For children, Halloween is all about the candy and the costumes.
As the holiday has morphed from its pagan origins as the harvest festival Samhain and its Christian tradition of All Hallows Eve, the emphasis has switched from spiritual to highly sweetened.
The dangers, if anything, have become more real, however. Instead of ghosts and ghouls from beyond the grave, people now worry about how sugar-crazed and costumed children will interact with traffic on darkened streets.
As revved-up revelers race from house to house, acting like sugar-guided missiles, it is important for adults -- and not just the parents of trick-or-treaters -- to be especially vigilant.
Most municipalities have designated trick-or-treat times. It is important to know these times, even for people who do not plan to grab a bag, don a mask and go house-to-house begging for candy.
Many localities have already had their fun, with Thursday being designated trick-or-treat night. Many others are holding theirs tonight.
While the junior witches and warlocks are out and about, drivers should take extra care in residential areas. Costumed kids -- whose vision may be obstructed by masks, and whose judgement may be clouded by high-fructose corn syrup -- have been known to break every pedestrian safety rule in the book. Responsible adults ought to chaperone those children and enforce some common-sense safety rules.
The American Red Cross, for example, recommends that kids leave masks at home to enhance their ability to see. They should also carry flashlights (but not candles) so they can both see and be seen. And the brighter and more reflective the costume, the better. (The list of the Red Cross's safety tips, most of which apply any time of the year, is available at www.redcross.org.)
In ancient times, Halloween signified a time when the boundaries between life and death were blurred. Tonight, however, the goal should be to keep them as concrete -- and as far apart -- as possible.
Opinion
A time for treats, not tragedy
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