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People Are Cracking Up At These 30 Things About Halloween That Confuse The Hell Out Of Non-Americans
Sometimes people understand the word ‘culture’ in a very narrow sense. They may think that culture only includes art and very old traditions, but actually it also has a wider definition. It also encompasses the behavioral norms, the way we dress, the way we speak in different contexts and other aspects of our lives.
We can say that the way we celebrate occasions also is a part of our culture. Festivities always attract the attention of people and it unites them even if they are from different cultures. However, we do not always understand why people in other places have certain traditions. For example, non-Americans have a lot of questions about Halloween because it is not that popular in places other than the USA and other people may view their dedication to the occasion as weird.
Image credits: City of Greeley
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Halloween is celebrated on the night of October 31 and it is believed that it has pagan roots. The customs may be influenced by folk folk customs and beliefs from the Celtic-speaking countries. The theory that is the most popular says that the celebration comes from ancient Celtic harvest festivals, particularly the Gaelic festival Samhain.
Like many other celebrations, it is believed that the Samhain festival was Christianized by the early Church but others claim that it may have been Christian from the start. It is difficult to say as it evolved through many centuries and nobody held records of these kinds of things.
That would be a yes. I have my Halloween tree set up in the front hallway, and my headstones out front. Halloween-...e600c3.jpg 
Not everyone goes all out, and there are some who don't to anything at all. But I think most people try to do a little something, and nearly all kids go trick-or-treating in costumes. Why? It's good fun. You have no social obligations, there's tons of candy, you get to put out silly and fun decorations, and you've got an excuse to dress up in a costume. What's not to like? That's why people in the USA and Canada love Halloween so much!
Some people do. some don't. Some people pick the "holidays" they want to explode about and some people act like it's too much effort to just get through life.
It used to be a big deal. I can remember walking miles and stopping at every house for our treat. But now a days it’s not so good due to the idiots out there that spoil it for everyone. They give candy that’s been tampered with and apples with things stuck inside them like needles or razor blades. I love that people still decorate so much. It can be very exciting to drive around and see all the ideas people come up with.
The needles and razor blades were almost entirely urban myths that got spread and caused a panic.
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YES. Yes we do. And the PARTIES? OMG. One of the best times to be a young, dumb college kid is during Halloween! SO. MANY. PARTIES. Every other girl dressed up as the "sexy" version of EVERYTHING (eye roll), drinks, music, scares, fun...I LOVE IT. Good times!
I very much love Halloween and enjoy seeing all the creative costumes the kiddos are wearing each year. It is a lot of fun
Yup! I live in a suburb and every year we run out of candy (we buy a ton). It is really fun to see the little ones all done up. Also, the past few years, my kids get to go out alone and I get to sit in my driveway and hand out candy with the hubs, with the exception of last year. We set out a table with bags the kids could grab themselves and hand sanitizer. So much FUN!
Yes! In America we sometimes take all year to plan costumes, parties, etc. There are costume or decoration contests at school, the office, bars, and festivals to win big prizes. Pumpkin carving contests are huge. At the end of trick-or-treating you take your 'haul' over to the hospital to have it x-rayed for free then try not to die from a Snickers coma.
My children and I decorate every Halloween first. Our whole neighborhood goes trick or treating and most of the adults dress up too. We host au pairs and it’s such fun to share a big Halloween with them.
It used to be huge back when I was kid in my old neighborhood, so much fun. Unfortunately, where I live now its not much of a thing anymore. Got to search out the old school style neighborhoods to see the decor and watch kids have fun like I used to
It is. And it's really fun. In our neighborhood, most people decorate their homes (some in wild ways), most give out candy, and Halloween night is hundreds of kids on the streets, all dressed up, laughing and having a ball. Plus, there are adult parties on the street serving free food, and people setting up free movies, activities, and haunted houses. It's really delightful.
It used to be... not so much anymore. No one has the time or money anymore, trunk-o-treat has taken it out of neighborhoods and turned it into a 20 minute parking lot circle, and they keep moving it around every year, but following different rules on which day to use depending on where you live... o_O
YES!!!!!!! some people do king size candy bars, rolls of gum, yard long laffy taffy sticks, or even cotton candy! full on graveyard elctronic jump-out-at-you decorations, lights, blow up spiders, 10 feet tall skeletons with jack o lantern heads! I love this holiday!
