Laura E. HallA question as we head into fall: why do you think Americans like Halloween so much? 🎃
Looking for perspectives from people in the US, and from people outside the US
I have my theories but I'm curious to know what others think!
Kirk@lauraehall I am in the US!
Firstly, I think there is a wide variety of appeal, from young to old, and lots of ways to celebrate- parties, get togethers, activities, decor, baking, dressing up... something for anyone, I reckon.
And, it is very easy to exploit commercially, so industry keeps it around, as well...
Plus, it gives an excuse to celebrate things that have appeal outside of the holiday, too- horror, creepy things, strange creatures, the atmosphere of the night...
That's my 2 cents!
Nick Stefanski 🐦🔥@HacksawUnit @lauraehall I think the influence of commercialism cannot be overstated, look at Christmas vs Easter for another example! There’s probably also something to be said about a release valve for puritanical Protestants, etc etc. I wonder when Halloween actually became the cultural juggernaut it is today?
Owen Nelson@lauraehall I grew up in the UK, but born in the US. I fondly remember "guising" but I don't think I really fell in love with Halloween until adulthood where I formed rituals around watching horror movies, less about parties and costumes.
The Q: why do we (Americans) love it? Jeez. I think there could be many reasons. I'll be watching to see what others think.
Meagan@lauraehall (I'm from the US) The US doesn't really celebrate Carnival outside of New Orleans, so we latched onto Halloween as our celebration of food. booze, the grotesque, and social hierarchy reversal. That's my guess anyway. 🤷♀️
Derek Powazek 🐐@lauraehall temporary respite from conservative Christian hegemony
Ashe Dryden@lauraehall we yearn for community solidarity
Tasha Sounart 🎮🏰@lauraehall as a kid: fun costumes, opportunity to be something else for a day (role play), free candy
@lauraehall as an adult: make costumes for my kid, interact with neighbors in a wholesome way, decorate house, cozy vibes (I was never into the scary aspect)
@lauraehall ps. My game Costume Quest is my love letter to Halloween
nina splendorr 🌻🏳️⚧️@lauraehall it’s the only fun, hedonistic holiday that isn’t about “patriotism” or “jesus,” and everybody lives under a cloud of death that we’re not allowed to acknowledge. also pumpkins are cute
@lauraehall also, I think everybody loves to play pretend and we are just NOT encouraged or allowed to do that in any larger context than tabletop rpgs, but it’s SO FUN to see everybody’s creativity
Noel J. Penaflor@lauraehall Horror Movies 24/7. Speaking for myself.
Uncle Vinny@lauraehall I was bored by Halloween by the time I turned 12. Each year people start yammering about it even earlier than the last. I’d like to move to some other country so I can be a cranky buzzkill about some different holidays, I’m so sick of ours! 😂
Danny Garside@lauraehall
My theory is that it's intergenerational guilt/fear/echos relating to the history of genocide and slavery, and a way to process that history.
I'm sure I'm not the only one with this theory. In fact, if someone sees this and has further references, please do send links - I'm sure smart people have thought and written about this.
(I'm a Brit who has lived in the USA for the last ~4 years)
My name is Gloria Actually@lauraehall the candy industry’s done a lot of marketing
Ertain@lauraehall We love it here. But a bunch of stores want to push Christmas way too fucking early.
Olooriel@Ertain Oh, it doesn't help with that, then? I hate seeing Christmas stuff in stores in August (!) here in Germany, but I always thought that it would come out after Halloween for you guys at least...
prokyonid
brettwitty@lauraehall
(I'm outside the US) Americans love pageantry and Halloween is pageantry without any particular allegiance or meaningful remembered history.
(I'm outside the US) Americans love pageantry and Halloween is pageantry without any particular allegiance or meaningful remembered history.
luddite 🇵🇸 computer@lauraehall the dark shadowy hand of the candy-industrial complex
Kevin Marks@lauraehall the rhythm of Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas/Hannukah is a satisfying way to break up the darkening part of the year from equinox to solstice.
