Smells Like Halloween Spirit

By Orli Trumbull (Sophomore)

The most famous Halloween quote is arguably Cady’s description of the holiday in Mean Girls. “Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it.” The film represents the holiday from a teens perspective, breaking away from the typical family friendly stereotype.

There are many debates about Halloween influences. A common belief is that the event originated from Celtic origins. Celts, who lived at around 1,000BC, had a traditional Samhain festival to welcome the year’s harvest and scare off dark spirits with costumes.

In the 8th century, Pope Gregory III declared November 1 as the day to honor saints. The day before became known as Hallows Eve and incorporated Samhain influence. It eventually evolved into the activities we know today.

Halloween in the early 1900’s was centralized around games and community bonding. Later, Trick or Treating was widely adopted, and the celebration was primarily aimed towards young people.

Today, Halloween is one of America’s most celebrated holidays, with families spending around 6 billion dollars on the event annually. Producers of Halloween movies, scare houses, and blow up decorations have made a tremendous profit from the festival. 73% of Americans plan to celebrate Halloween this year, up from 64% in 2015 and a pandemic slump of 58%.

The day has embedded itself in American culture. Drawing influences from social media, celebrities, games, and books, costumes came in an array of shapes and sizes. Halloween is a time for people to connect through garments, candy, and love for celebration. As seen in Mean Girls, the holiday is relevant for everyone, and is a universally loved event.