Out on a Lim Commercialization has tricked out Halloween

Author: Leslie Lim

With Halloween just around the corner, I started to think about the many days of celebration that warrant a note on our calendars. Now it is clear that holidays, or "days of festivity or recreation when no work is done" in their form today, have come a long way from their origins. Halloween for instance, comes from All Hallows Eve, which preceded All Hallows Day or All Saints Day. All Hallows Eve was supposed to be a day where the boundary between the living and the dead blurred and spirits roamed free, so people also dressed up like evil spirits to mimic or placate them. It has now evolved into a holiday involving costumes, a very large consumption of candy and loosely connected (to its origins) events designed to elicit fear and thrills. Much of the purpose of the night has become playful and entertaining in spirit (no pun intended).

Another holiday that has strayed from its roots is Christmas. Though still strongly associated with the birth of Christ and an important day for Christianity, again much of the focus has shifted towards a well-decorated tree, gifts and Santa. There are elements such as being with one's family, which is a constant, but the fact that many countries that are secular or non-Christian have adopted Christmas proves that Christmas has evolved into a largely commercial phenomenon beyond its religious origins.

Both Halloween and Christmas today reflect a change in world thought towards the secular and commercial at least in official channels that designate it a holiday. I don't particularly have a problem with such a trend. There are certainly those who celebrate holidays in ways that are much closer to its original purpose, but having those holidays expand and evolve allow them to be celebrated by a larger audience. If it makes people happy and doesn't hurt or offend others, why not?

In addition to the evolution of the holidays themselves, I think an even more interesting aspect is our evolution regarding the roles we play in the holiday. As a child I remember the various costumes from Minnie Mouse to Jasmine that I wore and went around to houses trick-or-treating in. And at college, the main staple of any holiday but particularly Halloween, seems to be a huge party. Halloween costume parties (Johnson pit anyone?) make us slightly reckless, perhaps due to an overprotective feeling given to us by our masks. As we get older, we inevitably transition from candy-getters to candy-givers as we will be the ones passing out the candy corn and ooh-ing and aah-ing over costumes.

Our roles in Christmas change as well. We have come a long way from laying out cookies for Santa the night before and getting up eagerly to rush to the tree and open presents. We may now act as though we believe in Santa Claus for the sake of a younger sibling, but largely acknowledge him as a lovely but fake entity lovingly preserved by our parents. One day some of us will be wearing a fake beard and a pillow on our stomach to belt out the "ho ho hos" and bring the much awaited presents for the children that believe.

But what I wanted to highlight throughout this all is that evolution of holidays, and of our roles, is natural. Things change, but as long as the changes don't harm anybody, they are perfectly acceptable. The holiday in its original and current form can be appreciated, and while we enjoyed the trick or treating chapter of our lives, it is important to remember we have a Santa costume to look forward to.