{Disclaimer: Be careful when leaving your pumpkins out to chance in their natural habitat … you never know what wild animal will try to eat it.  And claw it apart. How very appropriate, considering it is a cat. I was so proud of myself for this carving. If only I had an original photo so you could admire it in its former glory.}

 

Is Halloween an actual holiday?

This question was spurred by the below post picture … the part where it says “The next holiday is Halloween.”

Really, Halloween is a holiday?

Since when?

Or is it just me that equivalates Holidays with days off and banks closed? Oh, and let’s not forget to add the post in while we’re at it.

I decided to do what I usually do when I need to know something: Google.
Google would tell me. Or not tell me.

Turns out, it’s not all that clear. There’s much debate related to this Halloween as a holiday business.

It might be my own personal experiences coloring this Halloween holiday, or more like, lack of a holiday.

See. I’ve never been too big into Halloween.

It started at a young age with serious costume anxiety.

That parade in school where you got all dressed up and walked around?
Yep, hated it. Loathed it. Dreaded it.

I don’t really know why either — considering I was never made fun of for my costume — at least not that I was openly aware, nor did I suffer any severe traumas that befell fellow classmates, such as tripping, spilling anything on me, or forgetting part of my costume gear  — minus the year in first grade when my parents left us for two weeks to go to San Francisco.

What responsible parent leaves their young child with a woman named Mary Martin who was not anything at all like the one from Peter Pan?

I just clearly and distinctly remember the pure dread of having to put that costume on. Of my heart pounding. Of worrying incessantly that something was either not right or would not go right.

I suppose it didn’t help matters that my bff, Dara, always had the perfect, creative costume. That she made herself. Seriously, girl was ON it.

What seven year old is able to come up with an entire Pocahontas themed ensemble (when Pocahontas wasn’t nearly as in as she is now — she was so ahead of her time), down to hand made props — all of which looked highly skilled and breathtaking. Sans the help of any parent involvement. Yeah, talk about talent.

You now will understand why I had to recruit her to complete every single one of my elementary art school projects. A theme that continued all the way through middle school.

At home my anxiety only increased. Brother 2 was a little $hit when it came to Halloween. It’s not just me saying that — this is an entire family consensus.

Something was always wrong. Drama, drama and more costume related drama. Along with huge tantrums. And he liked to try to bring everyone down with him.

He’d usually recover right around the time my dad threatened to not let him go trick-or-treating. Amazing the wonders that happen when loss of candy is held dangling over one’s young head.

Off we’d go. Plastic jack-o-lanterns in hand.

There were always a couple houses — I’m sure you already know the ones I’m talking about — which I referred to as “those places”, that gave out tacky treats like RAISINS and apples. WTF. This is Halloween. It’s not a time to try to go all healthy on children. Save it, people.

The best were the empty nesters, who’d leave massive amounts of candy out on their porch … especially the good stuff. Snickers, Butterfingers, M&M’s … along with the “take only one” sign. Like anyone was going to abide by that.

Just thinking about all that good candy is making me hungry. It’s a well known fact: I came {back} for the candy. I thought it was a pretty damn good reason to return, too.

I’m not sure about you, but I can’t really remember the history of Halloween. I know it coincides with All Saints Day … but why is it that we carve pumpkins and dress up?
We can thank the Celts for that and Google for letting let me know. Note: Celts is prounced with a “K” sound. It’s not like I’m trying  to make an abrrev for Celtics, or any other sports teams.

Not that I’m trying to insult anyone’s intelligence — I’m doing this out of my own personal slowness and that of my friends. We slow ones like to stick together.

So the Celts are over 2,000 years ago. Lived en Europe, in what is now the Ireland/Scotland areas. They celebrated the end of summer on November 1st and believed ghosts visited on the 31st, hence they’d dress up to scare these ghosts, or spirits, which was part of their own Samhain festival.

They also left food out for these spirits. Hey, nothing like feeding those who might try to harm your soul. A very good tactic, indeed. This is where we get trick-or-treating from.

Pumpkins come into play from what were turnips, used as lanterns by the Celts. As the Irish and Scottish immigrated to the U.S., they began using pumpkins instead. Hence how the jack-o’-lantern came to be.

Out of all the Halloween summaries I’ve read, I think I like the one on History.com the best:
“Straddling the line between fall and winter, plenty and paucity, life and death, Halloween is a time of celebration and superstition.”

I’m all about celebration and superstition. Not sure if this is merely a trait of a Total Taurus coming out or what, but I really always have been quite superstitious.

It’s probably borderline OCD at time. For reals. Who else had a night time ritual before bed in high school, literally every night? Like I said, OCD.

Regardless of what everyone’s Halloween plans may be, I wish minimal superstition, good celebration and tons of candy. The good, indulgent kind, that we can never have enough of.

As for Halloween being a holiday? I’ll go with, yes.

But only because of the candy.