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Sarah's mother could not believe her eyes. It was just weeks before HalloweenA celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, on the evening before the Christian feast of All Hallows' Day.. She had spent hours making her daughter a brilliant costume for school.

Now, the letter from her daughter's school in New JerseyA northeastern US state, close to New York. , USA, said that celebrating Halloween would be banned. It said some students did not celebrate for religiousRelating to a religion, or belief in God or gods. reasons, others because they could not pay for costumes - and others because it was too scary.

Halloween has been a big festival in the US for more than 100 years. And some people say it is a good thing to be scared sometimes. Here's why:

Saving cavemen Humans would have died out long ago if fear had not taught them to stay away from dangerous things.

Stimulus plus We all need to be shaken up from time to time to make us feel that we are alive.

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Fright flight When we are afraid, our bodies release hormonesChemicals created inside living creatures. They are used to send messages from one part of the body to another. and chemicals into the bloodstream which make us think and act faster than usual.

Fright delight Scary moments make us value the safety of our everyday life.

Confrontation The most difficult things to cope with are the ones you try not to think about. Being scared helps you to learn to deal with them.  

Inspiration Some great books have been written by writers who are scared. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is one of them.

Yes! Most of us do the same thing every day: go to school or work, eat the same lunch and then go to sleep at the same time. We need events like Halloween to make life more exciting.

No! The news around the world is already scary enough. If you are lucky enough to live in peace and quiet you should make the most of it.