What is happening to Halloween?

[TheHallow1]

I ask myself this question every year because I can't tell if it's dying or growing. What do you think?

[Pumpkin_Man]

I would say there's good news and bad news. First the bad news. Parents are more and more afraid to have their kids knocking on stranger's doors, so some of the old favorite Halloween traditions like Trick or Treat and collecting for UNICEF door to door may die out. That's sad, because ToT was one of the most fun things I did as a kid. Even the cub scouts and girl scouts, and al those youth organizations that use to go door to door selling cookies or candy, are doing that a lot less and having their sales in Church parking lots instead because of all the fear we live with today. So that's the bad news.

The good news is, that a lot of us who have very fond mdmories of the Halloween fun we had as kids, are not going to let the holiday die, so there has been some major increases in community Halloween parties, haunted attrations, and new Halloween traditions, such as "Trick or Trunk," and just throwing parties, or goint ToT to houses of people who you know. Halloween decorating is also at an all time high, with some displays that could easily rival if not completely out do Christmas. Movies like "Halloween Town," "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown," and "Monster House" are flying off the video store shelvs during October, as are a lot of the '<deleted>' horror films, and Halloween candy is still a number one item being packed in school lunghes. It' s also been reported that there are billions of dollars being spent on Halloween merchandise, and that spending is up higher then it ever was.

So I have no fear of Halloween dieing off. Yes, there are decenters, and there is fear mongering. Unfortunately one of the main realities of life on Earth is the inevitability of change. I am no huge fan of change, personaly. I love my traditions, and I will allways have candy to give out to ANY ONE who comes to my front door on Halloween, wearing a costune, and says "Trick or Treat." I will allways carve at least one jack o'lantern, and I will allways have the Universal Monster Classics, among other favorites ready for the DVD player, and I will ALLWAYS have my decorations up before the 1st of October. BUT, we all may have to face the fact that our celebration of Halloween will most likely change over the years. It may not be what we all knew and loved back in "the day," but Halloween will be around in one form or another.

Mike

[evilincarnate78]

In my opinion Halloween is definitely growing in popularity, especially with adults. When we bought our house 10 years ago, the Trick or Treating was there (over 100 kids easy) but I was the only guy on the block putting up a yard display. Most neighbors just stuck a pumpkin out on their front porch Halloween morning and called it a season. Last year, I counted 9 other houses on my block that put up some form of display and many others with decorations in their windows. I'm by no means claiming responsibility for the turn-around but I have had neighbors come over when I'm putting up the graveyard and say "man that looks like fun." I know for a fact that some have even borrowed some of my designs for their own displays. All's fair in haunting and war I suppose:) Halloween is here to stay and I plan on ridin the wave for the next 40 or 50 years!!!

[Pumpkin_Man]

As long as I live, Halloween will ALLWAYS BE celebrated in my house, and I don't mean Oct 31st only. To me, Halloween is a whole season to be celebrated, which is usuly at the end of September, through the 2nd of November. The 3rd of Nov is when everything finaly comes down and I start my Holiday cleaning.

Mike

[Murfreesboro]

I agree that the community celebrations, commercial haunted attractions, and elaborate decorating of private homes are all up exponentially from my childhood & girlhood ('60s & '70s).

I live in the Bible belt, and we do have a number of people in this area who substitute "harvest festivals" for Halloween, and a few who hand out religious literature along with the candy. I am OK with the harvest festivals because it is all autumnal celebration, but I want my traditional Halloween, too. Since my family attends church, I am not offended by the religious lit when we get it, but I do think those who object to Halloween on religious grounds are being unnecessarily strict with themselves.

Neighborhood TOTing still appears to be strong in this area, but I would say that, increasingly, people seek out the highly decorated streets in the weeks prior to Halloween, and then many will even drive to those areas, rather than knocking randomly on doors. So certain streets in our town seem like Halloween carnivals, while others are fairly quiet that night.

About the Girl Scouts no longer selling cookies door-to-door--that has been official Girl Scout policy ever since the 1970s because of a murder that happened right here in Nashville. A little girl named Marcia Trimble (sp?) left her home before supper one Feb. evening to deliver GS cookies to a neighbor, and she was never seen alive again. They found her body on Easter Sunday. The case went unsolved until four or five years ago, when a DNA sample from some guy in prison in another state matched the one they'd preserved here from 1975. This was a huge, never-to-be-forgotten murder mystery in Nashville, and it is THE reason the Girl Scouts changed their door-to-door policy.

[TheHallow1]

All of your responses have made me feel alot better. However, I do think that something needs to be done to get Trick or Treating back on track and strong again.

[iHaunt]

Halloween will never end!!! It's like Halloween everyday, all year round! I love Trick 'R Treat movie! I am still hoping to look forward seeing Trick 'R Treat 2 movie. Not really so sure yet.

[Nostalgiascape]

I think that even those who wont admit it still see that Halloween is a grand old tradition. And in the spirit of moving forward in life, so that tragedies neither define us nor stop us in our tracks, we carry on with our traditions. They remind us we still have some living to do.

[Murfreesboro]

In my experience, the way to lure TOTers to your door is to decorate a lot and make sure you do it earlier in the month, then light up every night for a few weeks. People who wish to TOT will see the display and come to your door.

We are fortunate to live on a busy street. The traffic is a pain much of the year, but at least many people do see whatever holiday displays we put up. I think it is frustrating to people who live out in the country. They want to have TOTers, but so few people pass by their door.

I have also seen the effect on neighborhoods when just one house decorates highly. Eventually, others will join in. This has happened to a street a couple of blocks down and around the corner from us. Fifteen years ago, there wasn't much happening there on Halloween. Then one family decided to go all out, and gradually others joined in. Now the whole street (almost) is decorating like mad, and people literally drive in for the TOTing there.

