Halloween is mostly known for festive costumes and overconsumption of candy, marked by chilling decorations littered throughout neighborhoods, but this holiday has a fascinating history. 

It originated from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, where people believed that spirits roamed the Earth. This day marked the beginning of the harvest season and the cold and darker times to come –  a time of year that was associated with death. They would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off these spirits. Over time, it evolved into a holiday of fun celebration enjoyed by people of all ages. 

People now celebrate Halloween in various ways. Some dress up in costumes, ranging from spooky to funny, and go trick-or-treating to collect candy. Others throw costume parties, carve pumpkins into jack-o’-lanterns, and decorate their homes with spooky decorations. Haunted houses, corn mazes, and horror movie marathons are also popular activities – essentially anything to embrace the spooky spirit.

Halloween can also be a nostalgic season for many. Halloween has a way of bringing out the inner child in all of us and creating lasting memories. Reminiscing and reliving those magical moments is a great way to embrace this time.

“I used to celebrate halloween when I was younger and loved trick or treating, As I get older now it’s harder to get excited or try to celebrate Halloween,” Victor Cabanas said. “Nothing makes me want to be a kid again quite like halloween does.” 

Many religious people have believed that Halloween had connections to the devil and rituals. Often these communities are encouraged to avoid celebrating it.  

“My family thought Halloween was the devil’s holiday so we weren’t allowed to celebrate it,” said Arnel Mea, another Highline student. “I’ve always wanted to celebrate Halloween and dress up in costumes and go trick or treating but my family was religious and against it,” Mea added.

Over time Halloween has evolved into a more lighthearted holiday focused on costumes and candy. Even many religious individuals now see it as a fun community event rather than something sinister. It’s all about personal beliefs and how people choose to interpret and celebrate the holiday. 

Parents and adults love the holiday just as much as children do. Speaking about how he believes Halloween isn’t just for children, Mike Wong, a local community member said, “I enjoy handing out candy and seeing my own kids in their costumes each year. I enjoy taking my kids out trick or treating and seeing all the scary looking houses decorated for halloween.”

Wong added, “I usually want to decorate the front of the house so trick-or-treaters know to come to the house for candy because we live up a hill so it makes it harder for trick or treaters to want to come up here.”

The traditional sign of a house that will participate in the ritual of giving out candy to kids who show up in costume is signaled by leaving the front porch light on during the evening of Oct. 31. Usually when people don’t celebrate Halloween they will turn off their lights or have no decorations and if trick-or-treaters do knock on the door they will just not answer.

Halloween has a rich history that dates back to ancient Celtic traditions. It has evolved over time into spooky family fun festivities. Whether you’re carving pumpkins, attending parties, or indulging in sweet treats, Halloween is a time for fun and embracing the supernatural. So get ready to enjoy the spooky spirit and have a hauntingly good time this Halloween!