Love Halloween it's not just the candy but dressing up to is so much fun
To Nelly, America's a lot of territory with a way diverse populataion so yes, no and everything in between. We see witches on surf boards over in Morro Bay CA.
not everyone but yes... a good portion of americans do somethign for halloween
You're suppose to stop trick or treating at age 12. I stopped somewhere around 35. I only stopped because my siblings stopped having nieces and nephews I could take with me. Once you reach a certain age, you have to have a kid for a shield.
I doubt it. Maybe the decorations, but the party levels shown in movies are often exaggerated
I'm British, but I put out Halloween Decorations. Small pumpkins, skulls, spiders, and rats around my lounge. Love Halloween as much as Christmas.
Ok, in Ireland, where fireworks are illegal if you don't have a license, people go, get them in Northern Ireland, smuggle them in and illegaly light them xD. I mean, teenagers do that
My town doesn't really do much for Halloween anymore. Kids go to the community center or shops, but not really door to door anymore.
YES!!! Many people start decorating I. Late August. We love Halloween.
The Samhain festival marked the end of the harvest season and it meant the beginning of winter, when more than half of the day was dark so it was also a mysterious time. It was believed that on the day of the transition the boundaries between this and the other world would be less defined.
People believed that at this time spirits could enter their world and among gods, fairies and demons, their lost relatives could come to their home too. That is where all the treats come from as people would make a big dinner out of the harvest to make the spirits feel welcomed.
This year would have failed you. The decorations everywhere are all gone, have been for a couple weeks. In fact, I would wager that black friday is going to be a s**t show considering that it's already been made public that merchandise is going to be short this year.
The Christian influence can be seen in the tradition that many Church festivities would start the day before, on the vigil as Halloween is the evening before the Christian holy days of All Hallows' Day on 1 November. That is where the name of Halloween actually comes from.
If the pagans believed that the October 31 night is when spirits come to Earth in Christian tradition it is explained that on that day people should spend time honoring the saints and praying for the recently departed souls who have yet to reach Heaven.
There’s some irony that the OP used the term “y’all” while calling the culture strange haha 😂
It's quicker to say "the 4th", "Halloween", and "Christmas". For me, it's all about efficiency.
A few people rent costumes. Many purchase them, but they are such poor quality they may not last long. Some wear them again in subsequent years. People often make costumes from old, used clothing, or sometimes by sewing.
Halloween didn’t become widely celebrated in North America until the 19th century when Irish and Scottish mass immigrated to the continent. Over time it evolved to this huge holiday that we see now and its influence can be felt all over the world.
Even though it was commercialized in modern times Halloween is not a superficial festivity without no meaning and created just for fun. It has some meaning to it and it has analogues in other countries too when the dead are honored and in some countries people will just light a candle, go to church or cemetery and in others they will celebrate this occasion with more bang and pizzazz.
think...sweetened condensed milk? but in the texture of wax? meh, if you're european you probably wont like it
There is actually more to Halloween than just a couple of paragraphs can contain so if you want to know more about its roots, researching it can actually reveal very interesting knowledge that you wouldn’t think to find.
But there are things that only Americans can answer about how they celebrate it, why they feel it became such a big holiday and do they really need all those decorations. If there are any Americans reading this list with all the questions, the rest of the world would really want to know the answers so please write them in the comments! Also, don’t forget to upvote the questions that you would like to be answered the most!
No, one of the holiday rituals is “demonstrate a psychological theory.” Most people chose the Tragedy of the Commons. Me, I’d think the Milgram Experiment more in keeping with the spirit of the holiday, but my lawyer pointed to its complications.
My family carves pumpkins every Halloween...and decorates cookies for Christmas, and dyes eggs for Easter...
Mmm, pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin soup, roasted pumpkin seeds...
Yes. Why is it ok to decorate for Christmas but not Halloween? You do your things but Imma get me some ghouls for MY garden.
