Despite the fun of dressing up on Halloween, what is the actual history of why we celebrate Halloween, and why are there some that don’t celebrate?
Halloween originates from the ancient Celtic festival called Samhain, a pagan religious celebration on Oct. 31. It celebrates the end of summer and the beginning of the harvest season. It was believed participants could scare off ghosts by dressing in costumes, and they would hold large bonfire gatherings.
Celts celebrated the new year on Nov. 1 at the time, and they believed that, on Oct. 31, the bridge between the living and the dead was blurred and that ghosts returned to earth. Similar themes appear in the Mexican holiday Day of the Dead.
As Christianity spread into Celtic lands, in 1000 A.D., Nov. 1 became All Saints Day, and Nov. 2 became All Souls’ Day, which was used to honor the dead in the church.
In the American colonies of New England, Halloween struggled due to strong Protestant beliefs. It started as plays and has developed over the years into the heavily commercialized and profitable concept that it is today.
For those who are yawning, I tried to keep the history lesson brief. I am really here to tell you why some people choose not to or are not capable of celebrating Halloween.
Several religious groups do not believe in celebrating the holiday. For example, Jehovah’s Witness, Protestant, Evangelical Christian, and more religions’ views on Halloween vary within these groups. Some, not all, choose to abstain from celebrating Halloween.
Mexican cultures celebrate Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, on Nov. 1-2, and usually not Halloween. Many Native Americans also choose not to celebrate because of the colonization of Native peoples, which drowned out their own traditions.
Other people may not like to partake or be around anything Halloween-related, such as horror or the distribution of candy.
As people grow up, they may lose interest in Halloween and the child-like nature surrounding it, similar to the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus. They may turn that disinterest into something they don’t want their child to participate in.
At the end of the day, it is one day out of the year. It is important to respect individuals who have diverse beliefs, backgrounds and circumstances that lead them not to celebrate Halloween.
