Thread: Why do we celebrate Halloween?

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I was thinking about Spirit Halloween's "Halloweekend" idea. It made me think about some of the people who were angered over it. People don't like the idea of Halloween being on any other day than the 31st, but why? We don't follow any of the old traditions. We don't celebrate the dead or the end of Summer or the harvest or any of that stuff. This may offend most of you but Halloween virtually has no identity. Besides trick or treating what other reason is there to celebrate Halloween? Because it's the "spooky" holiday? Why is it spooky? Who made Halloween synonymous with fright and spookiness? Does anyone understand what I'm trying to say? Like Thanksgiving is to give thanks to God or to celebrate when the Pilgrims and Indians got together for the "first" Thanksgiving. Christmas is to celebrate the birth of baby Jesus or because Santa Claus comes to give you gifts. But what reason do we have to celebrate Halloween other than our childhood memories of trick or treating? I am in no way trying to say anything bad about the modern Halloween but so what if it goes to the last Saturday of every October? It's not treading on some sacred tradition that you hold dear to your heart. It won't harm you physically or mentally. It's already commercialized so adding more commercialization will not hurt it.

Personally, I don't like any holiday to be on the same day of the week every year. Easter makes sense, of course, but that's the only one in my opinion. Even Thanksgiving, I think it would just make more sense if it was on the same date every year instead of the fourth Thursday (or whenever it is - I don't celebrate it myself, so I could be wrong on that). I especially hate things like MLK day, the way they put it on a Monday for the sole purpose of giving people a three-day weekend. Do you think Martin Luther King Jr. would appreciate it if he knew you only created a holiday in his name so you could get a day off of work? Why not on his exact birthday, or even his date of death? Something that actually celebrates the man it's named after, instead of only benefitting you. But this is beside the point, so please excuse my little rant...

To answer your actual question: Yes, I celebrate Halloween because it's the spooky holiday. Why it's the spooky holiday, I can't answer, because I wasn't the one who made it so... But I sure am glad someone did. I stopped trick-or-treating when I was 10 years old because, even at that fairly young age, I thought I was too old for it. But I never stopped loving Halloween - obviously! - because I have always liked spooky things, loved spiders, been into the paranormal, etc. I don't even want kids of my own, and don't celebrate the childhood aspects of the holiday at all. I celebrate it because it's the universal morbid holiday, and I'm a morbid person.

Halloween isn't about children or candy to me. It's about embracing the macabre. It's about shopping sprees for the gothic, the morbid, the things I can't get any other time of year. It's going to every store in my city so I don't miss out on any good items that have spiders on them, and then feeling like I hit the jackpot when I find something I really like - which happens often. It's about old horror movies and paranormal specials on TV, the spooky vibe that hangs in the air everywhere you go, and the fact that everybody else likes or at least appreciates the same things I do, if only for a few days. It's about wearing capes, spiderwebs and black lipstick in public and not being stared at like some kind of weirdo. Black lipstick looks really good on me!

Moving it to Saturday permanently wouldn't really change much for me, but I still don't like the idea. I do think it should stay on the 31st, not because it's a sacred day for me (I'm not pagan or Wiccan or anything) but just because it doesn't make sense to me to move it. I like it being the last day of the month. That way, we know we have the entire month to celebrate and shop - since the stores seem to force out all of their Halloween items at midnight when the holiday's over (unlike Christmas, where we're still seeing decorations in the stores in February). Celebrating it earlier would be kind of like celebrating New Year's Eve on December 27.

However, if by some chance it does move, I'm not going to boycott anyone or stop celebrating. I love Spirit Halloween, even if they have a dumb idea now and then. Their store is a huge part of the fun of that time of year. I spend the whole month beforehand anticipating its opening.

And I'm glad that Halloween is commercialized! If it wasn't, how would I do all my shopping?!

I have to agree with spiderqueen (where have you been all my life?), as I have a tendency to lean toward the dark side, too. Halloween is an outlet for me to be who I am without being judged as much, scare people for fun, and go on shopping sprees for all things creepy, usually buying too much in the process

I think the main reason why the holiday is still on the same date is to pay respect to our ancestors, which I feel is justifiable. Halloween should be left on the 31st, in my opinion, but I'd also still celebrate it if it happened to be moved.

I get to do something I like and love!

agreed spiderqueen.
I celebrate because I want to...don't know why I just do.I have always had a love for hween-the spooky movies-carving pumpkins and everything else that goes with the day.

I think changing any Holiday's date of celebration is completely absurd. And I can't believe that a store like Spirit Halloween - that is in business for Halloween - would even suggest to move the date. It's all about tradition. And who are they to change tradition ? I will be very disappointed in Spirit Halloween if they continue with this idea. I would even go so far as to stop shopping with them. The past couple of years they really haven't had anything I have been interested in. But then again none of the stores I've seen have had much of anything really new and good. Most have stopped carrying the really scary or gory items and gone with more cutesy items.

While having Halloween on a Saturday would make my life easier considering we do a Haunt and party I have to say Im a bit of an Old Fashion Girl. Celebrating Halloween on October 31, is a matter of tradition for me. Plain and simple.

WeirdRob,

"People don't like the idea of Halloween being on any other day than the 31st, but why? We don't follow any of the old traditions. We don't celebrate the dead or the end of Summer or the harvest or any of that stuff. This may offend most of you but Halloween virtually has no identity. It's not treading on some sacred tradition that you hold dear to your heart."[/QUOTE]

My dear, you assume alot in regards to what each of us follows/believes in. Maybe, it is some old sacred belief/tradition that I do hold dear to my heart.

Short and sweet it's the only holiday that for the educated is reserved for pure imagination and fantasy (apart from the other holidays geared towards superstitious histerics).

31st PERIOD!