The best seasonal store ever. It's like Halloween Santa. Only shows up once a year and you never see it until spooky season
Where do you think we get our costumes and skeletons and witches and giant rubber rats and fake spider webs and coffins and monsters?
Note: this post originally had 38 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
Gosh, it's been a minute since we bashed the US. Ironically, so many of those were the same stupid questions over and over. If you want to bash Americans for having a little fun, try to be original. Bashing that some people celebrate for a month, eat pumpkins, and have specialty shops is boring. Zzzzzzzzz
Today I learned that Halloween is apparently American exclusive??? Halloween originated in Ireland, of course we celebrate it, pumpkins, costumes, decorations, movies, Trick or Treating and all.
Canada celebrates it too. Everyone keeps forgetting that Canada exists, despite being the second largest country on the planet. We love Halloween just as much as Americans do!
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Another anti America article that hasn't been fact checked. Shocker.
Why is it anti American? They just asked if what they have herd or seen on tv/net was true. They didn't put down America. It's just people being curious about another culture. Which is a good thing. Just like I'm curious about England, Jordan, India or Morocco, etc. Asking questions is a good thing lol
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Halloween is awesome because: it isn't a religious holiday (anymore) - it is both kid and adult friendly - it involves good seasonal food, not just candy - it appeals to a wide spectrum of people for different reasons, from soccer moms to goths - Black and orange are great colors to decorate with.
I‘m not an american but most of these questions are just dumb. Why do they celebrate and decorate during the whole of october? Maybe because its a seasonal thing? The same way the radio stations play „last christmas“ all over the world as soon as november arrives? The same way people put up christmas lights even if christmas is still a month away?
You know what, big up to Americans for making Halloween an event to look forward to. We don't do it to the same extent in the UK as the US does but I'd love to be over there for Halloween as it looks awesome. And to be honest BP, give the US bashing a rest. People and cultures are different - shocking!
Here is a question, why do europeans ask so many questions about us Americans? Seriously some of those were worded so rudely. Almost mocking us in a way. So what Halloween is a fun an entertaining holiday and we celebrate it in diffsrent ways. Some like to just watch Halloween or horror movies all day and night on Halloween/Hallows Eve.
One of America's biggest exports is... media. Movies, TV, music etc. People around the world watch what comes out of Hollywood. And they often wonder "is that really what life is like in America, or is this just exaggerated for the sake of entertainment?"
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Halloween is a way to have a party, in the long stretch between summer and winter holidays, is what I figure.
Ummmm this looks more like a persons search engine, not a Twitter thread
the reason it's so big here is because it's a holiday to basically cater to many different people on so many levels. You can be goofy. You can be scary. You can be a superhero. You can be whatever you want. People may or may not know who you are under the costume. you get candy. It's a community holiday where you visit with one another in the neighborhood.
When I’m older I’m going to go to the UK, make a best friend, and invite them to America for Halloween to show them how much fun it is. I want to go there and make an English friend anyway :D
Tbf the UK is slowly becoming like the US with Halloween. We sell decorations and pumpkins, there are Trick or Treaters, etc. But it's not like every single house on every single street does it
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Aw man I was all excited for Halloween, but now I feel bad cause other places don't get to celebrate. Halloween is my favorite holiday and I wish other places would get to experience it (to the extent Americans do) :(
On behalf of Australia...huh? I am not alone in not understanding the point of Halloween. It is slowly creeping into Australia but mainly just retail stores. Like Christmas (which stores already stock Xmas stuff too), it is just a chance for retailers to score a quick buck. Trick or treaters are a rare sight here. I think everyone when younger was probably told to not take candy from strangers. Sooo, Halloween...candy....strangers.....?
The point is to have fun. That's it. Decorating with spooky props & foggers, collecting candy when you're young & handing it out when you're older, wearing costumes (especially one you've made yourself), having a party, giving someone a good jump-scare (or getting one yourself) - it's fun. What more reason does one need?
