As many of you know, Halloween just recently passed. Most college kinds students tend to stay at home whereas younger kids go out trick-or-treating. Of course, I went trick-or-treating because I really enjoy getting candy. But as my friends and I were walking up to a house, we were all really excited because of how much candy we had been getting. As the woman opened the door, she said "Aren't you all too old to be trick-or-treating? Next time I won't give you any candy?" At first I presumed she was joking but the more it replayed in my head I realized she was sort of rude about it. My friends and I started talking about what age people stop trick-or-treating at. Technically speaking Halloween is a tradition for all ages. There are no rules saying you must be under a certain age in order to go trick-or-treating. Why is it so wrong for a college student to want free candy?
Halloween is a tradition for all people to participate in. Children are able to both go trick-or-treating and give out candy yet adults are limited to giving out candy because they are “too old”. Although Halloween can be associated with different religions, unlike Bat Mitzvah’s and other traditions, Halloween has no specific age or clothing requirements. People should not be judging college students for taking advantage of this wonderful tradition of collecting free candy.
Where did Halloween come from? I’m sure Halloween didn’t originally start off as a holiday for people to get candy. Some people view it as the Devil’s Night whereas others view Halloween as a fun made-up holiday for children who want candy.
Why do people have traditions in general? most people celebrate certain holidays because of religions. Others prefer the more secular aspects of holidays. For example, Christmas is a holiday that was supposed to be the day to remember Jesus Christ’s supposed day of birth. Today, atheists, Muslims, and a variety of religious people celebrate Christmas because they like the idea of giving and (moreso) receiving. This tradition has been so watered down that even some Christians have forgotten the purpose of the tradition because they get so caught up in the presents or the food or the music or just being with family.
Personally, I am satisfied with the traditions we have today. I know the origins of the holidays I celebrate and so far I have not forgotten the reason why we celebrate most traditions. For example, Halloween was originally a tradition to celebrate dead saints and send away the devil. Christmas is a holiday to celebrate the birth of Christ and act as the wise men who brought gifts for the new born king. Although, these traditions have been extremely watered down, I feel that I have done my part and learned why we even celebrate to begin with.
