Halloween is one of the most popular holidays, thanks to its acceptance of people’s sweet tooth and tradition of costumes. Many all around the world celebrate and enjoy the community-strengthening, door-to-door, handing-out-candy practice. With dressing up, satisfying the desire for sugary treats, and going out on a cold night, who is Halloween for? Or, in other words, who does Halloween lure in?
In the ancient Celtic festival Samhain, those of the Pagan religion celebrated the harvest at the end of the summer by lighting bonfires and wearing costumes to fend off ghosts. Eventually, this celebration became a holiday and is presently known as Halloween.
Let’s focus on the “wearing costumes” aspect. It’s the one day you can walk outside late at night and see many dressed up in costumes, and perhaps that gives many a sense of freedom. What started as a defense against spirits became a fun get-together for people of many ages. We’ve diverged from the scary characteristic, and now dress up as whatever we desire: a character from a television show, a movie, or a unique pun. There’s a sense of creativity involved, and a chance to show individuality and interest outside of your regular, everyday clothes.
There isn’t a concrete explanation for trick-or-treating, but the main three are that people began to dress as the spirits roaming in order to claim the food the Celtics left out for said spirits. The second is that children and poor adults would collect food and money from homes in the Scottish tradition of guising to receive prayers for the dead on All Souls’ Day. Finally, the third said that children were rewarded with treats if adults couldn’t identify them when dressed in a costume in a German-American tradition where after they had dressed, called their neighbors and see if the adults could figure out the children’s identities under the costumes.
Nowadays, this trick-or-treating tradition allows communities to become closer, witness everyone’s individualism, and pass candy in each person’s bucket as a reward for participating in the Halloween spirit. Even if you don’t trick-or-treat, spending quality time with yourself or a small group of friends watching horror movies, or making costumes on the fly strengthens the bond with others.
Halloween lures in those who want to express themselves, dress up, show their love for a franchise, or simply spend time with themselves or with their friends and family. It draws in those who are interested in spooky themes and the genre of horror. It gives people the chance to bond without stress, as there are many different ways to celebrate the beauty of Halloween.
