Most remember the Halloween of their childhoods as jack-o-lantern carving in the afternoon, struggling to fit into your now months-old costume and an in-depth survey of the neighborhood for Hershey’s and KitKats — while avoiding the occasional no-show households. However, Halloween has evolved drastically from this classic image, with unique cultural celebrations emerging worldwide.
Halloween’s origin traces back over 2,000 years to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, which marked the beginning of winter. Legend has it that during Samhain, the veil between our world and the other world was its thinnest, allowing spirits to pass through. People would wear costumes, light bonfires and carve objects to ward off the harmful spirits.
Today, Ireland’s Halloween is far more diversified, with the Púca Festival both paying homage and replacing Samhain in the Ancient East. Meanwhile, Northern Ireland celebrates Derry Halloween, which consists of tricks and treats, such as circus acrobatics, Samhain baking demonstrations and street food.
Other countries, such as the United Kingdom and Japan, share celebrations similar to Halloween, with candy and costumes, but with their own unique spin. For the United Kingdom, it’s Guy Fawkes Day on Nov. 5. Guy Fawkes was a revolutionary who attempted to assassinate King James I with a barrel of gunpowder, and as such, the whole country celebrates with bonfires. In lieu of trick-or-treating for candy, children instead go around asking for “a penny for the Guy.”
Japan instead celebrates Obon, a Buddhist holiday where spiritual ancestors are believed to have come back to Earth to visit, much like Samhain. During Obon, people place lanterns outside their homes, visit their ancestors’ graves and make food offerings at home altars. Toward the end of the festivities, people place floating lanterns in the sea so that the spirits can find their way back to the afterlife.
While ghouls, candy and costumes can captivate children, the appeal typically fades with age. For those college-aged and older, the euphoria disappears and they opt out of Halloween, mostly retiring to the giving end of Halloween.
There is a sizeable number of people who refrain from Halloween, not out of some religious obligation but rather out of neutrality and apathy toward the traditional Halloween celebration. Take the case of electrical engineering junior Gavin Brooks, who will instead stay home and ride out their Halloween in pure peace and solitude.
“It’s basically like every other weekend,” Brooks said. “I feel like the more I get through UTD, the less I wanna do crazy shit. I’d really prefer to just stay and chill.”
Finally, there are those who celebrate Halloween but make mature changes. Being college students, they seek the horizons of Texas nightlife in search of a new thrill. Mechanical engineering junior Avanish Joshi plans to attend Halloweekend, a Halloween celebration in Austin centered on dressing up, partying down and clubbing around instead.
“I’m gonna be honest, this is probably my last time I’ll do Halloweekend,” Joshi said. “When I’m a senior, I’ll be focusing on more important stuff.”
Halloweekend is how college students celebrate Halloween at UT Austin, though other college students from around Texas attend. Frat and house parties envelop the area while bars are flooded to the brim with college kids praying for a taste of the American bar experience. 6th Street, a historic street known for its eclectic selection of bars and music venues, becomes lined with droves of drunk, costumed college students attempting to walk home without vomiting on the streets, inevitably failing when they get to bed. Though some would be put off by how hysterical Halloweekend sounds, it was precisely this setup that appealed to Joshi.
“Good or bad, I know that Halloweekend is gonna be crazy,” Joshi said. “It’s nice to just relax for a bit after having to go through a bunch of tests and homework and then later on in life doing the same thing. It opens a valve for me.”
Whatever happens this Halloween, all that matters is that you enjoy whatever it is you do to the fullest. In the end, Halloween is a holiday and, as such, should entail euphoria, relaxation and satisfaction — whatever that means to you.