Load More Replies... Paty 6: It’s an apt metaphor, as expressed in this doggerel: The sun resigns the sky so soon The mourning air is chilled The triumph of the early moon Finds all the flowers killed A clamorous and spiteful wind Spreads leaves out as its pall And Summer like a Spring that sinned Is getting on to Fall. Be that as it may, the people have spoken. They say ‘fall,’ as OED recognizes without complaint. ‘Autumn’ is still used here by sub-literary scribblers in newspapers and magazines, although the adjectival form ‘autumnal’ has been accepted because the alternative ‘fallish’ is, let’s face it, utterly ridiculous. Now I have a question. As anyone seriously interested in Halloween would have explored Google and Wikipedia, the queries above, with their mocking tone, strongly suggest and judgmental attitude, I ask ‘what’s it to you?’ Any people who find harmless ways of having fun should be encouraged and emulated, lest the world grow as sober as it is cold.
PART 5: And which independence day do you mean: the day of declaration in 1776; the day of victory, when Cornwallis surrendered in 1781; or the day of confirmation (Treaty of Paris, 1783)? Clearly, we prefer the date we told George III to take a hike. Independence is still used occasionally by stuffy newspaper editorialists and by makers of annotated calendars: faced with the inanity of saying July the Fourth is the Fourth of July, they say Independence Day instead. Autumn vs. Fall: Americans’ enthusiasm for the latter in preference to the former discombobulates a small subset of people who are a) too easily discombobulated and b) ignorant of its origin. OED traces FALL to mid-16th Cy England, when it was part of a longer term for the season: ‘fall of the leaf,’ which was soon abridged in common use. It gained ascendancy in the U.S. in the 19th Cy. That was a time of religious revival, and I speculate that various divines adopted seasonal fall for the Biblical Fall. CONTD
PART 4: Surely the reason for anti-raisin hostility is obvious? No? OK then: it is contrary to and a gross violation of the spirit of the one day in the year that kids are permitted to stuff their greedy little mouths with all of the candy they can manage with both hands. Most people indulge them, but not the tedious do-gooders who would save the world, voted for Al Gore and devote themselves to other pious gestures and virtue-signaling. These spoilsports see Halloween as a ‘teaching moment’ for Healthful Eating, and so hand out raisins and apples, and may one day escalate to vitamin pills and spinach. In the Afterlife they themselves will be fed Soylent Green. Independence Day vs. Fourth of July: Well, it’s our day and we’ll call it what we want, just as Britons, for example, speak of The Glorious First of June rather than Fourth Battle of Ushant Day. Contd . .
PART 3: As for candy corn: It not only doesn’t taste of corn but doesn’t resemble it, either. It is a dense, cloyingly sweet and perfectly horrible candy that somehow persists, along with cotton candy at fairs and the ghastly marshmallow baby chickens called Peeps sold at Eastertide.’ These, like the orange-colored molded marshmallow blobs called Circus Peanuts (rest assured they are peanut free) are offenses to taste but not according to the civil code. Why do Americans hug pumpkins in selfies? Those who commit selfies of any kind are in my opinion of questionable intelligence, akin to people who say ‘y’all’ but are not African-American or from the American South. Probably they think it makes them hip instead of cultural appropriators. Contd . . .
PART 2: Many people decorate to varying degrees, especially when troops of children are expected. Halloween pumpkins are generally not eaten because they’re not of the best culinary variety (in the north of Italy they are, and are made into the splendid ravioli called agnolotti). The term jack o’ lantern, of British origin, is rarely used here save by desperate magazine writers. Re Halloween in the movies. You may take it as written that anything from Hollywood is grossly exaggerated. As we are a nation of ca. 350 million, it can be assumed that not all Americans take Halloween seriously. And what is ‘seriously’? To be sure, lots of kids dress up and spend a couple of hours collecting candy. Adults on the giving end are divided between the enthusiastic and the resigned. And some just don’t bother. The party crowd? Yes, they love it immoderately. CONTD . . . .
