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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.
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#2
MizAdeleM 3 years ago
That would be a yes. I have my Halloween tree set up in the front hallway, and my headstones out front. Halloween-...e600c3.jpg 
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.
#8
Don't Look 3 years ago
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.
#9
AndThenICommented 3 years ago
There’s some irony that the OP used the term “y’all” while calling the culture strange haha 😂
#10
Julie Harden 3 years ago
It's quicker to say "the 4th", "Halloween", and "Christmas". For me, it's all about efficiency.
#11
Skara Brae 3 years ago
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.
#12
Lady of the Mountains 3 years ago
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!
#15
sofacushionfort 3 years ago
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.
#16
Nikki Sevven 3 years ago
My family carves pumpkins every Halloween...and decorates cookies for Christmas, and dyes eggs for Easter...
#17
#18
Vivian Orr 3 years ago
We just have a lot of fun with it. Most do not take it seriously in the pagan/religious manner. Although some do but not most. It’s just a great time to get dressed up in some of the most amazing ways you can think of. It’s a good excuse to party and just let go of all the things in today’s world that can cause you stress. And then there’s the candy!! Yum!
Skara Brae 3 years ago
Halloween is mostly for kids who want to get free candy, and adults that want to have a party. Many people like wearing costumes. It's just for fun.
Isidien Gudmundsdottir 3 years ago
We take every Holiday very serious because we don't have that many days off as non-Americans so we grab any and all opportunity to celebrate as if it were our last celebration.
Nikki Sevven 3 years ago
Half my closet is filled with Halloween costumes, really detailed ones. Sometimes, I replicate a character I like (Tank Girl complete with comic book-style rocket launcher, Cenobyte from Hellraiser complete with handmade puzzle box). Other times, I "create" (Little Red Riding Hood: Werewolf Hunter, Alice Cooper in Wonderland). Oh, and I'm 56yo.
boredkoala 3 years ago
Same, though probably not quite as elaborate as yours, they sound awesome!! Rock on!
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Don't Look 3 years ago
Okay, name something that at least one large group of americas doesn't take way too seriously.
Rebecca 3 years ago
Life is way too serious. Halloween actually helps us take it down a notch by embracing fun and ridiculousness.
Grant Barke 3 years ago
Won’t be much fun when that huge medical bill arrives for that poisoned candy you trick or treated for from one of your evil neighbours.
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Mike Loux 3 years ago
Our health care sucks, education is expensive, and wait staff get a shitty wage. We need SOMETHING to distract us from the misery...
Grant Barke 3 years ago
Halloween is Satan's way for you to celebrate and embrace all that misery.
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Mary Jeffries 3 years ago
A lot of people in America enjoy being enthusiastic about things. I read this as a frequent descriptor of Americans. Personally, I love looking forward to each of the holidays and decorating accordingly. My life is a lot more fun when I don’t take myself that seriously.
Brenda Pereira 3 years ago
WHAT? Halloween IS serious. Serious fun! It's the best holiday of the year! Everyone thinks Christmas is the favorite, but that's only if you're a kid. Once you figure out there is no Santa, Halloween becomes your favorite. It's all about the excitement and anticipation of dressing up and laughing at each other or having the little kids be so excited when they come to the door all dressed up and timidly (usually) saying 'trick or treat'. You can act all surprised or afraid or whatever and the kids get such a kick out of it. I give away the good candy because the kids alway go away from the door yelling to each other about what they got, like it's a treasure hunt. I even dress up my dog who loves/hates all the kids coming to the door. I don't know who has more fun, me, the kids, or the dog!
Twodogsandapicnictable 3 years ago
What do you mean by seriously. Most people call it having fun.
chrissy goodman 3 years ago
nope there is no such thing as too seriously. however there is such a thing as seriously fun
Daniel (ShadowDrakken) 3 years ago
Because we're an uptight, self oppressed society that needs a specific day we're allowed to actually enjoy life like we should have been doing all year.
Sky Render 3 years ago
Imagine that, the nation that has the biggest sugar addiction ever takes a night where sugary sweets are handed out en masse to children and runs with it! (Seriously, though, it's just fun to dress up silly and nobody acts like there's anything strange about you. That's why anime and comic conventions are so fun too!)
Leslie Burleson 3 years ago
It's so much fun though. Everyone loves a little bit of spookiness and dressing up .
