Halloween from a non-American Perspective - SHIM

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Halloween from a non-American Perspective

ISAC service coordinator JackieJackie Mwanjumwa, SHIM ISAC Service Coordinator

The cultural diversity here in the South Hills suburbs of Pittsburgh amazes me. As an immigrant, I love celebrating different holidays and traditions. Some holidays feel familiar while others are new and different.

One holiday that surprised me when I moved here was Halloween. I’m from the Taita tribe in Kenya. We’re from a hilly mountainous region with a rich heritage. Our culture honors ancestors with sacrifices and celebrations, valuing ceremonies that bring the community together. Sometimes we even place skulls in caves to honor our ancestors.

One thing we don’t do is display skulls outside our houses! When I first moved to America, I was shocked to see skulls on display in people’s yards and on their porches. In my culture, placing skulls on your house would be inviting black magic or witchcraft. When my parents visited me, my mom was worried that the skulls and black shadows would attract demonic spirits. She couldn’t believe people would tempt fate so brazenly! Kids in costume

Now that I’ve been here three years, I’m more used to this holiday. At first, people who dressed as wizards scared me as they resembled witch doctors who cast harmful spells. I’m still afraid of zombies, but I enjoy dressing in costume and going to Halloween parties (although I always choose a non-scary costume). While some members of my African immigrant community feel wary of Halloween, I encourage them to embrace this new holiday. The more we learn about it, the easier it is to release judgement. I like to point out that Trick-or-Treating is a lot like a tradition we have during the Christmas holiday where children visit neighbors’ houses and ‘angels’ give them gifts.

For my American friends, I try to share the perspective of my immigrant and refugee neighbors. To someone who potentially fled violence in their home country, receiving a knock on the door at night from someone in costume making demands can be quite terrifying. Additionally, sending Black and Brown children to the homes of unfamiliar white families sometimes raises concerns from my friends, because of the racial hate crimes appearing in the national media.

Part of what I like about my role as an Immigrant Services and Connections Service Coordinator at SHIM is the ability to share knowledge and bring awareness of our shared values. Both with immigrant and refugee families who I work with and with friends and family in my Pittsburgh African community, I strive to empower them to ask questions about their adopted country and to connect with local South Hills residents to learn more about local customs. I also appreciate the chance to teach my American friends about my culture, my homeland, and my African American community. We are more alike than we are different, and we benefit from sharing with one another to find mutual respect and acceptance.

Read more perspectives in our other blogs!

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