Bulk response to questions, PART 1: No one thinks Halloween lasts a month, only the ‘season’ for selling costumes (mostly from pop-up stores) and such lasts that long. Halloween originated in Britain as Hallowe'en or All Hallow's Eve and today it has some presence in Italy, France and Germany. In the U.S. it has been taken over by adults, leading to commercialization (sales of flimsy costumes, etc.) On seeing the takeover some years back I asked my son for enlightenment. ‘Dad’ he said, surprised at my ignorance, ‘it’s the one holiday of the year that has no religious or family connections.’ Indeed, no historical connections either, and no travel needed. In short, it is its own excuse for parties. Yes, pumpkins are carved and be-candled; consult Google Images or https://www.facebook.com/PumpkinBlaze/photos/a.386509645167/10159837925495168 for a wide range of examples. Carving kits allow children (more likely parents) to disfigure pumpkins without maiming themselves. Continued . .
Wow. Could someone find yet another way to ask exactly the same questions? Over and over? Over and over?
I suppose you could look at it as Halloween is to Pagans/Witches and such as Christmas is to Christians. But, also, Halloween is for the kid and the cosplayer and the dramatic and secret theatre person in all of us.
Guess where I live: "The Halloween Decorations are on stock starting at the end of summer"
I live in Mexico at the border with the US and years ago we used to celebrate Halloween too, or at least it was more common to have costume parties, etc. But as one of the questions say, we don't really get pretty decoration at the stores like they do in the US, so even if one wanted to decorate their house, it wouldn't be as neat as in the American movies. Plus there's a lot of judgement from religious people or the more patriotic ones, that see it as something bad to celebrate Halloween because we have the Day of the Dead on November, but smarter people just usually mix up both celebrations.
Dias de los Muertos is creeping in more to the US as well. When I was younger, it was something you did more so at home, but now they even have stuff at Target or other stores and public decorations in some places as well. It is both nice and weird to see.
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The UK celebrates Halloween so most of this comments are null and void
The UK doesn't even vaguely celebrate Halloween to the same extent that Americans do.
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Dont know why anyone wouldn’t like Halloween, its fun and not just an American thing, im in the uk and its really popular here too! People do decorate their houses here i have a projecter that makes little bats and ghosts on my house 😄🦇🦇
This has been a real eye opener. Next you're going to tell us that the rest of the world doesn't go to corn mazes at night to be chased around by bloody clowns and zombies with chainsaws....
BP, did we really need all of those identical questions to get the point? Everyone else, the pumpkin thing needs to go away. what a giant waste of food!
Gosh, it's been a minute since we bashed the US. Ironically, so many of those were the same stupid questions over and over. If you want to bash Americans for having a little fun, try to be original. Bashing that some people celebrate for a month, eat pumpkins, and have specialty shops is boring. Zzzzzzzzz
Today I learned that Halloween is apparently American exclusive??? Halloween originated in Ireland, of course we celebrate it, pumpkins, costumes, decorations, movies, Trick or Treating and all.
Canada celebrates it too. Everyone keeps forgetting that Canada exists, despite being the second largest country on the planet. We love Halloween just as much as Americans do!
Load More Replies... Another anti America article that hasn't been fact checked. Shocker.
Why is it anti American? They just asked if what they have herd or seen on tv/net was true. They didn't put down America. It's just people being curious about another culture. Which is a good thing. Just like I'm curious about England, Jordan, India or Morocco, etc. Asking questions is a good thing lol
Load More Replies... Halloween is awesome because: it isn't a religious holiday (anymore) - it is both kid and adult friendly - it involves good seasonal food, not just candy - it appeals to a wide spectrum of people for different reasons, from soccer moms to goths - Black and orange are great colors to decorate with.
I‘m not an american but most of these questions are just dumb. Why do they celebrate and decorate during the whole of october? Maybe because its a seasonal thing? The same way the radio stations play „last christmas“ all over the world as soon as november arrives? The same way people put up christmas lights even if christmas is still a month away?
You know what, big up to Americans for making Halloween an event to look forward to. We don't do it to the same extent in the UK as the US does but I'd love to be over there for Halloween as it looks awesome. And to be honest BP, give the US bashing a rest. People and cultures are different - shocking!
Here is a question, why do europeans ask so many questions about us Americans? Seriously some of those were worded so rudely. Almost mocking us in a way. So what Halloween is a fun an entertaining holiday and we celebrate it in diffsrent ways. Some like to just watch Halloween or horror movies all day and night on Halloween/Hallows Eve.
