AMD 4-- Callie Chappell

For this AMD, I read an article about the increase of Halloween in Germany:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/rise-of-halloween-culture-sees-backlash-in-germany-a-931005.html
The article was interesting because it targeted German's main 2 concerns with the holiday. Namely, its commercialization (and thus Americanization) of German culture, and its dissonance with the Protestant Church. In my opinion, both arguments are valid. As the "self-proclaimed "father of Halloween in Germany,"" notes, the holiday was originally introduced as a way for retailed to fill the gap between major holidays. However, despite its capitalist origins,  Halloween hasn't quite caught into mainstream German culture. The article mentions that most trick-or-treaters visit areas rich with ex-pats to find their candy. Additionally, I thought that it was interesting that trick-or-treating seems much more malicious. Call me naive, but I don't hear too much about the more negative aspects of trick or treating in America. I guess we prefer the "treating"! Who knows, maybe Thanksgiving will be the next American holiday to catch on in Germany.