Every year, on the last day of October, many Americans carve pumpkins, divvy out tons of candy corn and M&Ms, and even take their little witches and superheroes out trick-or-treating. Although these may be just childhood memories for many college students, each October 31 presents students with the opportunity to relive these nostalgic feelings.
Over 2,000 years ago, Halloween originated as Samhain, a festival where the Celts would dress up in costumes and light sacred bonfires in order to keep away the ghosts that they believed returned to earth. Today, Halloween has become a commercialized holiday that is celebrated in American culture.
According to the 2011 U.S. Census, there were about 41 million potential trick-or-treaters that ranged from 5-14 years old. In 2013, it is projected that 43.6 percent of people will dress up in a costume, therefore contributing to the overall estimated Halloween spending of $6.9 billion, according to the National Retail Foundation.
Although Halloween is a popular American tradition, some people don’t participate in the celebrations. University of Maryland sophomore Raphael Oduok said Halloween wasn’t celebrated at his house. “My parents are really religious and don’t believe in celebrating Halloween, and as far as dressing up, I don’t get too consumed with that,” Oduok said.
UMD sophomore and electrical engineering major Abriana Height said that even though celebrating Halloween is a part of being a child, she still wears a costume when she goes to Halloween parties. Even though Height is a college student who relives her childhood traditions, she is just one of many women that continue to participate in the festivities.
When asked if Halloween was an excuse for girls to dress more provocatively than they normally would, various Maryland students expressed their opinions on the subject.
“To an extent it’s an excuse, because I guess one of the purposes of Halloween is to be something you’re not, but there’s also a limit girls keep in mind when picking their Halloween costumes,” Oduok said.
“I think [it is an excuse] because no girl says they’re going to dress up as the grim reaper, they dress up as Hooters girls or something like that; they always want to be sexy,” UMD sophomore community and behavioral health major Jada Brewer said.
According to Google Shopping, Miley Cyrus costumes as well as flapper dresses from the film The Great Gatsby are among the top Halloween costumes for 2013.
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Maryland students were asked to compare how Halloween is celebrated on campus versus how it is celebrated at other universities.
“I don’t think [Maryland] takes Halloween as serious as other campuses, some schools take it as far as having haunted houses. I don’t think it’s that big of a deal at Maryland as it is at any other school,” UMD sophomore and computer engineering major Emmanuel Olaniyi said.
“Halloween at UMD is something really popular and something that a lot of people participate in. Some people feel pressured or inclined [to celebrate] once they see all of the excitement, but I feel that Halloween is celebrated quite well here at the University of Maryland,” Oduok said.