Halloween is known to be a “spooky” time of year, filled with candy and costumes. Has that been the case for everyone though? This tradition originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain over 2000 years ago. Originating from the ancient Celtic festival, it also marked the end of the harvest season, and the beginning of winter also associated with death. According to history.com, “…people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts.” This became a tradition early on to honor the saints which was a celebration that occurred on November 1st, along with commemorating the event. This is known as the celebration of Samhain. They believed that on this night, the boundary between the living and dead was blurred, and spirits returned to earth. They intentionally performed a ritual to ward off these spirits. This celebration lasted three days! It symbolizes the importance of their religious preferences and how they celebrate these days. Druids were members of the learned class among the ancient Celts while they were also legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals, and political advisors. The Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities. It had evolved over centuries with the influence of the Roman Empire, which although started with the Samhamin only, ended up being combined with the spread of Christianity. 

The Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other’s fortunes. Druidism originated and spread throughout Western Europe and according to bartonhillfarms.com “…Celts would disguise themselves with animal masks to confuse the spirits.” Over these days, they had four main events or festivals. According to blog.scottishkiltshop.com, “Imbolc marked the start of spring, Bealtaine was their summer celebration, Lughnasadh honored hard work and the cycle of life, and Samhain, the original Halloween.” These events showed the importance of nature rhymes. Later, this day was remanded to be considered “All Saints’ Day.”

 Over time, Halloween has evolved and transformed significantly into a day of trick or treating, carving jack-o-lanterns, costumes and eating candy. The “jack” in Jack O Lantern goes back to the Irish roots legend of “Stingy Jack,” who had tricked the devil and was condemned to roam and the only way to find his way was to carve out a turnip.  Typically, children dress in their favorite costumes and go trick-or-treating after sunset. They try and get the most candy they can by going from house to house, and then going through all of it when they arrive back home. The commercial aspect of Halloween is substantial, with billions of dollars spent annually alone on candy, costumes, and decorations. It is now a very creative and popular time of year.

Now, how did Halloween come to America if it started in Europe? According to history.com, “The celebration of Halloween was extremely limited in colonial New England because of the rigid Protestant belief systems there. Halloween was much more common in Maryland and the southern colonies.” This ended up spreading to become more diverse in the 19th century when the Irish immigrated to America. This led to many changes including creative costumes, decorations, and events performed. 

Despite these changes, some traditions for this time of year have remained throughout America. At Apex High, diversity is shown in everything including holidays like Halloween. Here are some views on Halloween and their plans for October 31st at AHS.

Lucy Bennett 26’ likes to go to her friend’s house and plans to dress up for Halloween. She could be dressing up as a shark this year.

Two seniors Claire Watanabe and Eli Oka are excited to dress up. Claire is planning on dressing up as Snow White for Halloween and Eli is transforming into Charlie from Smiling Friends. They are exhilarated to go trick or treating for their last High School Halloween. 

Mr Hill says that his three kids celebrate Halloween and that their favorite part is trick or treating and dressing up. He is dressing up like Rocky Balboa this year. 

Officer Trisona, our SRO,  is a big fan of Halloween partially because of the decorating, but he makes sure he goes above and beyond for this spooky time of year. Decorations, candy, costumes, and jumpscares are all up his alley. He is ecstatic to go out and trick or treat. 

Tessa Ven 27’ says she does not celebrate Halloween because of her parents. Possibly religious differences, although she mentions that her entire neighborhood does not celebrate Halloween as well. Instead, she relaxes in her room and watches movies even though she somewhat wishes she could celebrate Halloween. 

Ghazi Aljehani 26’ also does not celebrate Halloween because of his religion. He brought up that he celebrated Halloween when he was younger because his mom didn’t want him to be unaware of what it was. He would dress up and trick-or-treat, although now, it’s not an essential part of October anymore.

Mohamed Makhlof 26’ is another person that does not celebrate Halloween. He says he does not celebrate it because of preference and religion. He mentions that Halloween doesn’t appeal to him, but he likes watching Halloween movies. 

Overall, Halloween has been a controversial topic for over 2000 years. Halloween today blends ancient customs and modern innovations despite these different traditions, reflecting its historical origins and contemporary culture. It serves as a reminder of how traditions can evolve while still retaining connections to their past.