Halloween

Halloween celebration traditions were brought to America by immigrants. As the beliefs and customs of different European ethnic groups and the American Indians meshed, a distinctly American version of Halloween emerged. Borrowing from European traditions, Americans began to dress up in costumes and go house to house asking for food or money, a practice that eventually became today’s “trick-or-treat” tradition.

In the late 19th century, there was a move in America to mold Halloween into a holiday more about community and neighborly get-togethers than about ghosts, pranks and witchcraft. At the turn of the century, Halloween parties for both children and adults became the most common way to celebrate the day. Parties focused on games, foods of the season, carving jack-o-lanterns and festive costumes. 

On the surface, Halloween is about scary personalities and horror stories, the reality is it’s about family values, community, friends and loved ones that we cherish. Nowadays, when the world is divided more than ever, Halloween is one holiday that still brings everybody together to have fun, appreciate life and enjoy each other.

Interesting fact: 

Halloween is the second largest commercial holiday in America after Christmas.

Ghosts, goblins, and ghouls may be frightening, but what Americans spend on Halloween could be even scarier. The average American household spends $108 on Halloween, including decorations, costumes, candy, and other expenses. In all, Halloween spending reached an all-time high of more than $12 billion in the United States in 2023, after spending $10.6 billion on Halloween in 2022, and there’s no reason to think this year’s total will be any lower.

Cats say meow, ghosts say boo, happy Halloween to you!