The PANANOLE News: FSU-Panama Student E-Zine

     Just last month, we were invaded by the All Hallows’ Eve vibe all over again. The Student Council decorated the lounge to make it look as terrifying as an old graveyard. Students kept drawing sketches of the costumes they would wear and asking their friends for wigs to match their outfit. The search commenced for tickets for the Halloween clubbing activity of the night. All around we could see the local businesses decorating their displays with black and orange colors. Halloween had overcome us!

     Among all the commotion, I was also planning what costume I might wear. Ever since I was a child, Halloween has always caught my attention. I went to St. Mary’s School, one of the bilingual schools in Panama City, where, even if most of the students weren’t Zonians, the American Halloween vibe reached us just the same. I guess I had gotten used to the fact that Halloween was a holiday that should be celebrated, and I did all that was possible to have it that way.

     However, my parents used to tell me that Halloween was NEVER celebrated when they where young, and I got lost in those long lectures about how it was the feast of the devil. This is when I started to ask myself where this festivity had started. I do not intend to bore you all with the details of the origins of Halloween. It is clear that Halloween is part of the American culture, and in Panama we acquire the tradition because of the U.S. military bases. So, I was mainly curious to find out how Halloween had all leaked out to become part of the Panamanian culture.

     I interviewed a few Zonian friends regarding how Halloween used to be on the bases. They told me that all the neighborhoods decorated their houses to welcome the “Trick or Treaters.” They even assigned specific times for the children, so they wouldn’t have to be outside past dark. The schools organized activities for the students, and decorated the buildings. Yet, the most outstanding activity was the Haunted House in Fort Clayton’s Recreational Center. The military men and women dressed up, to help set the mood of the haunted house, and the entire center was transformed. They opened the guest doors to the base and allowed Panamanians to come in and join the celebration (and I can attest to that since I was one of them!). There was also the rumor of the teens that would throw eggs at houses, the custom that spread the fastest into the Panamanian neighborhoods.

     So while all this was happening, some Panamanians would enjoy going over and celebrating. Most of us went to the Cardenas Housing area, in little groups to Trick or Treat. Slowly, like all other American customs that have infiltrated our culture, Halloween became a quick cash opportunity for businesses and night club activities of the city, despite the Catholic Church’s attempt to stop it a few years back.

     Soon enough, I saw myself handing out candy to the “angels” and “devils” that knocked at my door, and dressing up to go and celebrate with my friends. Even though for the moment Halloween has mostly only existed in the capital, the Night of Witches has become a reality in our culture.