Are you a lover of Halloween? With the influx of American culture into our society, you will find polarising remarks about the commercialisation of another heritage. However, by the pass of each year, Halloween is becoming more prominent in Australia.
You will find more Parties, better decorations, pendants, and a larger aisle devoted to Halloween in our supermarkets. But beneath the fake blood, cotton wool cobwebs and face paint is a culture that promotes community involvement.
So, are we to Resist or adopt it?
How did Halloween Actually begin?
Halloween has come to be a ‘product of US civilization’, however, the background is vastly different from the heritage we observe now.
Did you know Halloween originated as the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain? People would dress up for the event to ward off ghosts before All Saints Day on 1 November. Followers of the Celtic faith thought that the barrier between our world and the world of ghosts, ghouls and spirits became lean at the end of summertime and ‘All Hallow’s Eve’ would banish the evil spirits.
Although Halloween as It is now renowned barely for its ancient customs, this convention should concentrate on the positive elements of Halloween as opposed to the popularised variant developed in the united states.
Why is Halloween so popular in America?
Whenever the Irish Immigrated into the United States, they brought with them their customs, such as Halloween. From then it’s taken off and became the heritage celebrated now.
America’s National Retail Federation has forecasted that 179 million Americans will celebrate Halloween this year, with customers expected to dab $9.1 billion on everything from candy and decorations into a costume which can win you the prize for best dressed.
Regardless of the costumes, candy and pumpkins, there’s still a community element of Halloween which is definitely something worth adopting. ‘This is households collecting, kids spending some time together and moving outside — what is wrong with this?’ He states.
What exactly about Halloween is in Australia?
Here in Australia, there Are polarising remarks on the holiday being celebrated.
The negative connotations surrounding the vacation are usually a ‘knee- jerk’ response owing to its commercialisation from America. The understanding that the US is ‘taking over Australia using their advertising’ can transform people into cynics of their convention, however, Australia has a solid history of ‘borrowing’ rituals from different nations.
You see the excitement of Halloween hit when kids, regardless of nationality, race, gender, rush to the closest Halloween stores or browse online to find a costume that would best suit their desire. Shopping carts and shopping lists are filled with options such as wigs, gray colored contact lenses, masks, lights, robes, Halloween special face paints and coloured contact lenses.
‘We’ve got a powerful History of embracing a number of rituals from different nations and cultures, and why should Halloween be any different to some other element of civilization which we borrow from other people?’ Dr Harrison points out.
Halloween isn’t the Only vacation Australia has embraced. St. Patricks Day, celebrated on 17 March, observes the patron saint of Ireland, also can be widely celebrated across the country. Also, Valentine’s Day 14 February, a day connected with everything love.
As human beings, we all are looking for rituals for the community throughout and what we do as other neighbourhood rituals and institutions like churches or powerful conversational and neighbourhood linkages break down, is that we search for ways to substitute this.
But what is currently the Grassroot of this convention — the kids trick-or-treating, pumpkins being chased, and communities spending some time together, good fun scaring your mates with whiteout contact lenses, etc can nevertheless be achieved without purchasing in the Halloween hype. You can still do Halloween; however, you do not need to purchase Halloween. Community component is lost while the commercialisation of the vacation occurs.
Halloween has ‘captured on completely’ in Australia, and cynics must turn their Criticisms towards the commercialisation instead of the grassroots ritual. Looking beyond the commercialisation of Halloween, you will Discover a vacation that brings individuals and communities together.
