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 Halloween
is celebrated not only in the United States but in many other countries
as well. Here you'll find Halloween news from all over the globe,
including the U.S.A., where they really know how to get out and howl for
Halloween night! |
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Parisians Hoot
Up French Halloween!
PARIS (AP) October 1998 -- Chances are nobody in France
dressed up as Monica Lewinsky this Halloween.
The French have taken up Halloween with great enthusiasm,
filling shop windows with ghoulish masks and broomsticks, and turning their nightclubs
into haunted houses. But it's not Halloween as Americans know it. Parisians, traditionally
wary of taking inspiration from the United States, have refashioned the holiday ``a la
francaise'' -- in French style.
Instead of dressing up as movie characters or real-life
celebrities, people in France stick to the basics, like witches and goblins. Stephane
Collange, a Parisian accountant invited to an American friend's Halloween party, was
surprised to learn how people get decked out in America.
``You mean Americans dress up as anything at all?'' he said.
``Then it's just a costume party, it's not really Halloween.''
A few years
ago, Halloween was still exotic here, observed only by American students. Then when
American bars began offering Halloween festivities, it became part of Paris nightlife.
This year, Halloween came fully into the daylight. In bakeries and stores all over Paris,
counters have been covered with pumpkins, silky spider webs and ghosts, and children's
clothing stores have been full of paraphernalia. Some parents and grandparents grew tired
of opening their wallets.
``It's another import from America, another excuse to buy
things,'' said Louise Delcher, playing with her four grandchildren in a central Paris
park. ``Everything has become commercial.''
Indeed, companies said that this year, Halloween was big
business. One Parisian newspaper reported that the Halloween market in France increased
from $1.8 million last year to $18 million this year.
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Every
year, Halloween enthusiasts anxiously await the retail
industry to begin their Halloween season and see who's
first to stock products for the spooky season. Many
stores begin stocking Halloween products as early as
July! |
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