One of America's biggest exports is... media. Movies, TV, music etc. People around the world watch what comes out of Hollywood. And they often wonder "is that really what life is like in America, or is this just exaggerated for the sake of entertainment?"
Load More Replies... Halloween is a way to have a party, in the long stretch between summer and winter holidays, is what I figure.
Ummmm this looks more like a persons search engine, not a Twitter thread
the reason it's so big here is because it's a holiday to basically cater to many different people on so many levels. You can be goofy. You can be scary. You can be a superhero. You can be whatever you want. People may or may not know who you are under the costume. you get candy. It's a community holiday where you visit with one another in the neighborhood.
When I’m older I’m going to go to the UK, make a best friend, and invite them to America for Halloween to show them how much fun it is. I want to go there and make an English friend anyway :D
Tbf the UK is slowly becoming like the US with Halloween. We sell decorations and pumpkins, there are Trick or Treaters, etc. But it's not like every single house on every single street does it
Load More Replies... Aw man I was all excited for Halloween, but now I feel bad cause other places don't get to celebrate. Halloween is my favorite holiday and I wish other places would get to experience it (to the extent Americans do) :(
On behalf of Australia...huh? I am not alone in not understanding the point of Halloween. It is slowly creeping into Australia but mainly just retail stores. Like Christmas (which stores already stock Xmas stuff too), it is just a chance for retailers to score a quick buck. Trick or treaters are a rare sight here. I think everyone when younger was probably told to not take candy from strangers. Sooo, Halloween...candy....strangers.....?
The point is to have fun. That's it. Decorating with spooky props & foggers, collecting candy when you're young & handing it out when you're older, wearing costumes (especially one you've made yourself), having a party, giving someone a good jump-scare (or getting one yourself) - it's fun. What more reason does one need?
Load More Replies... Paty 6: It’s an apt metaphor, as expressed in this doggerel: The sun resigns the sky so soon The mourning air is chilled The triumph of the early moon Finds all the flowers killed A clamorous and spiteful wind Spreads leaves out as its pall And Summer like a Spring that sinned Is getting on to Fall. Be that as it may, the people have spoken. They say ‘fall,’ as OED recognizes without complaint. ‘Autumn’ is still used here by sub-literary scribblers in newspapers and magazines, although the adjectival form ‘autumnal’ has been accepted because the alternative ‘fallish’ is, let’s face it, utterly ridiculous. Now I have a question. As anyone seriously interested in Halloween would have explored Google and Wikipedia, the queries above, with their mocking tone, strongly suggest and judgmental attitude, I ask ‘what’s it to you?’ Any people who find harmless ways of having fun should be encouraged and emulated, lest the world grow as sober as it is cold.
PART 5: And which independence day do you mean: the day of declaration in 1776; the day of victory, when Cornwallis surrendered in 1781; or the day of confirmation (Treaty of Paris, 1783)? Clearly, we prefer the date we told George III to take a hike. Independence is still used occasionally by stuffy newspaper editorialists and by makers of annotated calendars: faced with the inanity of saying July the Fourth is the Fourth of July, they say Independence Day instead. Autumn vs. Fall: Americans’ enthusiasm for the latter in preference to the former discombobulates a small subset of people who are a) too easily discombobulated and b) ignorant of its origin. OED traces FALL to mid-16th Cy England, when it was part of a longer term for the season: ‘fall of the leaf,’ which was soon abridged in common use. It gained ascendancy in the U.S. in the 19th Cy. That was a time of religious revival, and I speculate that various divines adopted seasonal fall for the Biblical Fall. CONTD
PART 4: Surely the reason for anti-raisin hostility is obvious? No? OK then: it is contrary to and a gross violation of the spirit of the one day in the year that kids are permitted to stuff their greedy little mouths with all of the candy they can manage with both hands. Most people indulge them, but not the tedious do-gooders who would save the world, voted for Al Gore and devote themselves to other pious gestures and virtue-signaling. These spoilsports see Halloween as a ‘teaching moment’ for Healthful Eating, and so hand out raisins and apples, and may one day escalate to vitamin pills and spinach. In the Afterlife they themselves will be fed Soylent Green. Independence Day vs. Fourth of July: Well, it’s our day and we’ll call it what we want, just as Britons, for example, speak of The Glorious First of June rather than Fourth Battle of Ushant Day. Contd . .
