Spooky, scary and orange are all words associated with Halloween, a holiday celebrated each year on Oct. 31. It’s been around for a while, but most people have forgotten when and where it came from.
The origins of Halloween can be traced back as far as 2,000 years ago. It originated from Celtic tradition, which believed that Nov. 1 was the official mark of a new year. The night before that, they had a festival called “Samhain” in which they thought dead souls would return to the ones who were living.
As a means to ward off any evil spirits, people chose to light bonfires and wear masks and costumes.
Now, in the 21st century, Halloween has changed a lot since its Christian roots. Now, people carve pumpkins, go trick-or-treating and visit haunted houses.
However, not everyone spends the day celebrating. Here are some students from SHS who either celebrate or don’t celebrate Halloween, and their reasons for doing so.
Freshman Cherry Thang says that she is unable to celebrate at home due to her religious upbringing.
“They just think Halloween is for Satan, and I’m just not allowed to,” Thang said. “I disagree (because) I think it’s based on your intentions, if you want to make it about Satan or not.”
Outside of home, she is able to freely celebrate the holiday and chooses to do so with her friends.
Junior Meriam Sung sits on the fence between both sides.
“Obviously, (there’s) religious stuff and beliefs, and that’s the reason why I don’t celebrate Halloween,” Sung said. “But at the same time, I have FOMO and whenever I see people dress up and do stuff, especially my friends that talk about it, I want that to be me.”
Despite her personal longing to celebrate the holiday, she feels as though she doesn’t have the choice to celebrate due to her religion.
Sophomore Mary Chanyaw, on the other hand, confidently celebrates Halloween.
“Usually, I get together with my friends and we spend time together and we go trick or treating,” Chanyaw said. “This year, I’m going to a Halloween party for the first time, and I’m more excited than I’m nervous.”
She looks forward to spending time with her friends the most during this occasion, as they always make good memories together.
For her, Halloween is a day where people can be creative and get to be themselves. Also, she views it as a day for people to just have fun, thanks to the unique costumes she’s seen and the way people celebrate.
Sophomore Sherlyin Gonzalez shares this same sentiment as she celebrates Halloween every year.
“I mostly go trick-or-treating with my cousins and basically (with) my whole family,” Gonzalez said. “I think why some people choose not to celebrate is mostly because of religious reasons, and that’s it.”
She expresses her personal thought that people are free to their own beliefs, and it shouldn’t matter whether or not they celebrate the holiday.
For Gonzalez, Halloween is an event that can be considered a get-together to have fun with friends and family, and do a bunch of activities together.
