Sverdlovsk Lawmaker Urges Youth to Throw Pumpkins into River Over Halloween

A lawmaker in Russia's Sverdlovsk region, Vyacheslav Vegner of the ruling United Russia party, is urging young people to throw pumpkins into the local Iset River ahead of the Oct. 31 Halloween holiday. He presents the idea as a rebuff to the spread of Western culture in Russia.

Vegner told local media on Monday that he plans to persuade fellow lawmakers to fund a campaign that would give free theater tickets to those who toss pumpkins. "If our young people are running around with these pumpkins, why not offer them a simple alternative: toss the pumpkin into the Iset River," he said. "In return, we'll give them a theater ticket."

The lawmaker described Halloween as a culture imported from abroad. In his words, the spooky images, devils and pumpkins do not represent Russian culture, and the country has plenty of its own good holidays that fit its cultural code.

Experts criticize the idea

Some environmental experts have criticized the proposal. Vitaly Bezrukov, former environmental minister of the neighboring Chelyabinsk region and now head of an environmental consultancy, said large amounts of organic waste could cause widespread decay, deplete oxygen and degrade the Iset's water quality. He suggested the pumpkins would be better taken to a zoo or wildlife rescue centers.

Wider context

National politicians have voiced similar anti-Halloween views in recent days. State Duma lawmaker Vitaly Milonov called the holiday "propaganda of everyday superstition and ignorant occultism." He argued Russia should instead promote traditional holidays such as Maslenitsa and Orthodox Easter as forms of "soft power."

Every year, calls are made in Russia to ban Halloween or offer more "patriotic" alternatives. Even so, parties and other themed events remain popular among young people in major cities, though the holiday is still not widely celebrated across the country.