Halloween should be national holiday

by: Maddie Walsh

Halloween is one of the most anticipated holidays of the year by many. In the U.S., the whole month of October is dedicated to Halloween-themed activities such as haunted houses, horror movies, and pumpkin carving. What many may be shocked to discover is that Halloween is not a national holiday in the U.S. However, I believe that it should be.

Holidays such as Christmas and Thanksgiving bring people together. Halloween is no different. Many people have gatherings with friends and family to celebrate the occasion. According to usnews.com, 73% of Americans are planning to celebrate Halloween this year. Since over half of the country acknowledges this day annually, why wouldn’t we make this a national holiday? 

Halloween festivities don’t usually begin until the sun begins to set and don’t end until well into the night. This is very inconvenient for young children who usually go to bed much earlier in the evening. Since Halloween and trick-or-treating are participated in by mostly the youth population, it doesn’t make much sense that kids are required to attend school the next day. If Halloween were considered a national holiday, it’s likely that people would get the following day off from school and work. This would also make the holiday more enjoyable and eliminate the stress of the coming day for all who celebrate. 

In the U.S., a large part of the population is not originally from America. According to Pew Research Center, 37.2 percent of people of Mexican Origin live in America. A popular Mexican Holiday, The Day of the Dead, occurs on Nov. 1 annually, which also happens to be the day after Halloween. Making Halloween a national Holiday and implementing a day of rest for the following day would also give people who celebrate the Day of the Dead a day off of work and school so they can participate in festivities. If we declare Halloween as a National Holiday, we will also be practicing inclusivity of the different cultures that make up our country.

Although Halloween does not have patriotic or religious origins, it still represents historical aspects of the U.S. According to The New York Public Library, Halloween was brought to America from Europe by early settlers and is thought to have Celtic roots. Traditionally, people would celebrate the day by dressing in costume, eating sweets, and gathering around bonfires, which is very similar to how we typically celebrate today. In a way, Halloween is not much different from Thanksgiving since on both days, we are carrying on tradition from our ancestors. 

There is no reason why Halloween shouldn’t be a national holiday because of its traditional roots as well as its widespread popularity among the American people.

Halloween shouldn’t be national holiday

by: Ava Hepokoski

Many people in the U.S. love to dress up, eat candy, and decorate their homes for Halloween. Kids enjoy going trick-or-treating, adults like going to parties, and everyone enjoys putting a costume on. However, Halloween has never been made a national holiday, and it should stay that way. 

Halloween has no origin in our country’s roots. Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, and the Fourth of July are all national holidays. Each of those holidays ties into a specific event in our country’s history. Thanksgiving is celebrated to remember how the Pilgrims made peace and shared meals with their Native American neighbors; the Fourth of July marks the day our country gained independence; and Memorial Day is a somber reminder of the American lives sacrificed for our country in war. Since Halloween does not have any tie to our country being how it is today, it should not be a national holiday. 

If a holiday doesn’t relate to our country’s roots, it is religious. Christmas, Easter, and Hannakuah are all part of religions that are largely celebrated in America; therefore, they are national holidays. Halloween is slightly religious, tied to the Day of the Dead and an ancient festival known as Samhain. But the Day of the Dead is not celebrated in America, and Samhain is outdated. 

If anything, Halloween is actually “celebrating” the macabre—evil spirits and darkness. This can be a scary thing for children, and it doesn’t teach them any principles or values. Thanksgiving teaches children to be thankful, and Christmas and Easter teaches children religious history, while Halloween does not teach children anything. Many children get frightened by the decorations and tricks people pull, so making it a national holiday is not a good idea. I’m not opposed to getting free candy, but dressing up like a serial killer should not be formally recognized by our country. 

If Halloween was a national holiday and everyone got off school and work, it wouldn’t serve a good purpose because trick-or-treating doesn’t start until the sun starts going down, which is a few hours after school ends. Additionally, if children had no school the day after Halloween, they would be trick-or-treating very late into the night. This would cause problems because some adults go to bed earlier and do not want children ringing their doorbell asking for candy late at night. It’s also not safe for children to be wandering random neighborhoods late into the night, but since they have school the next day, they go home at a reasonable time. 

Halloween is just a holiday for fun and doesn’t have a strong religious tie or historical background to it. I love eating candy, dressing up, and carving pumpkins, but making it a national holiday would be a mistake.