“Madness, take care of the children and yourself!” Needles found in candies in Latvia 0 9

A resident of Latvia, Baiba L. writes on Facebook: "Important! Today my son found a needle in Halloween candies! Yes, in Viesite!!! Parents, check the candies. Of course, we don’t know which house right here in Viesite has such villains 😡 Let’s spread the word before a tragedy happens 🤯"

Ilga B.: HORROR... a needle...

Dace A.: Maybe this will be a lesson!

Rihards P.: This is what times have come to... People are pigs...

Ainars G.: There’s no need to celebrate American Halloween! Latvians forget their own holidays!!!

Danute P.: Actually, parents should be aware of the risks before letting their children, especially very young ones, walk on dark streets and approach strangers. If children were once taught not to take sweets from strangers, now there are parents who bring their 2-year-old to the door in the dark, the child is scared and doesn’t understand why they need to stand there and beg for sweets from strangers. Responsibility starts at home!

Kalvis K.: The situation is unpleasant. My goal is not to defend or justify anyone, but this needle could have ended up in the candy during production, in transit, at the logistics warehouse, or even in the store. The town is small, we had the same candies in our children's basket, and if we survey the children of Viesite, we can quickly figure out which apartment buildings or private houses they visited. Still, I would like to believe for the best — that this is an unfortunate coincidence, not a deliberate act.

Lelde N.: I never allowed my children to seek sweets. I always feared that they would take something edible from strangers. I’ve heard that food can be poisoned, given by people — psychopaths, of course. In our family, we just prepare ourselves, buy something tasty, and watch scary movies together.

Artjoms N.: Stupid satanic holiday. Most people are good; otherwise, there wouldn’t be self-service stores. But still, among the large mass, there are those who have no conscience, full of poison. And, unfortunately, they are among us, and the worst part is that sometimes they are the ones you least expect. So celebrate Latvian holidays, and don’t impose all this dark theme on children. We never had such a “holiday,” and there’s no benefit in it. I still consider Halloween a holiday for sick people. Why celebrate there — skeletons, ghosts, all that negative stuff that can be imagined. Go to church — you’ll get completely different feelings, joy, and happiness!

Monta E.: Even my mom used to teach that you don’t take candies from strangers 🤷🏻‍♀️ There was, of course, a story behind it... but now even more needs to be taught to children, because now even drugs can look like candies 😡 there are many evil people and it’s naive to hope that since it’s a holiday — no one will harm anyone.

Raisa B.: In the past, people would go door-to-door in costumes, it was nice to visit and host guests. Now... I like these disguised children with happy faces when I give them candies and hear their joyful “thank you.” I don’t consider it begging, but rather sharing.

Liene K.: Yesterday we collected about 5 kg of candies. All quality, without screws, nails, and other wonders. Thanks to everyone who participated in the Halloween celebration with great pleasure and honesty. Of course, I agree that parents need to reconsider and evaluate whether it’s safe to give children the treats found during the “candy hunt.”

Baiba L.: I read most of the comments 🤦‍♀️ I realized that half of them don’t apply to us. My child is not 2 years old, and I wouldn’t take him out alone; it’s not the age to let them go out alone; no one forces them to beg, they even get praised for the clever joke we always played without damaging someone else's property, yes-yes, and we can buy candies ourselves, I gave out more than the boy brought home. And there are no pedophiles in our area. So all this outraged noise that someone got hurt — everyone celebrates holidays as they wish, nothing is forbidden. And this is not fabricated — I don’t like such popularity. Wishing everyone a peaceful evening.

Einars Z.: I really don’t believe it. Let’s say I don’t let strangers and children inside. Then do you want to say that in that place, there shouldn’t be any celebration and no one should be let in, now we’ll have to spend on some decorations, then buy candies, needles — which cost more than candies — and now everyone has to deal with the fact that someone might stick a needle in the door. How much will all this cost in the end? It’s better to just lock the doors for free.

Kristīne K.: I’m sure that all those who loudly express dissatisfaction with the celebration of foreign holidays can put their hand on their heart and say that Christmas was also celebrated differently in the past: they dragged a log to the neighbor’s house, wove straw figures, rather than decorating a tree with shiny ornaments (which is not a Latvian tradition). Similarly, on Martin’s Day, they would kill a rooster and the budēļi would go around. On Ligo, they jumped over the fire and burned barrels, rather than grilling kebabs. No one imposes anything, but we live in an age of globalization, and it’s normal to adopt foreign traditions. We should think about how to incorporate these holidays — I like the idea of having neighbors sign up in several groups with addresses where they will celebrate and where “ghosts” are expected. Homes are decorated accordingly, and candies are prepared. At the same time, children should be reminded how to behave when visiting. Then everyone will be happy.

Eva I.: It’s been a long time since it was appropriate to go door-to-door and take what is given. And if some child is taken into a room by someone, then everyone will be to blame. There’s no need to wander around other people’s homes. Buy candies for the children! And regarding the needle in Latvian Halloween candies — I’ve been reading about this for the third year now.