Halloween is a festival that is popular in several countries such as the United States. The festival is very common in various continents such as Europe and North America. In essence, Halloween is a festival that encompasses many activities and engages individuals from all demographics in the society. Some of the major activities that people undertake during the festival include watching horror movies, giving presents, designing creative decorations on items like pumpkins, and wearing fancy costumes. It is within this context that the essay examines my first Halloween festival that I celebrated in the United States.
The major people, who participated in the celebration, included my family and friends. Notably, my first Halloween took place on 31 October last year. Since the event was my first experience, I had a lot to learn and engage in during the festival. In addition, I made several inquiries concerning the celebration in order to compound my understanding on the event. My family, which comprised my father, mother, and elder brother, explained to me the importance of the event and the reason why several individuals celebrate it annually.
During the event, I learnt a number of factors that were very practical in increasing the level of pleasure and joy that one can derive from the festival. My friends also took me to various households and recreational centers where we had a lot of fun and maximized the celebration. It is fundamental to highlight that prior to the celebration, my parents bought costumes and special handicrafts designed for the day, and thus, I was ready for the event.
From the research I conducted during the event, I realized that Halloween is one of the popular celebrations that people perform annually. Moreover, my family and friends explained to me that the event was very important in bringing people together and encouraging unity amongst neighbors. According to my father, the fact that the celebrations involved children, who moved around the neighborhood receiving gifts and collecting donations, implied that it brought some kind of unity amongst individuals of a given region.
I also learnt that the unique carvings and pumpkins designed in exclusive ways aimed at warding evil spirits away especially during historic periods. Principally, I realized that children were the major people, who adorned themselves in fancy costumes and performed the ‘trick or treat’ activity, which entailed collection of gifts such as snacks, fruits, or sweets from their neighbors.
The explanation from my friends and family broadened my understanding about the celebration and the activities that it entailed. Some of the major activities that I witnessed during the celebration involved children, youth, and adults. Imperatively, the children participated in a range of activities that comprised the ‘trick or treat’, pulled pranks, and engaged in various recreational events. My parents explained the significance of ensuring that the children were safe especially if they involved themselves in the ‘trick or treat’ activity.
While the children engaged in various activities, parents and the youth enjoyed their celebrations by watching horror movies, creating haunted houses, and making unique carvings. In addition, they also visited one another and enjoyed the celebrations together. Therefore, it emerged to me that Halloween is one of the celebrations that are very instrumental in the livelihoods of many individuals living in the United States.
Some of the carvings that the adults designed included pumpkins that took the shape of lanterns. The design of the pumpkins was in a manner that demonstrated scary faces. After designing some of the pumpkins in a frightening manner, my mother placed them in the living room as a form of decoration.
In her assertion, she stated that besides the use of scary designs on pumpkins, other families used various vegetables and adorned their gardens in line with the values and principles provided by Halloween celebrations. According to my friends and family, the carvings and scary decorations were initially intended to keep the evil spirits away from homesteads. As a result, I realized that the celebration had a historic background in the minds of those, who undertook it.
On the eve of the celebration, I wore the costumes bought by my parents and joined my friends to enjoy the festival together. From my observation, it was evident that various people were equally celebrating the event. The children also wore fancy costumes and walked around neighborhoods collecting gifts from the residents in the community.
I also observed that besides the children, some adults wore fancy outfits and pulled pranks on their unsuspecting friends. In the morning, my mother placed some fruits, sweets, and snacks on the table and informed me that the children were to collect them when they came for the ‘trick or treat’. At certain homesteads, I heard the children threatening to haunt the house and after inquiring from my friends, they told me that the children were actively participating in the ‘trick to treat’ and were not given any gifts at the subject homesteads.
Some of the symbols and objects associated with the celebration represented a connection that the spirit world had with the world of the living. From the explanations and activities that my friends and family undertook, it emerged that the day was connected to a number of objects and symbols. While the objects comprised bones, fire, skulls, blood, and gravestones, the symbols that were commonly used included walking skeletons, ghosts, and spooks.
Prior to the celebration, my parents and I walked into a store that was adjacent to our neighborhood and purchased some objects and costumes, which we wore during Halloween celebrations. In the store, my parents elucidated to me that the day also involved some animals that were considered as animals of darkness. They informed that the animals included spiders, black cats, and bats.
Halloween is a major celebration that involves several individuals in the United States. The celebration is unique and represents some form of connection between the living and the dead. Formerly, people used objects such as pumpkins, fire, and blood to keep the spirits away from their homesteads. The use of these objects explains the significance that the present societies accord to them during Halloween celebrations.
Societies also considered black cats, spiders, and bats as animals that had close relationships with the day. Since it was my first celebration, I learnt a number of things concerning the day. Although, the day is not an official holiday in the United States, considerable amounts of people enjoy it and use the day to meet with others and celebrate together. From the experiences acquired during the celebration, it is important to highlight that I developed passion towards the day and will continue participating in subsequent Halloween celebrations.