It's that time of year again. Summer is finally over, the leaves have begun to change color, and Halloween is on the horizon. It's the most wonderful time of the year.
Personally, Halloween always wrestles with Christmas for my favorite holiday. I love them both, despite being on totally different ends of the spectrum. Regardless, no one can deny that it's always quite the event when Halloween rolls around every year. Parents frantically rush to Targets, Walmarts, and Goodwills everywhere to buy their children costumes of their favorite characters, candy companies make a killing, and everyone allows things to become just a bit spookier. But that's certainly not all there is to it. Allow me to demonstrate why Halloween is, quite simply, the best.
#1: The History
Have you ever wondered why Halloween had a darker tone compared to the other holidays, or why it is that people dress in costume? Though its origins are not one hundred percent clear, it is thought by historians that it began as a mix of two separate traditions: the Celtic festival of Samhain and the Catholic celebration of All Saints' Day.
These ancient Celts had their own calendar with their New Year being on September 1st, which to them meant that the veil between the realms of the living and the dead was lowered. This influx of spiritual energy allowed for druids (pagan Celtic priests) to make prophecies about the future, which would often be comforting to crop-farmers and other Celts for the cold and dark months ahead. Villagers would often garb themselves in costumes of animals and spirits both to celebrate the new year and confuse wandering geists.
Fast forward to around 609 A.D., the Roman Catholic church had occupied the lands of the ancient Celts for some time. The church had already attempted to blend Samhain with two other Roman holidays, Feralia and Pomona, but it wasn't until Pope Gregory III moved the celebration of All Saints' Day to November 1st that Halloween as we know it began to take shape. Both were similar in the aspects of dressing up, honoring the dead, and other traditions. All Saints' Day was also known by the moniker of All Hallows' Day, or literally "all holies day," which eventually became Hallow Evening, then Hallow E'en, then finally Halloween.
#2: Being Social
Any holiday is a great excuse for friends to get together, but this seems especially true with Halloween. There's just something about getting together with those that you love in the wake a dark night to do anything and everything from telling spooky stories to going out clubbing. Maybe you're attending your church's Harvest Festival, or perhaps it's your boy/girlfriend's annual bobbing for apples competition. However you prefer to spend your Halloween, it's guaranteed that it's better with others.
#3: The Music & Movies
Christmas isn't the only holiday with its own entertainment staples! How many times have you turned on the TV in October to see a rerun of The Addams Family, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, or some iteration of Scooby-Doo? There's always perennial classics like The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Night of the Living Dead, Young Frankenstein among many others, and new classics like the Harry Potter franchise and The Phantom of the Opera to account for. Anything with the tags "horror," "monster," and/or "Tim Burton" easily fits here as well, and chances are you'll end up seeing something of that sort.
Songs by the likes of Alice Cooper, Rob Zombie, and Concrete Blonde occupy the airwaves, remixes of Rockwell's "Somebody's Watching Me" and the "Ghostbusters" theme are blasted through speakers at parties, and Blue Oyster Cult ever-faithfully reminds you to Don't Fear The Reaper. Sure, these all are great at any other time of the year, but they just somehow become better when paired with the spooky air October brings. Need I saw more?
#4: The Costumes
Whether you spent twelve dollars on a costume at Party City or countless hours making sure every stitch is just right, Halloween is a time that lets people's creativity shine. I've seen everything from the classic sheet ghost and broom-riding witches to a fully-functioning Predator suit out on Halloween night. And though you may get chased down the street by a guy dressed as Michael Myers, it's all in good fun. Just remember to be careful out there, and especially watch out for killer clowns.
#5: The Atmosphere
Say what you want about the holiday being commercialized, the fact remains that people (myself included) love Halloween. It's unique in the fact that it gives people a chance to be someone or something else for a while and satisfy their sweet-tooth. That's what it's really all about: being with other people and having fun. And there's no definition on how it has to be done.
We may not honor the dead in the same way the ancient Celts used to, but like anything the holiday has changed over the years and has taken on a new meaning. So grab your costume, call your friends, and dim the lights. Maybe grab the tunes or pop in a movie. Halloween is here again; how will you spend it?
