BOO! OCTOBER 31st – AMERICA’S SCARY DAY

Halloween in the United States is known as a holiday where kids dress up and go around to different homes shouting ‘trick or treat’ in hopes of getting their favorite candy. Hollywood and television has made Halloween to be the scariest day of the year with stories that bring out the devil, ghosts and goblins. People can rent DVD horror classics such as Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13 th, or the Scream trilogy.

The United States owes a debt of gratitude to the Irish and Scottish peoples for bringing Halloween to its shores. Originally celebrated as a new year to mark the end of summer and harvest season, the Celts believed that the boundaries between living and dead worlds were unclear. To ensure that the ghosts of the dead do not return and harm future crops, the priests set up bonfires and sacrifice animals to calm the Celtic gods. Once Christianity spread its influence in these areas during the 700s, Pope Boniface IV designated this day as All Saints' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. It was only after the Irish & Scottish immigration to the United States that Halloween was introduced to the Red, White and Blue.

Marketing Halloween as U.S. success began at the start of the 20th century, with the introduction of special Halloween postcards. In 1930s, Halloween costumes started appearing in stores nation-wide, and the custom of trick-or-treating became an American fixture in the 1950s. Halloween has transformed itself to another sale say, becoming the 6th most profitable celebratory event of the year. Homes throughout the United States are decorated with pumpkins, jack-o'-lanterns, scarecrows, witches, plastic spiders, mummies and vampires. The candy companies do very well during this time of the year as well. The most famous snacks to give out to 36 million trick-or-treaters are snack sizes of M&Ms, Butterfingers, Nestles Crunch, Whoppers, Reese’s Pieces, Snickers, Bit O’ Honey, Hershey’s Kisses, Candy Corn, Starburst, and Dots.

Many cities celebrate Halloween with parades and other party events. Two towns in the United States are still battling for the title of ‘Halloween Capital of the World;’ Anoka, in Minnesota, and Salem in Massachusetts. However, it is New York City that hosts the largest Halloween celebration, known as The Village Halloween Parade. It attracts over two million people.

It does seem that October 31st has become more and more rooted in the Celtic heritage of the holiday than its Christian significance in the United States. It is a time to have fun with our fear of the ghosts and spirits, decorate our houses with orange and black, and carve out pumpkins. It is also a time to give thanks to the Irish immigrant who brought their Celtic traditions and wove them into the fabric of American society.

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This chapter was taken out of the Immigration Bible by Zila Katz and Esq.Dotan Cohen, Adv. Get your copy today

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Tom Wright
Editor in Chief
GCUS PRESS