Ah, the traditional Halloween fireworks

Last night we were treated to a spectacular display of fireworks. The barrage lasted several minutes, with no pauses between the blasts. I suspect they were being fired from two or three points simultaneously. That was the best one. There were shorter, less-intense displays in other parts of the city. You can count on Halloween fireworks every year in British Columbia — a tradition that seems not to have taken root anywhere else in the world. My research indicates that it started in the 1970s with older teenagers using firecrackers for pranks. It was the trick part of trick-or-treating. They would set them off in their back yard, or maybe toss one into a garbage can or sewage drain to be extra mischievous. Regulations have made it almost impossible to buy firecrackers, so the activity evolved into the next best thing, fireworks. You aren’t really allowed to use fireworks either, at least not without a permit. But it happens anyway. People who move to B.C. are baffled by Halloween…