Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays, and I think many people share my feelings. I have so many great memories of Halloween — like my white Power Rangers costume and the time my friends and I were sure we were going to be murdered in an abandoned wheat field — I can’t even keep them all straight. But how can a holiday that differs so much in practice from childhood to adulthood consistently make people of all ages happy?
Perhaps the beauty of Halloween stems from the freedom inherent in it. For kids, it is a night to run around in the dark, go up to as many strangers as you want and pig out on sugary goodness. When trick-or-treating stops being an option, it is about staying up all night with friends, watching horror movies and stuffing yourself with pizza. Then, in college, it signifies a weekend of partying, when red Solo cups are replaced with their orange counterparts (in particularly spirited houses) and booze is preferred over “boos!”
Costumes for girls range greatly, from the conservatively scandalous — which cover two square feet of their bodies — to scandalously conservative, which shamelessly shield a whole three feet. Boys can essentially wear whatever they want, as long as they can justify it with a few words. This works for everything: full suits and shades (“I’m a hitman!”), to bed sheets (“You like my toga?”) to plaid shirts with skinny jeans (“I’m a hipster. It’s ironic because, in real life, I’m also a hipster.”).
A common critique of our society is that we often forget the significance or importance of a holiday when celebrating it. Giving thanks is rarely the focal point of Thanksgiving, and many see Christmas as either a day for exchanging presents or a musical genre. However, Halloween is unique among holidays in that it has no truly significant historical or religious association. Though some believe it originated from the Christian All Saints Day and others claim it began with the Celtic festival of Samhain, these potential origins affect a very small number of people who celebrate the day.
Instead, it is essentially a commercial holiday filled with pranks, friends, elaborate decorations and well thought out costumes (yet, inexplicably, you will see at least five Waldos and 10 crayons throughout the night).
Even the notable social commentator Charlie Brown, who annually speaks out against the corruption of Christmas and the unfair societal pressures of Valentine’s Day, has no criticisms of Halloween. Instead, he goes to the dance with the little red-haired girl, leaving Linus to wait for the Great Pumpkin. To Charlie Brown, there is no deeper significance to the holiday, and maybe that is what makes it so great.
Instead of worrying about carrying out slightly archaic traditions or making sure nobody thinks you are celebrating it “wrong,” Halloween is a night to just do what you want. It is the one day in the year when no decoration is too elaborate, no costume is too offensive and nobody can tell you what you are doing is not in the spirit of the holiday. There are absolutely no Debbie Downers on Halloween to dampen the mood — in fact, Scrooge McPumpkin only exists as a horrible costume idea.
Rajarshi Chattopadhyay is a sophomore aerospace engineering and history major. He can be reached at chattopadhyay@umdbk.com.