[MacPhantom]

There is only one solution, and I think everyone ought to stop trying to avoid it. We need a massive government law mandating trick-or-treating for everyone under the age of 18, and a Constitutional Amendment prohibiting the denial of candy to trick-or-treaters. Now, I know you're gonna say "Hey, MacPhantom, you look really slim today!! Have you been working out!?? Oh, and also, the Constitutional Amendments are about guaranteeing our rights, not limiting them!", to which I'll answer that it sometimes limits our rights, like our right to drink (18th) or our right to invidiously discriminate against people or make them our slaves (14th and 13th), and besides, the Amendment is protecting our right to free candy, and only denying the right to NOT give out free candy, which isn't even really a right. Right?

So let's go, people!! Lobby your Congresscritter!! Or, if you are a massive corporation, just give them millions of dollars. Trust me, they'll take it, and then do whatever you ask them to do. Just ask the Koch brothers.

[MyersFan1]

Hate to be the buzzkill here but im sad to say i feel as if Halloween popularity is dwindling. A combination of things contribute to this, the truth of the matter is that we live in a more unsafe world and parents are more leery letting their kids roam the streets. Also, i feel as if just in my lifetime, more religious groups have become more outspoken and active in being a thorn in the side to the holiday. I remember in the 80s and 90s, in October there were tons of halloween commercials on TV and i rarely see that anymore. Hopefully people like us can generate more excitement and make Halloween a bigger deal for all.

[Pumpkin_Man]

There are two things I have done all my life, and they were NEVER in conflict with each other. I celebrated Halloween, and I attended Mass every Sunday. Yes, there are some religious groups who object to the celebraton of Halloween, but a lot, or even most Christian denominations don't seem to care about it one way of the other. In fact, most people see Halloween as a cultural holiday, rather then a religious one. For me it has a definate religious over tone to it, (All Hallows Eve,) but the religious celebrations of All Saints Day and All Souls Day don't even begin until Nov 1st.

Yes, our society is living in more and more fear every day, it seems, and children are the most vulnerable to the predators out there. I often preach against living in fear, but truthfully, if I had children of my own, I would probably go ToTing with them, and place limitations on the places they could ToT.

As for Halloween in general, however, I dont think it will die in my life time. Yes, there are fewer Halloween themed tv comercials, and To T may cease to be an observed Halloween tradition inour life times, but the day will allways be celebrated in one fashion or another. If we EVER decide to unite against the rediculous junk philosophy of 'political correctness,' there may even be a major revival of many of our most beloved traditions.

Mike

[Murfreesboro]

I think it's mostly the evangelicals who get overly nervous about Halloween (theologically, I mean). My husband's church (Missouri Synod Lutheran) has some leanings that way, which I happily ignore.

Of course, all parents are vulnerable to fears about what might happen to their kids TOTing. I have always accompanied mine and enjoyed it immensely, every bit as much as they did. Since my youngest is now 14, I'm not sure we'll be doing that again this year, although I'll go in a heartbeat if she is willing.

[Kris]

Hello Everybody,

From the point of view of the UK - Halloween is definitely increasing in popularity, both as a holiday and from a retail point of view. However our relationship with Halloween is slightly different to our cousins across the Atlantic.

Of course, Halloween or rather the feast of "Samhain" and "Calan Gaeaf" (As we continue to call it in Wales), originated in the Islands of Britain. In one form or another it has always been celebrated as a sublime festival. However it dwindled after the second world war. A revival occurred in the 1980's and by the time we entered this millenia, the holiday-marketable Halloween has been well established.

But, communities continue to practise it in various forms. Many combining the sublime and profane aspects of it. It has become a melting pot of ritual, tradition, observation, celebration and frivolity.

Those from the churches are simply misinformed and ignorant of their own religious tradition - the feast of Hallowe'en, Hallowmass, Hallowtide, is the perfect blending of both Pagan and Christian traditions, neither cancelling the other out. Those who condemn it inadvertently condemn a vast period of their own heritage and history. And that seems foolhardy and ill-informed.

One thing that can be reassuringly stated is that the festival has survived for over 2,000 years and more - it has changed its face, resisted change and resiliently survived - why? The answer is simple, it is a "Living" tradition that grows, morphs and transforms itself, making itself applicable to a time a people and an age. It will not die, it may change, but it will not die.

Speaking for myself, well, the feast of "Calan Gaeaf" (meaning - the Calends of Winter) is a 3 day festival, where the dead are honored, and recalled, their graves cleaned, tidied and lanterns placed upon them. It is a time of celebrating the richness of the Harvest and the preparation for the descent into darkness. It is a time when we celebrate the cycle of life, the uncertainty of life and the imminency of death. We may mimic the supernatural in our attire and dress, and we party and feast and we are merry.

This is our Halloween in the northern reaches of Wales.

Our shops are filling with more wondrous things, albeit nowhere near as amazing as the states, which I visit often to fill my suitcase full of Halloween fabulousnes!

As for the UK - it is growing - the market is showing a massive increase in sales of the season.

And for my part - well, I have gone and written a book all about it from a British point of view. It will be out this coming Fall.

Best regards,
Kris

[Murfreesboro]

Oooh--let us know when your book comes out, and its title!

I agree about the resiliency of Halloween. I have always felt that it lives on because it responds to a human need. Nothing else really fills that need.

I have always wondered why those fundamentalist Christians who are so opposed to Halloween don't balk at putting up Christmas trees, too. All of our religious holidays have a great admixture of pagan customs. (Easter bunny, anyone?)