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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at South Carolina chapter.
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Fall is setting in, the mornings are starting to warrant jackets, and you can just smell spices in the air. With Halloween around the corner, I know everyone is starting to coordinate what costumes they are getting this year. I never thought about Halloween being more than just one day, but here in Cola it’s a whole weekend! We have to plan different costumes everyday, and every year it gets harder to be original in such a big college town. 

I think sometimes it gets stressful because we have to find outfits and enjoy the more fun “college” aspect of Halloween. This can take over the whole month, because we plan weeks ahead for costumes and then miss out on everything else that October has to offer. 

I think two of the biggest activities during the Halloween season would be either pumpkin carving or going to a haunted house. I guess which one you like more depends on how much gore and spookiness you can handle. Don’t get me wrong, I am still plan on wearing my Halloween costumes, but you can bet I will also be carving pumpkins. 

Haunted houses are a classic element that have been around for a while. According to the Smithsonian magazine, haunted houses date back to 19th-century London. The public was introduced to new forms of gruesome entertainment through illusions and attractions. The main concepts of these houses have not changed, but have changed over time. For those of you who, for religious reasons, do not celebrate Halloween, there are anti-Halloween attractions ran by churches or Christian Universities. 

We walk around and see painted pumpkins and Jack o’lanterns, but do we know the history behind it? Carving these figures is not just an American folklore, it comes from our European ancestors. According to an article from the Taste of Home, this practice dates back to an old Irish myth about a man named “Stingy Jack”. What used to be carving turnips, beets, and potatoes has now translated into carving pumpkins. What used to be a spooky tradition is now seen as warm family fun.  

I’m more of a carving pumpkins girly, but I may dabble in some more spooky activities this October/Halloween season. Whatever you choose to do just remember to have fun and to be safe. This is a great opportunity to bond with people and create beautiful memories, so live in the moment and enjoy these once a year popular activities!

Jack-O-Laterns
Photo by rescueram3 from Pixabay
Jess Reynolds

South Carolina '26

Jess is a sophomore at the University of South Carolina. She is majoring in nursing and is a part of the creative and editorial teams of the USC Hercampus Organization chapter. She is also a part of the Women in Stem club and the Student Nursing Association. Jess was the president of her school chapter of Habitat for Humanity. She has won sociable and perseverance awards in the organization as well. She was also the Fundraising/Volunteer Co-chair of her school’s Help A Hound club as well. She loves connecting with others and shares a goal of empowering women. Her hobbies include doing anything artistic and being surrounded by nature. Jess loves Hercampus and can’t wait to learn and grow into more of an extraordinary woman!