Halloween is here!!! Spooky season is one of my favorites, even though I can’t quite celebrate it like I used to. My lightsaber is propped on the shelf above my bed, and orange pumpkin lights glow across my window every night.
Every time I look at it, I’m filled with memories of trick-or-treating: the fun of dressing up as an elven warrior, a Hogwarts wizard, or a Jedi of the Old Republic, the thrill of exploring neighborhoods far from home with friends, the decorations of ghouls and graves and the few houses that went ALL out. The rush of adrenaline as we took a few extra candies than we were told to by the paper signs taped on the unattended bowls.
The heavy burden of a good night’s haul. The sweet kiss of crisp, October night air cutting through our costumes. The great trade war that ensued after as we debate on how many Snickers a Twix bar was worth. Such memories are hard to forget.
Yet as I think about them, I wonder why we decided that a day that was meant to precede a ceremony to respect the dead turned into a night for kids in transformers costumes to snack on Skittles. According to extensive research consisting of a History.com article, by the twentieth century, the mostly religious roots Halloween was associated with (All Saints’ Day, All Souls’ Day) turned into a community-focused festivity, as “frightening” and “grotesque” elements were discouraged.
But Halloween today very much celebrates these “frightening” aspects. The ghostly, after-death nature of the celebration has remolded itself into the holiday. Though as seen in the numerous Halloween movies, variety of costumes, and craze of haunted houses, these once religious, serious aspects have turned into a commercial commodity — entertainment.
With the growing age of science and atheism, do we now see ghosts and souls as merely a means of entertainment? The same souls that we may pray to and visit when their birthdays or days of death approach, do we really discount them as “spooky ghosts” on Halloween?
I think the idea that Halloween has shifted towards cosplays of movie characters and carvings of pumpkin heads has turned our image of ghouls and ghosts as just characters in pop culture, rather than the human souls they once represented.
The thought of ghosts has turned into some supernatural craze for people to fawn over as they excite themselves over weird bright spots in photographs. Yet these same people will view the ghosts as freaks of nature, and talk about exorcising them as if they were dangerous animals rather than once living people.
If I were to dress up as a normal person, few would probably hand me candy, retorting on my lackluster efforts. Even though it’s really these dead “normal people” that we dress up as and celebrate every year. Should Halloween remain as an entertaining, cultural festivity? Or is it a disservice to those who Halloween represents? Anything’s fine by me as long as I get my share of Reese’s every year.
The exigence of the post, being Halloween, is capitalized on perfectly. I loved how you went back and forth from being serious in your philosophy of Halloween, and the light jokes you would use so the audience would connect with the holiday better. The kairotic moment is Halloween, but it is used in a very creative way to still shed light on how the traditions of the holiday are long gone from what our society today perceives as Halloween. Also, you did a great job in the writing of your post for the web. You included pictures, and the short, loaded paragraphs kept me very engaged in your message.
Halloween really is the best holiday. However I agree we’ve sort of lost sight of what it means. Originally All Hallows Eve was meant to honor the dead in celtic tradition. Now not only does the name sound more ominous and halloween’y but the culture surrounding it is all pop culture no traditions. I do love candy though!