Other People's Parties

Initiated by:
• Ceit

Details

Everybody loves a party! And sometimes we see other people having parties that are better than the ones we came up with. That's why such festivities as Christmas, Halloween and St. Patrick's are global phenomena, far from their geographic and cultural origins. Or is it as simple as, "Hey, that looks like fun!"? The worldwide traditions of Christmas and Halloween, not to mention Valentines Day and Thanksgiving's bastard siblings, are based more on consumerism and some big store's bottom line than on any interest or enjoyment on the part of the people. There's no reason why you should avoid having fun and decorating your house and giving things to your loved ones if that's what you're inspired to do, but the blatant commercialization of holidays does give them a certain superficiality. Most of us are happy enough to have Christmas anywhere in the world, but there are voices of dissent, angry that the "reason for the season" has been forgotten, or never even mentioned in the exporting. On the other side of the coin, taking on traditions from less "mainstream" cultures runs the risk of being appropriation. While Día de los Muertos has gained popularity in the US and other places through natural movement of people, the Disney movie it inspired also inspired the company to try to trademark the phrase. So, where do we draw the line? It might be easier to just discuss your favorite borrowed traditions, or which ones you wish would be borrowed more widely. I like Halloween decor and Advent calanders myself. https://hanabi.asij.ac.jp/features/japans-borrowed-holidays/ https://listverse.com/2007/10/04/15-holidays-and-their-origins/ https://medium.com/@pamelahaines1/cultural-appropriation-and-the-holidays-what-is-ours-to-claim-a6e452945762