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| Arabia |
| Kuwait Times: This years Halloween Celebration Sort of Sucked |
| 2003-11-02 |
| Europe and other parts of western world celebrate the Halloween festival on November 1 every year. Many countries in the world, including Kuwait celebrate this festival. This festival has been passed from one culture to another, from the Roman’s Pomona Day to Celtic’s Samhain festival and Christian’s All Saints and the Souls Days. The history says that Celtics started this festival with its New Year on November 1 to mark the end of the ’season of the sun’ and the beginning of the ’season of darkness and cold’, which is known now as winter. I bet 15 years ago the Kuwaitis would have stoned anyone who decorated an X-mas tree. Said Julie Brookes, office co-ordinator at the Sultan Centre. She said that this year’s Halloween festival was not so attractive compared to the past celebrations in the country. "I think it is because this year’s festival falls in the Holy month of Ramadan. I think it is not appropriate to celebrate," she commented. Ramadan = bad for sales unless you are selling Khat to the Yemenese. The Halloween festival in Kuwait is usually filled with vibrant and colourful partying, especially in schools and western restaurants. But last night on the eve on Halloween it was a different story in one of the common places for partying. "Usually in this restaurant on the eve of Halloween, we have considerable numbers of guests from local to western nationals. But this year with due respect to the holy month of Ramadan we do not agree for such a big gimmicks and it is haram. I think the customers are not coming for Halloween. They usually visit this restaurant because of our good food and service. They also want to spend time with their friends and is attracted by our discount charges for our menus," said Muhamad Salah, manager of a restaurant. Translation - please don’t blow up our business. It was a different story for an American restaurant at a seaside. At the restaurant, the waiters and waitresses were instructed to wear the Halloween costumes. "This Halloween costume contest was not exclusive for the employees. Our guest can also join for this competition. They are actually active on joining the fun, especially the guest from western countries," said the restaurant manager on condition of anonymity. "This is not for anything else. We just want them to feel the real atmosphere of the American hospitality in a dining restaurant," he said when asked about the month of Ramadan. We tried to market Ramadan by forcing everyone to smoke in the bathroom, but that hurt bar sales. |
| Posted by:Super Hose |
| #1 After 9/11, I read that Kuwait had decided against instituting shari'a. |
| Posted by: Anonymous-not above 2003-11-2 11:30:10 PM |