Relevance Of Halloween To People

I have always regarded Halloween as one of the special holidays in a year. However, it is not like Christmas, where we celebrate the birth of Christ, or Valentines, where we celebrate the martyr Saint Valentine. This is not the case in Halloween. In here, we celebrate the souls of those who passed before us. Does that sound scary? Actually, it ain’t so, for in reality it is really a fun celebration.

Oftentimes, Halloween, which falls on the last day of October, is confused with All Saints day, which is celebrated on the first day of November. The word Halloween was first manifested in the 16th century. A variant of the fuller Scottish term “All-Hallows-Eve” is what the word represents. All-Hallows-Eve is what they call the night before All Hallows Day.

There are many ways Halloween is celebrated around the world these days. Although it is not celebrated in all parts of the world, in those parts of the world that celebrates it, its traditions and importance varies. Some nations have their own unique ways of celebrating Halloween although some follow the American way of celebrating Halloween for it can often be seen in iconic and commercial events.

Usually, Halloween is celebrated by parties in which participants will attend wearing different kinds of costumes. This is more prominent in the U.S, of A. The costume they wear varies, but oftentimes are costumes of ghost, witches, or ghouls. However, there are now diverse kinds of costumes, like costumes of TV series characters, Pirates of the Caribbean Costumes, space-themed costumes, and more. As for the kids, they celebrate Halloween through Trick-or-Treating. Children of all ages wear different kinds of costume and then go door-to-door asking each homeowner for candies by shouting “Trick-or-Treat”. If they do not oblige, the children will perform a “trick” to the homeowner, which is usually a mischievous but harmless prank. Many people love this part of Halloween, as they enjoy seeing children of all ages wear Pirates of the Caribbean Costumes or something and smile to them when they open their door, but still there are individuals who does not enjoy this practice and views the children as a nuisance.

Here in the Philippines, Halloween is rarely noticed. However, especially in the urban areas, Halloween is sometimes celebrated nowadays. Because we do not know what it is, we did not experience Trick-or-Treating while I was young. However, in my elementary days, whenever it is nearing November, we would plan a Halloween party, although sometimes it does not fall exactly on October 31. Instead of wearing uniforms, we would go to school wearing costumes. After our classes, which would be dismissed early because we would only take our quizzes and have no lectures, we would have our party. These days, I see little kids wearing costumes (but more often in their casual clothes), asking for treats and candies at each house. However their costumes are sometimes just makeshift, like a boy wearing a “barong” and putting too much powder in his face or a girl wearing a gown, which will make her a princess. Character costumes are very rare here, so I do not see kids wearing Pirates of the Caribbean Costumes. But at least the Halloween spirit is there. And like in the other countries, it is still fun to watch!

Halloween, which is really a fun celebration, really has some deep meaning behind it. Halloween teaches us lessons about mortality and death. We should value our own lives, for once it’s lost, it’s gone forever. But still, you should enjoy your life to the fullest. Life is too good to waste, and it only comes once.

Enjoy the holidays and happy Halloween!