PART 3: As for candy corn: It not only doesn’t taste of corn but doesn’t resemble it, either. It is a dense, cloyingly sweet and perfectly horrible candy that somehow persists, along with cotton candy at fairs and the ghastly marshmallow baby chickens called Peeps sold at Eastertide.’ These, like the orange-colored molded marshmallow blobs called Circus Peanuts (rest assured they are peanut free) are offenses to taste but not according to the civil code. Why do Americans hug pumpkins in selfies? Those who commit selfies of any kind are in my opinion of questionable intelligence, akin to people who say ‘y’all’ but are not African-American or from the American South. Probably they think it makes them hip instead of cultural appropriators. Contd . . .
PART 2: Many people decorate to varying degrees, especially when troops of children are expected. Halloween pumpkins are generally not eaten because they’re not of the best culinary variety (in the north of Italy they are, and are made into the splendid ravioli called agnolotti). The term jack o’ lantern, of British origin, is rarely used here save by desperate magazine writers. Re Halloween in the movies. You may take it as written that anything from Hollywood is grossly exaggerated. As we are a nation of ca. 350 million, it can be assumed that not all Americans take Halloween seriously. And what is ‘seriously’? To be sure, lots of kids dress up and spend a couple of hours collecting candy. Adults on the giving end are divided between the enthusiastic and the resigned. And some just don’t bother. The party crowd? Yes, they love it immoderately. CONTD . . . .
Bulk response to questions, PART 1: No one thinks Halloween lasts a month, only the ‘season’ for selling costumes (mostly from pop-up stores) and such lasts that long. Halloween originated in Britain as Hallowe'en or All Hallow's Eve and today it has some presence in Italy, France and Germany. In the U.S. it has been taken over by adults, leading to commercialization (sales of flimsy costumes, etc.) On seeing the takeover some years back I asked my son for enlightenment. ‘Dad’ he said, surprised at my ignorance, ‘it’s the one holiday of the year that has no religious or family connections.’ Indeed, no historical connections either, and no travel needed. In short, it is its own excuse for parties. Yes, pumpkins are carved and be-candled; consult Google Images or https://www.facebook.com/PumpkinBlaze/photos/a.386509645167/10159837925495168 for a wide range of examples. Carving kits allow children (more likely parents) to disfigure pumpkins without maiming themselves. Continued . .
Wow. Could someone find yet another way to ask exactly the same questions? Over and over? Over and over?
I suppose you could look at it as Halloween is to Pagans/Witches and such as Christmas is to Christians. But, also, Halloween is for the kid and the cosplayer and the dramatic and secret theatre person in all of us.
Guess where I live: "The Halloween Decorations are on stock starting at the end of summer"
I live in Mexico at the border with the US and years ago we used to celebrate Halloween too, or at least it was more common to have costume parties, etc. But as one of the questions say, we don't really get pretty decoration at the stores like they do in the US, so even if one wanted to decorate their house, it wouldn't be as neat as in the American movies. Plus there's a lot of judgement from religious people or the more patriotic ones, that see it as something bad to celebrate Halloween because we have the Day of the Dead on November, but smarter people just usually mix up both celebrations.
Dias de los Muertos is creeping in more to the US as well. When I was younger, it was something you did more so at home, but now they even have stuff at Target or other stores and public decorations in some places as well. It is both nice and weird to see.
Load More Replies... The UK celebrates Halloween so most of this comments are null and void
The UK doesn't even vaguely celebrate Halloween to the same extent that Americans do.
Load More Replies... Dont know why anyone wouldn’t like Halloween, its fun and not just an American thing, im in the uk and its really popular here too! People do decorate their houses here i have a projecter that makes little bats and ghosts on my house 😄🦇🦇
This has been a real eye opener. Next you're going to tell us that the rest of the world doesn't go to corn mazes at night to be chased around by bloody clowns and zombies with chainsaws....
BP, did we really need all of those identical questions to get the point? Everyone else, the pumpkin thing needs to go away. what a giant waste of food!