#19
Jo Johannsen 3 years ago
Mmm, pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin soup, roasted pumpkin seeds...
#21
Sara Rosen 3 years ago
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.
#25
Stephanie Rohweder 3 years ago
The best seasonal store ever. It's like Halloween Santa. Only shows up once a year and you never see it until spooky season
#29
Susan Rapacz 3 years ago
Where do you think we get our costumes and skeletons and witches and giant rubber rats and fake spider webs and coffins and monsters?
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What do you think ?
Kristin Ingersoll 3 years ago
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
Peppy Piplup 3 years ago
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.
Bunzilla 3 years ago
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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TrashPandaSociety 3 years ago
Another anti America article that hasn't been fact checked. Shocker.
Charmwashere 3 years ago
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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SumoNinja 3 years ago
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.
René Studer 3 years ago
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?
Bill Evs 3 years ago
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!
Christopher Bowers 3 years ago
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.
Aliquid 3 years ago
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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Leo Domitrix 3 years ago
Halloween is a way to have a party, in the long stretch between summer and winter holidays, is what I figure.
Gelato Cat 3 years ago
Ummmm this looks more like a persons search engine, not a Twitter thread
Mary G----no 3 years ago
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.
Lena Hill 3 years ago (edited)
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
Dodo 3 years ago
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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Claire the Bear 3 years ago
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) :(
Duncan 3 years ago
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.....?
Susan Trevaskis-Owen 3 years ago
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... bill marsano 3 years ago
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.
bill marsano 3 years ago
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
bill marsano 3 years ago
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 . .
bill marsano 3 years ago
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 . . .
bill marsano 3 years ago
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 . . . .
bill marsano 3 years ago
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 . .
Yehudit Hannah Cohn 3 years ago
Wow. Could someone find yet another way to ask exactly the same questions? Over and over? Over and over?
Julie Richards 3 years ago
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.
Callum McLeod 3 years ago
Guess where I live: "The Halloween Decorations are on stock starting at the end of summer"
Om 3 years ago
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.
Kayla J 3 years ago (edited)
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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Kiwii Stone 3 years ago
The UK celebrates Halloween so most of this comments are null and void
Aliquid 3 years ago
The UK doesn't even vaguely celebrate Halloween to the same extent that Americans do.
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Goth mouse (they/them) 3 years ago
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 😄🦇🦇
Little brown wren 3 years ago
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....
Pezor Zass 3 years ago
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!
Kristin Ingersoll 3 years ago
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
Peppy Piplup 3 years ago
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.
Bunzilla 3 years ago
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... TrashPandaSociety 3 years ago
Another anti America article that hasn't been fact checked. Shocker.
Charmwashere 3 years ago
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... SumoNinja 3 years ago
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.
René Studer 3 years ago
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?
Bill Evs 3 years ago
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!
Christopher Bowers 3 years ago
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.
Aliquid 3 years ago
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... Leo Domitrix 3 years ago
Halloween is a way to have a party, in the long stretch between summer and winter holidays, is what I figure.
Gelato Cat 3 years ago
Ummmm this looks more like a persons search engine, not a Twitter thread
Mary G----no 3 years ago
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.
Lena Hill 3 years ago (edited)
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
Dodo 3 years ago
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... Claire the Bear 3 years ago
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) :(
Duncan 3 years ago
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.....?
Susan Trevaskis-Owen 3 years ago
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... bill marsano 3 years ago
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.
bill marsano 3 years ago
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
bill marsano 3 years ago
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 . .
bill marsano 3 years ago
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 . . .
bill marsano 3 years ago
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 . . . .
bill marsano 3 years ago
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 . .
Yehudit Hannah Cohn 3 years ago
Wow. Could someone find yet another way to ask exactly the same questions? Over and over? Over and over?
Julie Richards 3 years ago
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.
Callum McLeod 3 years ago
Guess where I live: "The Halloween Decorations are on stock starting at the end of summer"
Om 3 years ago
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.
Kayla J 3 years ago (edited)
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... Kiwii Stone 3 years ago
The UK celebrates Halloween so most of this comments are null and void
Aliquid 3 years ago
The UK doesn't even vaguely celebrate Halloween to the same extent that Americans do.
Load More Replies... Goth mouse (they/them) 3 years ago
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 😄🦇🦇
Little brown wren 3 years ago
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....
Pezor Zass 3 years ago
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!
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