Phil Wolff@KevinMarks The #highholydays start the #Halloween > Turkeyday > Chanukah > Other New Year cycle for me.
cc: @lauraehall
Jaco G@lauraehall I can't really speculate but it's probably the same reason they go big on Christmas and St Patrick's Day.
Brian McGovney@lauraehall It’s just like with coffee. A society that has banished all bitter tastes but one will hold onto that one all the tighter. Americans do not tolerate memento mori in their lives or their culture. Except from Halloween and horror films, which we will never, ever give up.
Josh "cortex" Millard@lauraehall for one thing it's literally our only goofy holiday, like in far distant second maybe is St. Patrick's Day because (a) color theme and (b) not super great pinching concept and (c) really not great Ruining Every Bartender's Night tradition, but even that is a big stretch.
Halloween marries a few tight concepts together with no pofaced justification: just 1. what if spooky stuff was real and 2. fuck it let's dress up nobody can stop us and 3. candy is good. Just 10/10 execution.
Phil Nelson@joshmillard @lauraehall ah yes the Good Holiday Triad
ethan@lauraehall US-based
I think it is a combination of celebration during the fall (a last chance party before winter), the anonymity and fantasy in dressing up, and it being totally non-secular. It feels free in a way that other holidays do not: low expectations for traditions and freedom to express it as each person wants to (a simple costume or all out, a hedonistic fête or some candy with friends)
Ron Gilbert (GrumpyGamer)@lauraehall As a kid: free all-you-can-eat candy!
RFKDemocrat@lauraehall Becaue for one evening you can pretend you can be someone else - whoever you want to be and no one will judge you or think different of you.
Lydia Schoch@lauraehall I grew up in the U.S. and now live in Canada.
I was a preacher’s kid growing up and wasn’t allowed to celebrate Halloween until age 11 for religious reasons.
I love it for reasons others have mentioned: it’s lighthearted, there’s candy, you can be anything you want to be (which really resonates with me as a member of the LGBTQ+ community), acknowledgement of death, it’s not a religious holiday, it’s a good excuse to hang out with your neighbours.
I think I’ll always love it. :)
Tammy Schoch@lauraehall I think you’re asking about the USA, but halloween is really big deal in Central America as well. Maybe all of Latin America? Maybe it’s an entirely new world obsession?
@TammySue ooh, interesting! Has it been like that for a long time, or more recently?
@lauraehall @TammySue https://dayofthedead.holiday/ is #halloween-adjacent. And it’s been around much longer than Halloween.
@lauraehall @TammySue love this list of #DiaDeLosMuertos movies
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/best-dia-de-los-muertos-movies
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/best-dia-de-los-muertos-movies
Charles22a203@lauraehall For me its that its the sole end of the year holiday that doesn't break the bank (I mean, I guess it could, but that is a lot of snickers in return) and is about community as opposed to family. No other holiday (besides easter and the twelve people celebrating that, I guess) does that.
Okapi LipsI *love* making costumes and dressing up & seeing others dress up. Nothing better than planning matching costumes with friends!
It's just an extra plus that it occurs during the best season, and it's typically cold enough to support pretty layered costumes!
P.S. I'm not here for the scary stuff, (I enjoy halloween comedies like Hocus Pocus!) but my friends love the opportunity to get together to watch horror movies!
Webb Halloween@lauraehall my personal take- I love Halloween because it’s a holiday that invites/embraces imperfections. It’s a moment to be zany, weird, fun, crazy, gory, or whatever else works for you
Dr Scott Chaussée 
@lauraehall I live in the UK but originally from Kansas, dead centre USA. My interest in Halloween stems from feeling alien to the pervasive evangelical culture. It felt like the one time of year that my 'dark side' could be not only indulged, but celebrated. Even as a kid, I had an interest in the supernatural and occult and it was 'weird' for all but 31 days of the year. It was an act of rebellion/self expression for me and felt like I could unmask.
petes_bread_eqn_xls@lauraehall Another plus: no need to travel (stressful) to visit distant relatives (stressful) nor cook for them (stressful) nor give them gifts (stressful)