Halloween — A Kid’s Festival?
No matter how adults dress up Halloween, many families (especially in North America) believe that it should still be a celebration for the kids. We owe this perhaps to the fact that Halloween is both a celebration of ghouls, ghosts and goblins and a celebration of strong family ties.
Halloween & the harvest
Before the advent of Hollywood-inspired costumes, Halloween was that time of the year in rural places in America for farmers to open their land to hunters. Halloween was a critical time in the year when hunting season was on, and hikers and vacationers began pouring in to pristine lands in the Northeastern region of the US.
Harvest period is a central point in 19th century mythology in the United States. Legends and tall tales were often spun as the harvest season came to fore.
Trick or treat!
There are several urban legends that made people fear trick-or-treating for some time. Some of these urban legends were:
- People who stuff corroded razors into candy apples.
- Contaminated candies given to kids
It was a good thing when more and more homes opened their doors and gave out treats for children in the late nineties. This was a sign that children could now go out on Halloween night, meaning it was safe to roam around their neighborhoods. For adults, it was also a sign that there was nothing to worry about regarding their children’s safety on Halloween night.
Do people often stick to tradition? A lot of people are accustomed to supporting trick-or-treating because they believe that it shows the strength of the neighborhood has. If you believe that your children are in good hands of the adults expecting their arrival, then you must have a very pleasant neighborhood.
Halloween in School
When conservative organizations no longer controlled the Halloween tradition, the schools were the ones who made the initiative to keep the event alive. They are in fact the strongest promoters of Halloween. The schools organized activities such as:
- Halloween processions
- Halloween gatherings
Sadly, in the last few years, Halloween has changed into a commercialized event instead of an opportunity to keep strong relationships and renew solidarity in the neighborhood. Also, it has become less of a chance to spend time with great friends and family.
Big Bag O’ Money!
Halloween has turned so commercialized that large companies have taken advantage of this children’s festival. Companies pump out more and more products that people can enjoy not only during Halloween, but throughout the entire year.
Starting from just mere candies that resemble horror icons such as Count Dracula and Frankenstein to new concoctions that resemble body parts, Halloween has indeed become a capitalizing point for many entrepreneurs.
An estimated income of $950 million a year is brought in by all products related to Halloween. Most of these products sold during this season are little toys and candies. It is thought that this may be a good thing, since it’s a way of training children to become wise shoppers when they become adults.
Well, that’s Halloween today – play for children, and work for adults.
