Monday, September 29, 2008

Halloween Spirit

Halloween originated as a Celtic holiday known as Samhain, a celebration for the end of harvest season, where costumes were worn to mimic the spirits. Halloween is the shortened name of All Hallows Eve, the night before All Hallows Day which is also known as All Saint’s Day. Halloween did not become a holiday in the United States until the 19th century. Now, Halloween is the second most popular holiday in America next to Christmas. Americans spend about 4 million dollars on costumes every year.
Here at the Academy, Halloween is a widely celebrated holiday, so we decided to take a few interviews just to see how familiar students were with the traditions. In the three interviews we conducted, none of the students could say that they knew the history of Halloween. When asked if these students still went trick or treating, we were surprised to find out that one of the three students still participated in the tradition. Many students say they will be attending haunted houses this year; it seems like a popular activity for Academy students.
There are some very creative costume ideas here such as poison ivy, storybook characters, fairies, and other unique costumes. Many kids have plans for Halloween that have been traditions in their families for years. Others just plan to party and have fun. Many kids these days say that they don’t go trick or treating because they are too old. Others say if they can still dress up and do it, they will to get free candy. That’s the spirit!

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