Ricardo's chat...

On Wednesday we made the same chat activity. The dynamics of this time change a bit as we had to talk about Halloween and the Day of the Dead. It was an extremely interesting experience as we were able to talk about these cultural issues of great importance to both countries.

Apparently Halloween is an American tradition rooted in a superficial way. People celebrate hallowen dressing up and trick or treating door to door, mostly are children, but also tend to be teenagers. At university there are costume parties where the people dance and have fun.

The guy I spoke to told me that hallowen now is actually something more commercial and superfluous, and not the religious festival that supposedly once was. Instead I talked about the Day of the Deads, which is celebrated here in Ecuador since colonial times. I talked about the "guaguas de pan" and "colada morada", the way we do and how important is for Ecuadorians.

Unfortunately, we discussed the superfluity of our celebrations now. The traditions are being lost and our children probably will not enjoy it anymore. It's a shame for both cultures (American and Ecuadorian) losing the gregariousness, become autonomous and no longer want to share more with our own people. we shall not turn our traditions into something useless and meaningless, all deserve celebration, with awareness of what they are and how much they are worth.