas is pretty universal at this point.  The religious significance might not carry over, but the idea of peace, presents, and Santa seem to be fairly well understood (probably even by children in remote Amazonian tribes that have never even seen a bearded fat man).  But how do you explain Halloween?  Especially to a child just learning English?

Kids, in America, one night a year, normally sane adults turn into raving lunatics and run around in masks and costumes.  Some are good.  Many are not.  It is a very scary night.

For all our similarities, there are still innumerable differences between America and Japan.  And sometimes they catch you off guard.