The Day of the Dead to the Day of Dessert

Growing up in North America, October has always meant Halloween. As the month went on, excitement grew until kids were bouncing off the walls. The children would pick their favourite character, and the parents would pick the cutest outfits for their little ones. But among all the planning of costumes, only one thing was going through everybody’s minds: candy! Halloween was the one day a year that kids were allowed to eat as much as their little hearts desired, and that was the norm.

I can’t remember a time before I knew of the magic of trick or treating. I know what my first costume was: a kitten. But, I only know this from seeing pictures. As a kid, I never thought about why I was out partaking in an activity that could be so creepy and dangerous. Now, with age, I can’t help but wonder: why has dressing up in silly costumes and asking random strangers for candy become a common childhood ritual?

“Halloween’s just a part of our customs. It is something that is part of our history that has been morphed into the over commercialized tradition it is today” said my mom when I approached her with the topic. “Yes,” she agreed when I asked if she believed it was safe to send kids door to door on this night, “because kids need a sense of community and the adults love to have them come. But, it is only appropriate on this festive night, and they should only ever visit people they are familiar with. Also, young children should never go unsupervised” (A. Roud).

The tradition originates from Samhain, an old Celtic festival. Two millenniums ago, in a ritual to scare away ghosts, villagers would gather together in costumes and light massive bonfires on this night. All Saint’s Day, November 1, was the day that the living would celebrate the dead; the night before became All Hallow’s Eve, the night the dead would rise. Since then, late October has become the scary day it is.

When the new immigrants came across to North America in the 1800s, they brought their cultural practices with them, spreading the fear surrounding this day. The idea of scaring off the spirits transformed into giving them gifts and treats in return for being kept safe. As the New World embraced All Hallows Eve they began to realize that there was no true harm from the night, but the tradition of the night lived on.

Although Halloween has changed drastically from the small ritual it was over 2000 years ago, it is a part of nearly every modern childhood, and one I am very glad is a part of my culture. Now, instead of asking for treats to give ghosts, we now ask for treats for ourselves; instead of dressing up to scare them off, we dress up for fun; and instead of using the night to protect our families, we send our children out to do the one thing we never advise them to: take candy from a stranger.

Works Cited

Boston University. 31 Oct. 2013, www.bu.edu/today/2013/how-did-halloween-get-started/. Accessed 27 Oct. 2017.

History.com. 209, www.history.com/topics/halloween/history-of-halloween. Accessed 27 Oct. 2017.

Roud, Amanda. Interview. 26 Oct. 2017.