During the fall-winter period when days hold far more darkness than light, every holiday one can count the days to works kind of like a light at the end of the tunnel. People have something to wait for and celebrate. It is possible to associate various rituals with it, while playing such games helps to forget the bleakness outside, if only briefly. In the end, the names we give holidays or what they are centered around matters less than their universal function: to temporarily dismantle everyday routine and let people experience something a little more special. I've already heard Mariah Carey's beloved/hated holiday hit playing, meaning that Christmas isn't all that far away either.

But ere we get to Christmas, there's Halloween, which for many arrives like an alien capitalist ghost that thrusts its tentacles into people's brains, rips out every last shred of knowledge about Estonian folklore, cultural heritage and customs and replaces all of it with the sticky cotton candy of American pop culture. But whence this phobia? I have also spent the last month watching more horror movies and have a few pumpkin-themed knick-knacks on the mantlepiece, while I do not feel like I've been possessed by an evil spirit. I also haven't turned my back on Estonian culture, honest!

It is only natural people want to celebrate Halloween, with the whole world saturated with relevantly-themed material around this time of year. It is also clear why our traders are more than happy to jump on the bandwagon: it is the purpose of private companies to make money, including by using whatever is presently popular. While there could be less Halloween-themed junk on sale, this also applies to Valentine's Day and Christmas. While none of these holidays are free from the sin of capitalism, All Hallows' Eve always ends up taking the worst beating.

What if the campaign to suppress Halloween and shine a mandatory spotlight on mardi- and kadripäev is doing the latter a disservice? While Halloween makes no demands of people and simply unfolds each year as a cultural playground, mardipäev and kadripäev have by today become part of the folklore canon, which requires spending a day with the rulebook, before you can safely take part.

Again: folklore and traditions are great, must be honored, celebrated, written about and passed on to future generations. No one is disputing that. But perhaps mardi- and kadripäev also need a slight marketing push? Right now, the relevant campaign is focusing squarely on preservation. But doesn't that require making the tradition popular again first?

With every passing year, mardipäev and kadripäev are looking more like they belong in a museum, even though both have the potential to become holiday beacons people could eagerly look forward to again. I'm sure there are those who already do, while it's a fact this number could be greater. However, I very much doubt we have Halloween to blame for it. Has blaming things on someone or something else ever helped anyone move forward? I do not know of any examples.

Finally: do not throw your pumpkin just anywhere once Halloween ends. Instead, turn the leftovers into soup and place the shell in your biodegradables container. But most importantly, no one has to feel bad or guilty when carving a pumpkin.

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